My elderly mom has spinal stenosis and is in constant pain lower back. They seem to have tried it all except ibuprofen. Doctors and online sites suggest ibuprofen is bad for kidneys in elderly. Her brother who is 97 was also told his by his doctor but slips one in now and then (he asks at this point, what is he saving his kidneys for?) He also accepts pain is in a way comes with territory now.
I wanted to know what people here whose opinion I trust have to say about this? Tired of daily rants about how much she hurts. I feel sorry for her, but at some point not much I can do?
-In the olden days, before it was taken off the market, Vioxx was a lifesaver for me. The only Cox 2 inhibitor left on the market today is Celecoxib - a class of NSAIDs called COX-2 inhibitors. It works by stopping the body's production of a substance that causes pain and inflammation. It doesn't help me but perhaps it could help her.
-Has she tried lidocaine patches? They can help to a certain degree.
-With 100% CBD, there should not be a "high" but it also may not work.
-When things get really bad for me, I can tolerate Voltaren for a couple of days
-how about a electrical stimulation, from a PT or an at home TENS unit? They are less than $100 on Amazon. Has that been tried? If not, talk to her pain meds specialist about it.
My to your mom and all the other posters suffering from chronic pain. For so many of us, it's a way of life. I have figured out ways to tolerate it but man when I have something temporary but that causes acute pain--ight now it's a dental abscess--I go from cranky to kill mode!!!-:)
My mother’s doctor said that she couldn’t have ibuprofen.
It is hard to see someone suffering, knowing that we are powerless in resolving their issues.
I am sorry, Karsten. I know that it’s frustrating for you to be going through this situation.
I’m pretty sure that years ago I read that problems are more likely as you age, but also that no stomach pain means no problems. Ask a good doctor, I can’t remember the details. My last experience was when a locum said I could tolerate it as a suppository. My doctor was keeping his anger under control, when I found after 3 days I was back to severe pain – it enters the blood stream, no matter how you get it inside you.
Because of this, I have unlimited access to Codeine, which is the oldest (100 year +), least addictive and least ‘high’ producing of all the opioids. I don’t take it regularly, just when I am in pain (which admittedly is often). I would refuse any of the newer nastier opioids. Don’t reject codeine just because it has the ‘opioid’ label.
It's a thought, cwillie. At some point it gets kind of ridiculous and I was just saying to another OP this a.m. who worried about getting elder who didn't want care into care for her CHF. Used to be we stayed home and the CHF got us. And I mean, is it so much better this one or more decade in care and losing our minds quite literally?
Teasing you here. But you make a great point.
I have chronic back pain, Shots were worthless and finally 2 surgeries made the daily pain bearable. I was on Norco for years and was able to wean down to Tylenol #3, which my PCP prescribes for me, but I can't take anything stronger. It keeps me mobile (a must) and as much out of pain as I can be. I do take Ibuprofen, I KNOW it's hard on my kidneys, but, wanting and needing some quality of life--I have made the choice to 'piggyback' ibuprofen with Tylenol #3.
Without it, I am worthless to anyone. The pain is so debilitating and I live my life around it. At 68, I am not as concerned as I would be if I were in this place at, say, 40. I've been through several back surgeries, cancer & chemo and I know I will not have a long life.
Choosing to be as active as I can be, exercising, trying heat or cold packs, not overdoing the lifting--I do what I can to be out of pain.
I'm hearing good things about CBD gummies and may try them. But at this point? I'm managing the pain and learning to live with it.
I DO have frequent blood tests and my kidneys are 'mildly angry' but I was given the go-ahead to continue with ibuprofen and Tylenol #3.
FWIW, I've used OTC topical pain relief for my back (SI joint) problems and it's worked pretty well--voltaren gel once in a while and also a stick on "icy hot" electrical stimulation patch.
Once of my grandmothers had extremely severe arthritis in her hips, knees, back, and hands for many years and took several doses of aspirin daily for quite a few years--lived to be almost 98 and was one of those lucky people who had no side effects so far as I know. this was before the days of the newer nsaids.
I have spinal stenosis myself, and such a bad spine the orthopedic surgeon was shocked I could walk. I use ibuprofen, Tylenol and 1 Tramadol a day. The heating pad helps most, and moving around to stay a bit more lubricated I guess. I had kyphoplasty last May for part of my thoracic spine that was fractured. The pain now is worse than it was before the surgery.
I'd let mom use whatever meds she wants to use, who really cares about kidneys at this stage of the game? 90% of all elders have kidney disease of SOME kind, after being alive too long and using too many drugs in general. My mother lived to 95 with stage 3 kidney disease. It did not kill her. CHF and advanced dementia did.
Pain is something many of us live with on a daily basis because there is no fix. My mother took tramadol regularly and had no issues with it at all. Whether it cured her pain or not I don't know. It does help me, that I know. If I was very old and in pain, I'd bring in the big guns and laxatives too because why not?
Good luck to you.
Asked pain doctor about Relief Factor, that thing you see on TV and I thought he would dis it but said he has had patients for whom it worked and those who did not
My feeling is id probably rather see mom on motrin if it helped than scripts because of side effects, of a possible fall, dizziness, constipation.
Also you could try CBD , Im Leary of telling people that too because of risk of falls. So if my mother ever said she wanted to try CBD ( which I'm sure she won't) I would want to be there the first few times, to see her reaction.
Honestly I think ibuprofen risk out weighs the pain at some point in a persons life
And like I said, he does not used ibuprofen regularly as he does Tylenol, but takes it now and then if in even more intense pain or he has to go somewhere, and figures why is he worried about saving kidneys at age 97
Part of the problem in a sense is people just live too long now
Now they did this but not working
Medial Branch Blocks (MBB): MBB is a diagnostic procedure used to determine if the facet joints are the source of a patient's pain. It involves injecting a local anesthetic near the medial branch nerves, which supply the facet joints. If the patient experiences significant pain relief after the injection, it can confirm that the facet joints are the pain source.
Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA): After confirming that facet joints are the pain source using MBB, RFA can be used as a therapeutic procedure. During RFA, a specialized needle delivers radiofrequency energy to the medial branch nerves. This energy "ablates" or "burns" the nerve, disrupting its ability to send pain signals.
However, nothing is benign. I read the side effects and I was well aware the chances of a bleed from it, or the other common symptoms. What I DIDN'T know was the connection between the gut mucosa and NSAIDS and that's what took me down. A nasty bout, 10 years ago, of diverticulitis.
What happens is that it blocks an enzyme called cyclo-oxygenase or COX enzyme. This enzyme is needed to keep the mucosa that lines the gut healthy and thriving. Ibuprofen inhibits it. BOOM. Down for the count.
I will say this, I still occ. take it for bad headache. But truth is that once weaned from all pain meds and everything else I don't feel much different. Yeah, at 81 things hurt. I am honestly at this point quite used to it. I live with it.
Our spines compress. My 83 year old partner just got back from PT exercise training to help his.
There's nothing we can take without side effects. Just read up on them best you can and do blood tests and watch for symptoms. Best you can do at some point. Follow the directions. And really ask yourself how much it is helping. They can sometimes cause more pain by "rebound".
Good luck.