Ok, no NSAIDS... so what to use?

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Malice67

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I understand the reasoning for no NSAIDS due to aggravating / causing inflammation. But what CAN you use for tear inducing, room spinning headaches???? Please don't say Tylenol... it does nothing.

thanks for any ideas...
- mary alice
 
I still take extra strength advil, but my neurologist has limited me to only two a week so I can avoid the chance of getting rebound headaches. Despite my Crohn's diagnosis, I still take them, but make sure I eat/drink/nap first and if that still doesn't work, then I take an advil, but then only on a full stomach to avoid causing damage.
 
The pediatric Neuro for DS has him take Imetrex since tyelonol does nothing and NSAID are out .
He can only take it twice a week.
Have you seen a headache specialist ?
 
my little penguin said:
The pediatric Neuro for DS has him take Imetrex since tyelonol does nothing and NSAID are out .
He can only take it twice a week.
Have you seen a headache specialist ?
Click to expand...

Haven't seen a specialist as I only get these types of headaches 4-5 times a year --- have only had one since NSAIDs were ruled out -- but not looking forward to the next one.

so sorry you are dealing with this for a child - so much easier emotionally for it to be me and not one of them -- hugs to you!
- mary alice
 
theOcean said:
I still take extra strength advil, but my neurologist has limited me to only two a week so I can avoid the chance of getting rebound headaches. Despite my Crohn's diagnosis, I still take them, but make sure I eat/drink/nap first and if that still doesn't work, then I take an advil, but then only on a full stomach to avoid causing damage.
Click to expand...

So taking a couple once a month or so should be ok ???
 
theOcean said:
I still take extra strength advil, but my neurologist has limited me to only two a week so I can avoid the chance of getting rebound headaches. Despite my Crohn's diagnosis, I still take them, but make sure I eat/drink/nap first and if that still doesn't work, then I take an advil, but then only on a full stomach to avoid causing damage.
Click to expand...

I have been told that if I take anything besides Tylenol it will cause bleeding. I hope you can find some help.

2
 
ronroush7 said:
I have been told that if I take anything besides Tylenol it will cause bleeding. I hope you can find some help.

2
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Tylenol doesn't do a thing for me, unfortunately. :( But I also have zero inflammation despite taking the advil and am currently in remission, so I'm pretty sure I'm okay.
 
Tylenol does nothing for my pain or migraines. You could try Tramadol which is safe but no clue if it's helpful since I never tried it myself.

Supposedly IV NSAIDS are safe because they go into the blood and bypass the GI. I don't know if one could get NSAID self injections for pain relief.
 
My GI had told me I could PUSH and take it once a month no more than 2 advil pills... Considering that very small quantity that he seemed to consider "safe", I figured it was better to avoid it all together.

Yes, tylenol does almost nothing for migraine and alternatives are very limited. I take lenoltec (acetaminophen + codein + caffeine). It helps without saying that it is perfect.
Sometimes muscles relaxant can be helpful like methocarbamol that can be obtained without prescription.

Getting a script for triptans or migraine specific drugs might be something to consider even if they are only occasional. Here GP can prescribe them without refering to neurologist for migraines.
 
My neuro told me to take 25 mgs of Benadryl, one extra strength Tylenol, and either a zofran or phenergan when I get a breakthrough migraine (I am on prophylactic meds as well). Usually does the trick, and is much better than just Tylenol.
 
I'm not sure NSAID injections would work, because when my daughter (who has Crohn's and Ankylosing Spondylitis) was in the hospital for an arthritis flare, they were going to give her Toradol (which is an injectable NSAID) until I reminded them she had Crohn's and that changed their minds in a second! They said the risk of bleeding was too great.
 
Tramadol is equivalent in strength to codeine, the synthetic alternative. It isn't absorbed as well into the body when taken orally, however the effects of it last longer.

Caffeine can help with headache due to it constricting the blood vessels, in addition to that when taken with a painkiller (tylenol, NSAIDs, opiates) it speeds the absorption and can slightly amplify the effects.
 
I get terrible migraines. Nothing worked until I read about amitripline being used for migraines. I am on amitripline anyway for pain and usually take at night. Now I take 50mg when I feel it starting and it really works. I also take tramadol but it doesn't work for the migraines which I only get when I am in a flare.
 
They gave me IV NSAID in the hospital. I told them I was worried about bleeding but they said it bypasses the GI.
 
If it is a migraine, you can also try benadryl. That is what works for me. I find Tramadol doesn't do squat for my migraines, and I'm allergic to Imatrex.
 
My husband use to suffer Awful with migraines. He started taking this herb called Butterbur that was actually recommended by our neurologist( he is one of the top Neurologists here). My husband was getting the headaches like weekly. It takes about 3 weeks of taking the butterbur to kick in, but it works! It worked for my husband. I remember the neurologist saying to take it for about 6 months on and then take a break from it for a couple months and then you can go back on again. My husband was able to take it for 6 months and then he took a break and did not need to go back on it for months as he was ok, no headaches. Just thought would I would share..
 
My wife used to get bad migraines. Then ,we started going to a holistic practice. They took her off of caffeine. She hasn't had many migraines since.
 
nogutsnoglory said:
vo that's really disturbing because that leaves us with no options.
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Yes, it's quite a challenge. Pain specialists often contradict the GI's and GI's often undermine the pain specialists.

It seems to be another case of whether the benefits of pain relief are worth the risk of a flare (and the pain which comes with that).
 
That is interesting as my GI has recommended paracetamol for the pain. He is an expert in the field so this surprises me
 
I think in the end, it just depends on the person in terms of how they will react to any medication. NSAIDS are bad because they can cause issues with bleeding and irritate the mucosal lining. Tylenol is not good because it can ruin your liver. I think it is a case of trial and error for each person to see what they can tolerate. I remember being in the ER last year due to severe pain in my gut, I mean Bad. I have not been diagnosed with Crohns, I am still in that " we are not sure what is wrong with you" phase. But I remember the nurse saying they were going to give me some stong NSAIDS through my IV. I told her no, because I have H-pylori that was found in a stool sample. I was told by one GI doc that it is wise to stay away from NSAIDS when you have H-pylori, even if you are not having symptoms from it. I also told the nurse I was reluctant to take any NSAIDS because I was worried of the possibility of having inflammation in my intestines. She just fluffed it off saying it would be ok, that problems only happen if you take them regularly!!

In any event, I did not take any. I was too afraid. I know from the past I have taken even the childrens Motrin ( half dose) and got that knawing burning pain in my stomach.

But yeah, what are people suppose to take for pain if they cannot take either?? I guess if you an in too much pain you just take one or the other and hope for the best??? This is nuts. They need to come up with a safer pain medication for people with gut issues and diseases that cannot handle these meds..
 
Any acetaminophen vs. no acetaminophen use resulted in 22% vs. 20% of flare-ups, respectively, said Long, who added that the study was limited by its short length and lack of objective measures of inflammation.
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While I won't reject all chances that there would be a link between the medication and activity of the disease, I would not agree to modify my treatment base on that excerpt solely. I looked for more details regarding that "study" and I have not found the actual publication (chances are high that the paper has not yet been produced considering it was an abstract from last year).

I do believe it is important to consider that if the inflammation activity was not properly monitored during the lenght of the study, then, relating the use of NSAID and/or acetaminophen and the following episode of relapsing is a long stretch. By that I mean that we cannot neglect the possibility that these patients were taking NSAID or Acetaminophen in order to control the discomfort caused by early symptoms of a flare.

I guess we will need some additionnal research on the matter to advance that both categories are potential triggers for a flare.
 
Hmm. I have what my doctor believes is probable UC however he has it currently labelled as indeterminate colitis. I'm wondering now if nsaids are okay for me or if I should continue avoiding them to be on the safe side. I was under the impression that nsaid were bad for all forms of IBD.
 
NSAID are to be avoid at all cost with IBD in my opinion and used with parcimony by healthy people.

It has been studied and it's been pointed out as an aggravating factor for IBD, it does favorise inflammation of the digestive system in a lot of subjects and leads to drug induced IBD in rats.

Yes there is also an influence that comes from the dose and duration of the NSAID treatment. Also, there is a possibility that it is related to a form of "intolerance" that certain patient have to these agents. The point is that the number regarding NSAID and IBD are fairly high. I've encountered some sources that were pointing that NSAID would lead to relapse in 1/9 for IBD patient taking it regularly over a period of 1 year that was in a study by american gastrology association in 2000.

NSAID are known to be toxic for the guts in general either it is stomach, oesophagus, small bowel, colon, rectum. That toxicity is well and widely recognized and it leads to inflammatory conditions and permeability of the gut (and THIS is not a good thing).

NSAID are drugs like:
Without prescription: Advil, Motrin (ibuprofen), Aleve (naproxen sodium), Aspirin
Prescription meds like: Anaprox(naproxen), celebrex(celecoxib), voltaren (diclofenac), naprosyn(naproxen), etc [to name a few ]

What NSAID are not: acetaminophen (tylenol), opiates (codeine, morphine, oxycodone, etc). Those are supposed to be safer alternatives to treat pain for patients that have a fragile digestive system (I don't mean regarding the migraine, just pain management at large).

Then again, all NSAID are not equal in their risks of causing side effects resulting of their toxicity on the digestive system. They all carry risks but COX-2 selective NSAID (celebrex, vioxx, etc) are supposed to be "safer" for the digestive tract than the non-selective ones but they are dangerous for the cardiovascular system...

Once again with these treatments it is a matter of risks versus benefits but I would be tempted to say it is better to avoid them whenever it is possible in our case. I do not believe that it is a coincidence that my GP, GI and rheumatologist all suggest that I should not take these agents.
 
Our GI said my son could take 1 advil, once per day, no more than 3 times per week.

After 3 years of being diagnosed he hasn't taken any. Even with high fevers, and pneumonia. It just hasn't been worth the risk in my opinion. Tylenol use to do nothing for him, and now it works pretty well. Tylenol with codeine was prescribed when he had a really bad ear infection and it did not cause a flare.

Keeping my fingers crossed the drug companies come up with something to help, I can't imagine not being able to take advil ever. I don't have a lot of knowledge about medical marijuana but if I suffered frequently from pain, it would be something I would look in to. Good luck:)
 
I am not convinced about the link with paracetamol. My specialist wouldn't tell me to take it if there was a risk of aggravation.i don't find it helps on its own but in combination with my other drugs it does. I have never taken any NSAIDs. At the moment I am on tramadol, codeine and morphine, while waiting for yet another operation.
 
Liquid tylenol works better for me than the tablets, I absorb it better.
Click to expand...
Out of curiosity is there a version of it for adult? I have to say I never looked for it so the only one that come to my mind is the kiddos version. I can only agree it has to be faster so it is something I would appreciate when I wait for it to kick in desperately lol.
 

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