I am unable to take Tylenol 3, Tramadol, Ibprophren and aspirin products. The OTC products are not strong enough. The only thing that seemed to help was Darvacet, but they took it off the market.
What is a good pain reliever for sciatica, arthritis and low back pain?
Question posted by catmoore on 11 Feb 2011
Last updated on 7 May 2013 by Stiff Steph
5 Answers
Stiff Steph
8 May 2013
I have sciatica I believe there's nothing anyone can do for me, but seriously I think you might need a nerve pain medication, there's Neurontin (Gabapentin),
Flexeril, and that med. that's advertised on t.v. for Fibromyalgia. Ask your doctor, do try to see a neurologist and a Rheumatologist.
Inactive
11 Feb 2011
Hmmmm. I think I've tried all of the above! I'm now on methadone, but trying to get off of it. Hate the way it makes me feel. You can get Hydrocodone without the tylenol. My brother does from his pain clinic. The thing I find best (Lyrica was great, but had too many side effects for me personally)now is just xanax. I am prescribed it to help me sleep, but have found it helps if I take one now & then when the back-hip-leg pain drives me completely nuts! Good luck! It's a kind of try & try again for each individual.
christineATU
12 Feb 2011
mary, what med has hydrocodone without any other pain reliever in it? My dear friend is allergic to just about everything except hydrocodone. But her doc is worried about all the acetaminophen. If you can find out the name I would be very grateful!!!
Inactive
12 Feb 2011
Christine, I'm sorry I was wrong about what my brother takes. He takes Oxycodone without the tylenol not Hydrocodone. I think you should check with a pharmatist tho, I'm sure they can get Hydrocodone without tylenol. If not, it can be compounded ( made from scratch by the pharmatist) without tylenol I would think anyway. Hope this was helpful
Lydette
14 March 2012
Hi Mary,
Don't know if you ever found the relief you needed and everyone had good answers - I know this post is very old. I have piriformis syndrome which has a lot of similar behaviours to sciatica. Lower back pain, horrible burning in the hip and down the leg. Especially at night if lying on the effected area. It seems that drugs that deal directly with nerve conditions cause temporary 'loony' side effects. I was on neurotin for a long while and for two weeks I felt like I was on a different planet - seriously. I was in a meeting in NYC - very important and I had to ask my boss if I could leave because I couldn't track the conversation. It was all just babbling to me! I settled in though. I don't know if you guys know that heavy users of Neurotin have a nickname for it "Morontin" :-). Anyway, I evetually went to Lyrica which was a godsend.
For the most part I do not have the burning at night any longer but nothing, and I mean nothing, will contain the burning and horrible pain I feel when I start walking. After 10 minutes I'm a goner. sigh.
With that said, I would try Lyrica again - I don't know how long of a trial you did for yourself but I would give it two weeks. It was a blessing for me and I'm still on it
Lydette
Inactive
15 March 2012
Thanks for thinking of me, but they took me off of Lyrica because of water retention that caused my blood pressure to be 190/100, which it is usually very low. I miss the Lyrica, but can't take the chance of a stroke! I have vasculitis of the deep white matter of the brain. I am now on 15mg. of oxycodone, & it plus the xanax at bedtime keep me fairly comfortable with the sciatica. I just wish it would help all my other pain problems. It takes the edge off, but I think I'd have to be knocked out to stop hurting. Too many things wrong! thank you again... Mary
Lydette
15 March 2012
Hi all,
I'm sorry, I must have been responding to someone else and I posted the wrong name. The post I responded to said that the person trying Lyrica stopped using it because it made her feel weird, which is one side effect, along with weight gain. I didn't know about the water retention (which could explain weight gain) or blood pressure increase. My apologies.
Hope everyone is doing better! I know how difficult it is for all of us who require a combination of drugs to make the day and night livable.
All the best,
Lydette
LaurieShay
11 Feb 2011
Hey catmoore,
Christine and SURFGEO both suggested many options. There are the hydrocodones and oxycodones like Lortab and Percocet, respectively, that contain opiates and acetaminophen. There are slow release formulas for Opana er, Oxycontin and Avinza, also narcotics. Then there are the meds that help with nerve pain that aren't narcotic like Neurontin, Lyrica, Savella, and Cymbalta. Also, I can mention Celebrex which is a non steroidal anti inflammatory for arthritis.
Your pain doctor is the best to decide what is the best for you based on your condition, other medications you are on and ones you have tried.
Hope this helps,
Laurie
christineATU
11 Feb 2011
Have you thought about meds that can help with nerve pain? Neurontin? Savella? There's also opiates like Vicodin. You might want to discuss alternative methods like physical therapy, occupational therapy (learn new ways to do every day tasks to avoid triggering pain) Injections, TENS unit. Try staying active and exercise if you can. Especially working the core muscles. This will help support the spine and take some pressure off the nerves. These are just a few suggestions. If your condition isn't expected to improve, you'd be better off with an extended release pain med like ms contin, opana er, oxycontin. I would also recommend a consultation with a pain specialist.
Best wishes
chris
DzooBaby
12 Feb 2011
Great answers Chris!!
christineATU
12 Feb 2011
Coming from a pro like you, I appreciate that very much! :-)
SURFGEO
11 Feb 2011
have you ever tried Norco/Vicodin?10/325
caringsonbj
11 Feb 2011
I don't know just how severe the pain is, my Mom broke her wrist last winter and she was in the emergency room the doctor on call gave her Ultram, she was leary of it I think because she'd not taken it so the script is still in her room unfilled. whatever you do I hope you find something that will be effective and not cause you a lot of side effects
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