chronic pain can be tricky, there are many options to choose from. These options can be used separately or in combination.
.....In some cases, if you take pain medication on a regular basis, you might end up taking fewer doses overall. It sounds odd but it is true. For example, if your background pain medication stops working at noon, you should have taken your next long lasting dose at 11am. This will ensure that as the first dose wears off, the next dose is getting started. If you waited until 1pm to take your next dose, there is a good chance that you will have to take an extra breakthrough dose while you wait for the long lasting medication to start working.
.....The other form of pain relievers are those that are rubbed on the skin (topically). These products fall into two main categories, topical NSAIDs and counter-irritants. Topical NSAIDs will
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seep through the skin and act similarly to their ‘by mouth’ companions, but generally they tend to act only where they are applied. These topical products are very advantageous if only a specific part of your body hurts, like a shoulder or knee. Most of the over the counter topical pain relievers contain a product similar to ASA. Some preparations contain ibuprofen and other prescription NSAIDs. These NSAIDs are prepared in a special gel-like base that ‘pushes’ the drug through the skin and into the body quickly. These formulations are usually prepared by specialized Compounding Pharmacies. Some Peoples Drug Mart pharmacies may have the facilities to compound these and other specialized products. The side effects and warnings for these are similar to oral NSAIDs, but they are not as big a concern because the doses used are much lower. There is currently an over the counter diclofenac (NSAID) |
gel that has been recently approved for sale in Canada.
.....One herbal remedy I recommend for acute pain relief is arnica cream. I find this plant extract works well to reduce the pain from sore and aching muscles or joints. It also works very well to help bruises heal. Our Pharmacy prepares a topical arnica and magnesium cream that works well for relieving sore muscles and joints.
Everybody hurts sometimse.
.....I admit this is a very brief article about pain relief. The Victoria Hospice Society produces an excellent book about chronic pain relief and its complications that is over 600 pages long. If you have any questions you should ask your Peoples Pharmacist or Physician. Pain is real, but it does not always have to hurt.
Written By Ian Lloyd, Pharmacist & Chartered Herbalist
Peoples Pharmacy, Victoria |
