Any suggestions for an alternative to painkillers?

[trekster]

Another member directed me to this thread because it talks about TSE machines.Anyone used them?

[ciderpig122]

I have one

I paid for it myself £200

I find it helps a little...IF............and if is a HUGE if, you can get the s*d pads to stick!!!!!!!!!!

If i use the ones acticare recommend I have to stick them on with tape, the tape burns my skin and i get HUGE welts on my back

If i get sensitive ones these are just as pants

if you are able to be at home alot and can sit and relax then they are for you, unfortunatley i am out at work most days and being up and down in an office the pads peel off and i get twisted in the wires and am tempted to throw the machine out the window LOL

[Lariveeh]

I am tired of constantly having to take pills to get through my day and I fear becoming reliant on pain killers is detrimental to my overall health. I have been trying to manage my pain without the use of painkillers and I wanted to know if anyone else had any other suggestions or ideas.

Currently I take hot baths when my pain is bad, I work out for a minimum of an hour a day on specific work outs given by my physiotherapist to reduce the likelihood of injury and to increase my endurance. I also have an addiction to rub A535 which may be considered a drug I guess. And I regularly see a chiropractor and physiotherapist for adjustments and massages of the hurt muscles.

Any other tips would be extremely helpful!

[Laura]

Hi Lariveeh

Have you tried a TENS machine? It sends an electric current through the skin that disrupts pain signals travelling to your brain. It doesn't hurt, but tends to tingle a bit. I found that TENS had some effect on my pain, although the relief is localised to the area you apply the electrodes to. I find that a TSE machine is much more helpful, because the electric current is straight to the spine, thus easing pain from neck down. It doesn't take away my pain, but does help. I would recommend trying TENS first, though, as a TSE machine costs about £200, whereas you can probably pick up a TENS machine from a pharmasist for £25ish.

Modfairy link to topic All about TENS machines.

Also, earlier in this thread someone recommended a heat pad similar to an electric blanket but much smaller, which I find brilliant. I have one at work to help with my back/pelvis pain when I'm sitting at my desk and another one at home to use wherever I need it. It's also good becuase it's flexible enough that it can be wrapped around say a knee. It's only £20 from Amazon too, so well worth a try.

Ciderpig, I was really surprised to hear about your problems with the TSE pads. I find mind last about a month and then tend to start falling off randomly. I'm assuming the tape you used was medical tape? I found that medical tape has been okay on my back when I had to tape TENS machine pads, but say physio tape used to cause the kind of red welts you described and bleeding wounds at worst. I wonder if pharmasists might supply different types of medical tape, with different properties to accomodate sensitive skin ets, but that's really the only thing I can suggest.

Laura

[pinkmongoose]

I was recently placed on Cymbalta, an anti-depressant that was recently approved in the U.S. for pain management. It, supposedly, increases your pain threshold. I have heard that certain other anti-depressants have a similar effect. I was reluctant at first, but I have been on it for about three months now, and I have to say, it does seem to have put a floor on my pain. I still have to take pain killers, but less often, which is nice. I won't help much if you're just sick of taking pills, though! I have also found certain meditative breathing techniques help with both my pain and autonomic symptoms.

Some good suggestions in this thread, I'll have to give some of them a try!

[Bo1970]

Does anyone know if portable ultrasonic massager is any good for relieving local pain?
Example....this one. http://www.lightinthebox.com/portable-u ... 60731.html

Is it harmful?
It says: "The ultrasonic wave produces the temperature effect, and helps to calm the nerve and has analgesia function"

But I don't know how effective it is.

[Blaadyblah]

Hey Bo - I don't know about portable ones but had ultrasound treatment before and found it helpful, there is a topic on the subject here.

[ChocBunny]

I'd like some advice on alterniative treaments, herbal medication or suppliments which are good for managing the pain of HMS. I can't take western medication pretty much full stop because I'm so sensitive to it, even stuff like ibraprohine and asprine has me reacting if i try taking it more than two days on the trot. Although saying that painkillers also tend to have 0 effect on my pain anyway, even the really wickedly strong stuff. So basically i get all of the side effects and none of the pain management, so much so that the last time I was prescribed something from my GP he basically told me to look into alternative treatments because I have such a bad history with prescription drugs. He even went so far as to give me the lowest dose and smallest quantaty possible because, as he put it; 'we both know you're going to react to it anyway' so, yeah, big vote of confidence there.

I believe either my sensitivity to meds or the ineffectualness of pain medication has something to do with my cronic daily headache syndrome, but its getting really frustrating now. When it was just the CDHS I had to self manage it was fine, but i don't even know how to start here, so any susgestions would be more than welcome.


Also I apologise if there's already a topic for this, but sometimes its hard to wade through all the old posts to find what you need.

[Flora]

I couldn't get along without my tens and tse machines, other things that can help are ice/heat, pacing, ibugel, hot baths, good physio (eventually helps!) distraction, there are more, but it tends to be a personal thing.
Flora

[ChocBunny]

distractions def work, i don't think i could work without my music going on a bad day. i laugh to myself for saying it, but the music really does distract from the pain.

[trekster]

Ginger can have anti inflammatory properties as can turmeric.

Also devils claw you can get from health food shops. Magnesium taurate i find helps with muscle related pain.
Another idea is keeping well hydrated.

Unsure about glucosamine.

[moonmaiden]

I've found this really interesting as like many on here I'd like to reduce the number of painkillers I take too (and I find the thought of being on them the rest of my life a bit of a downer!)
Having a decent chair at work has helped, and I'm hoping my physio will help in the long run (the exercises hurt a lot at the moment but as the physio said I'm still pretty 'messed up'- his words not mine!) I always use a back cushion at home too which does help.
Will have to look into tiger balm and some of the other recommendations on here.
What I have found that helps is visualisations- I've found the work of David Hamilton on the affect of your mind on your body very interesting. He says that pain is the hardest thing to visualise about but I've found it's really helped me at night, reducing the number of times I wake in the night with painful muscle spasms.

[broken tink]

apologies in advance if this has already been covered but i'm so zoned out due to meds i can't focus long enough to read the whole board.

i have been trying for years to get off pain killers, at least cut down to a reasonable level as its hard to get through my day without falling asleep at my desk but my doctor seems so intent on pain killers fixing everything that he won't help me. i asked for referral to pain management as requested by my physio, he proceeded to call my physio a "b****y moron" for thinking its possible to cope without permanent medication. and so prescribed something even stronger.

i'm wanting to try alternatives but i have no idea where to start, i need something that doesn't involve too much moving, as my last 3 major injuries have been done with no effort whatsoever, i'm a little bit cautious of what i can do.

anyone got any suggestions?

[Rosie]

Hiya

Do have a read through the threads about pain management, and you will see that there are loads of things that may help, from pain management courses, to splints, heat pads, TENS etc, too many to list here. There are also more ideas in the @Alternative therapies' section you might find helpful. Most of us manage with a combination fo pain meds and other treatments, so it may be a matter of finding different meds, or combinations of meds, or different doses, combined with other treatments. It also sounds like you may need to see a different doc one who has a better understadning of your condition, or who is prepared to refer you o someone else who does.

Rosie

[broken tink]

hi rosie

i'm pretty much running out of pain relief to try, i've had the rubbish over the counter ones, the super strong ones that the hospital recommended, i've even tried several that i shouldn't try to start with because of allergies but that doc thinks might be worth a shot. i've tried all manner of hot and cold pads, support straps, splints, the lot. they all work for a couple of months and then i'm back at square one

i'm gonna have a further look into TENS and try the suggested alternative therapies section.

thanks