Melloxicam. Why doesn't it work for some people?

[CTyankee]

It makes me feel drugged but doesn't get to the inflamed area of my spine, caused by arthritis. I'm going to break down and get a shot from my rheumatologist on Wednesday. All of the meds just depress my central nervous system and make me feel drugged and drowsy. I can't stand it.

[notadmblnd]

1. ask your Dr about Voltaren Gel

It's topical and it takes my back and knee pain away immediately. Double bonus, no drugged feeling.

[CTyankee]

2. Thank you! I will ask him.

had you also tried melloxicam and to no avail?

[Blus4u]

3. I had a script for melloxicam..

didn't do much; however, I have had great results with generic voltaren - tablets, not gel -
can't recall the generic for voltaren.

Peace

[CTyankee]

5. thanks. I just Googled it. Sounds good...I don't know why my doc didn't try it but maybe he

wanted to see how I did on the Melloxicam and Tramadol (another loser).

I guess it would help if I could avoid shoveling snow, but I had to do some or we couldn't have gotten out to buy food. Our snow clearing outfit sucks...

[notadmblnd]

7. no, I don't take any pills.

nt

[Warpy]

4. Understood completely

I talked my doc into putting me on Ultram because I can't stand being all foggy from opiates. Some people get foggy on it but I don't. I just notice the pain has subsided enough that I can function. I have Flexeril prescribed every 6 hours. That would turn me into a zombie, no thanks. Bedtime will have to do for that one.

People who aren't in constant pain just don't understand we want to feel closer to normal, that we're not looking for a buzz and we hate them when we get them.

The shot can help tremendously. Just expect it to make things worse for the first few hours.

ETA: Meloxicam is out for me, as is Voltaren. I'm horribly allergic to NSAIDs. It's dope for me, alas, and Prednisone to keep me fat while it cuts inflammation.

[CTyankee]

6. The other night I ended up having to take hydrocodone just to take away the pain so I could sleep.

I had had to shovel snow that day, no way out of it, so I paid for it at night.

I also find relief in doing my prescribed exercises/stretches several times a day. I do about 7 individual ones, for a 10 count for each one.

why does the shot make it worse for a few hours? what IS the shot of, anyway? my doc said it wasn't like the shot given by orthopedists but I don't know what that means...

on edit: I just googled Ultram and found it was tramadol. I don't get relief from that at all either, but it sure makes me feel drugged and sluggish...ugh...

[Warpy]

10. OK, maybe it isn't a cortisol shot.

That's the most common of them and it takes a while for the drug to work and reduce the inflammation. In the meantime, you've got a little added discomfort from the shot, itself, irritating a spinal cord that's already inflamed. It's just the nature of the beast and it's not unbearable, it just gets a little worse before it gets a lot better.

She might have something else up her sleeve.

I don't get any buzz at all from Ultram. That's why I take the stuff, it numbs the worst of the pain without screwing up my head.

[CTyankee]

12. I wish the tramadol had worked for me! But no luck...

I get the feeling that my doc does have something else up his sleeve. I am so hoping we won't get another inanundation of snow on Wed. I really want to make that appt. I'm counting on it to help me out of this problem...

[PotatoChip]

8. Ultram (well, in my case Tramadol) works well for me too.

I take less than prescribed, because in my case, it seems to have a paradoxically stimulative affect. Therefore, just one or sometimes two 50mg pill(s) in the morning (never after noontime) seems to do the trick. It's in the morning that I ache the most anyway.

As an aside re Utram/Tramadol, have you ever run into healthcare folks who seem to overreact to the fact that you are taking something that has a type of association to opiates?... Because it is a (weak) opiate recepter agonist, I know, my doctor knows, and I'm sure that you too know that this works very differently from your conventional opiate-type med. In other words, I can't imagine anyone ever abusing this medication because it just does not work that way. I've never gotten any type of 'buzz' from it.

But I ask, only because I've recently had random people (my new dentist, a prosthodontist, and an oral surgeon for example) all question why I am taking this particular med, in a kind of accusatory way. I know I'm not just imagining it. They really were 'funny' about it! The whole thing kind of pissed me off.

I realize that we have a real problem w/opiate addiction in this country, but I am not aware of any cases where this particular medication in any way contributes to that... And I think these people should have known better.

Anyway, has anything like this ever happened to you?

[Warpy]

9. That's how I take mine

It's got a weak SSRI effect and that's probably what you find is revving you up, not a bad thing IMO. I'd love to have that side effect but I don't.

It's a strong enough agonist that drug addicts will steal it and use it when the connection is busted and the town goes dry for a couple of days. It does forestall some of the withdrawal symptoms.

As for being criticized, it never happens twice. I'm an ex RN with RA, FMS and an old C7 fracture and all of them give me major pain fits. There is a good reason for me to hurt and need medication, and I'm allergic to all NSAIDs with life threatening reactions. There is not a hell of a lot else out there to choose from.

[CTyankee]

11. my scrip says one 50 mg tramadol a day. It tried it and it didn't work.

Well, OK and fine. Didn't work. done and done.

No I didn't have any questions.

Yes, I DID have docs question me on why I have a low dose ambien prescription for 2 ambiens occasionally. I had to explain to them that I visit Europe every year (as an amateur art historian) and take an ambien going over on the flight and want a back up in case I have some extra flight fatigue later. (which doesn't happen actually..SO FAR). My primary care doc prescribes this and has no problem with it since I am FINE.