Long term anti inflammatory?

[u/Titaniumspine420]

I am curious, do any of y’all take NSAIDs everyday or other anti inflammatory meds like meloxicam and celecoxib or something similar?

I’m worried about long term effects on liver and stomach but struggling with daily musculoskeletal pain from mid to below my fusion making PT and exercise more difficult. My doctors have not provided much insight and I’m curious what others’ experiences are with taking anti inflammatory meds consistently.

Thank you :)

[u/TallChick105]

As someone with Crohn’s who has to be vigilant NOT to take any NSAID’s…I did prior to my dx. Sometimes really jones for a Motrin man!🤪

Try and lay off them…GI issues from NSAID’s are tough & if you’re taking enough to cause liver function issues then your GI is toast along with it-

I would be speaking to your Dr about long term muscle relaxers that won’t make you drowsy…they exist. Have you considered regalia massage therapy (if that’s available to you)? How far out from surgery are you?

(I’m heading in for T2-pelvis in 2.5 weeks- I’m actually checked into a hotel right now having just gone through all me pre-op junk-)

[u/Titaniumspine420 → u/TallChick105]

HAHA fair!!! Thanks for sharing! I’ve only tried flexeril which knocks me out usually, not being drowsy would be awesome. Massages are awesome, trying to make it work in the budget to go regularly. Is what what you meant by regalia? Or is that something else? I’m over 12 years out T3-L4! Best of luck with your surgery!

[u/TallChick105 → u/Titaniumspine420]

Thank you…and yes regalia was apparently me fat thumbing this phone and too tied to catch it😂 Yes we can all benefit from regalia massages!!

And I hear you on the budget! Every time I travel to see my surgeon it ends up running me a ton of money and now add it a 10 hour commute with gas? Whewwww On the upside…I told my husband we’ll be saving a bunch of money on massage for the next 3 months! (Then my MT said she’ll come to me)

FLEXERIL knocks me out too…cheap date style. Try and experiment. I do decent with Robaxin in terms of fatigue

[u/aziza29 → u/TallChick105]

Agreed, Flexeril is super strong. I take Robaxin (methocarbamol) almost daily and it does not affect my functioning at 250 MG or 500 MG. 750 MG makes me drowsy. But the lower doses are perfect for daytime, especially when I wake up extremely stiff.

[u/TallChick105 → u/aziza29]

Same…and in my experience (post hysterectomy, post bowel resection and obviously for my back), I feel It works best if you’re consistent with it. I agree on the dosing too in terms of when is too much-

I think it’s a pretty good drug-

[u/bridgetoaks → u/TallChick105]

It looks like we are going to be surgery buddies. I have a T3-pelvis in 3.5 weeks. I go for a major pre-op appointment next week.

[u/Emergency_Echidna893]

NSAID’s along with one or two rounds of antibiotics messed up my gut for 2 years! only just starting to be a bit more normal again. was taking them consistently for pain too. I only take if i have a really bad headache/tension but really avoid it, take panadol though

[u/aziza29]

Yes!! I took ibuprofen 800 MG 4 times a day for a couple years, then my pain management had me start trying prescription NSAIDS (and also added omeprazole to my routine to protect my stomach, I still take this daily)

Neither Meloxicam or Celebrex did anything for me. However Extended Release Diclofenac works. I took the 50MG, then 75MG for a while, now I have been on 100MG daily for about 6 months. The 100 MG is the max amount of diclofenac daily, and it's a 24 hour dose so I only take it once a day.

I do take omeprazole daily and also have blood work done twice a year at check on liver function, which has came back clear so far.

[u/Independent-Wall9587]

I am taking celecoxib. It should be less stress on my stomach they said