IBS & NSAID's - DESPERATE!

[dalhousie]

I'm absolutely DESPERATE & feel between a rock & a hard place. I had ADR in April 2009 & am no more active than I was immediately post op. The reason for that is I overdid things in the summer & when my activity level is low I need an NSAID to keep my back muscles calm. The thing is the one I had been using (Meloxicam) has stopped working. (I wonder whether this is related to further adhesions around my muscles as the ADR was my 2nd lumbar surgery but that's just a wild guess).

I have IBS which is aggravated by the other NSAID's I've tried - Naproxen, Arcoxia, Etodolac. When I saw my spine specialist about this he said I may not be able to find one that I can tolerate which sent alarm bells ringing inside my head because I know I can't get active without NSAID help.The last time I saw my family doctor about this he only had one more of his list that may not aggravate my IBS. He said he should be able to find one that is IBS-friendly but I think he may have said this to pacify me! Things just seem so hopeless at the moment - I'm really down & just keep crying on & off throughout the day as it all seems so hopeless. I've tried to manage to get active with painkillers but I can only increase my walking a bit each day & I did a bit too much the other day & have got loads of pain/inflammation going on so out of desperation I've resorted to take the last NSAID my doctor prescribed which bloats me up so much I can't sleep

I'm going back to see my doctor this week about the latest NSAID he prescribed so there's just one more to try but I think it's inevitable it will bloat me up, not be able to eat much & make me feel sick.

CINDYLOU - from a previous post I remember you said you had IBS - are there any NSAID's you can tolerate without aggravating your IBS to extreme levels.

I just don't know how I'm going to recover from this 2nd spinal op if I can't take an NSAID to help me get active in the first few months. After that I don't need them.

Thanks in anticipation. Any suggestions would be helpful.

[KBear]

Ruth- I'm so sorry you are feeling so down and that you aren't able to take an NSAID to help. Do you think a steroid pack would help reduce the inflammation enough to get active again? It's such a hard place when it hurts to do more and hurts to not do more, really isn't an easy answer to it. I'll be praying for you, Kathy

[Justin]

What about a COX-2 inhibitor like Celebrex?

[ajj1001]

I gave up on NSAIDs after IBS problems and the start of gastric problems. it's such a nightmare that all meds seem to affect the stomach some way or another.

[dalhousie]

Alison - do you have IBS then?

Justin - Arcoxia & Etodolac are Cox 2's. The other one on my doctor's list of possibilities (which is the one I haven't yet tried) was Nabumetone which is also a Cox 2. Numerous years ago before I was diagnosed with IBS or had back surgery I tried Celebrex but I have sinus problems & one of the side effects is sinusitis/rhinitis. I only had one capsule & it blocked my sinuses up for 6 months. I don't want to add to my problems further.

Kathy - thank you for the prayers, it means a lot to me. I would give anything to get on top of this problem so I can start to make some progress. Wish I'd never overdone it in the first place & been satisfied with my progress but I'm concentrating on trying to find a solution & not dwelling on what's been & gone.

[Cindylou]

Ruth, I am just now seeing this post. Sorry. And I'm sorry for how discouraged and defeated you are feeling. Hugs. I was actually going to name the same drug that Justin did, Celebrex. I just recently started on it again (just last week) so I'm probably not yet reaping the full benefits of it yet, but my PM doc and I decided to give it a try again, since I got such incredible relief from the Prednisone Pack the week before. What I am doing is making sure I have a real full belly of food before I take one, to hopefully minimize any gastro-issues. So far so good. In regards to the sinus problems associated with Celebrex, I would give it a chance again, if it's been awhile since you tried. Our bodies do change constantly, and sometimes something that gave you such ill side effects today, may give you no side effects tomorrow. Definitely worth a shot. Hang in there Ruth........we love you! Cindylou

[dalhousie]

I've been told allow 2 weeks for the full effects to be obtained. The longest time I've tried one is for 8 days but still felt benefit. Hope you get a similar benefit to what you had with the pack. I'll try to eat more when I take them. I haven't been eating that much due to sickly feeling & not wanting to risk being super bloated.

[ajj1001]

Alison - do you have IBS then?

I got diagnosed with it 10 or 12 years ago but I think I have it quite mildly, mine is much worse when I am stressed. I have found being careful with my diet really helps. I don't take any of the meds to help it anymore. I seem to have a sensitive stomach after a few years of NSAIDs prior to my ADR.

If you find a way forward then that would be fantastic. It seems to be such trial and error with these things.

[dalhousie]

I got diagnosed with it 10 or 12 years ago but I think I have it quite mildly, mine is much worse when I am stressed. I have found being careful with my diet really helps. I don't take any of the meds to help it anymore. I seem to have a sensitive stomach after a few years of NSAIDs prior to my ADR.

If you find a way forward then that would be fantastic. It seems to be such trial and error with these things.

I don't take anything for mine normally but is worse when stressed - it's just that NSAID's (apart from Meloxicam) give me bad bloating so I've tried taking various things like Mebeverine, peppermint water, turmeric but they don't tackle the bloating as much as they need to.

CINDYLOU - this Prednisone pack you had - how many days can you take it for & do you know how often it can be repeated? In the UK I've heard of Prednisolone as a steroid tablet but not heard of Prednisone packs - are they tablets for set number of days?

[Justin]

Alison - do you have IBS then?

Justin - Arcoxia & Etodolac are Cox 2's. The other one on my doctor's list of possibilities (which is the one I haven't yet tried) was Nabumetone which is also a Cox 2. Numerous years ago before I was diagnosed with IBS or had back surgery I tried Celebrex but I have sinus problems & one of the side effects is sinusitis/rhinitis. I only had one capsule & it blocked my sinuses up for 6 months. I don't want to add to my problems further.

Sorry, I'm not familiar with the different trade names in the UK. Of note selectively blocking COX-2 allows the protective properties of COX-1 to remain and help protect the gastric mucosa (stomach lining).

CINDYLOU - this Prednisone pack you had - how many days can you take it for & do you know how often it can be repeated? In the UK I've heard of Prednisolone as a steroid tablet but not heard of Prednisone packs - are they tablets for set number of days?

I know the comment above was directed at CL, but I wanted to comment. Unfortunately, steroids carry a whole host of side effects; that's why they are not used long-term. A short use of steroids, commonly referred to as a "dose pack," might help calm things down (in terms of inflammation), where you could go on a COX-2 inhibitor directly after the steroid dose pack (usually a 6 day course of steroids) in hopes of better relief.