2 replies to this topic

[InquilineKea]

So I guess it's a part of life that I'm going to have to deal with.

I'm currently taking like 4 doses of 325 mg aspirin a day to control it. Maybe I could reduce the dose a little and see how it is like.

I'm just wondering through - for people who want to live longer, is aspirin the best choice?

Aspirin does seem to carry the highest stochastic risk. But as long as you're not overly unlucky from that small stochastic risk of bleeding, it seems to be the best option. After all, everyone knows that it has anti-inflammatory properties.

Still - I'm wondering - is it possible to have bleeding in the brain without noticing it at all?

Ibuprofen seems to increase blood pressure, which is very bad in the long run.

As for paracetamol - I don't know...

What about combining paracetamol with aspirin?

Edited by InquilineKea, 22 April 2013 - 05:27 PM.

[niner]

For me, the best pain reliever for chronic neck pain was physical therapy. Specifically, I do isometric exercises- press your right hand against the right side of your head, and use your neck muscles to resist the motion. Press and relax 20 times. Do the same thing with the left side, then repeat with both hands pressing against the forehead, then with both hands against the back of the head. I've been doing this whenever I'm at the gym, which is about three times a week, but it could easily be done at home. I have a neck injury from an accident when I was 19, which subsequently developed into osteoarthritis and deterioration of two disks. The isometric exercises are sufficient to stabilize the musculature of the neck, which very much helps the whole situation.

It might be the case that your injury or whatever it is needs a different approach. You should get a solid diagnosis on it, probably from an orthopedist. Do you already know what's causing the problem?

[maxwatt]

While waiting for physical therapy to relieve the underlying cause, I find hydrocodone effective, if you can get a prescription. Also, possible pinched nerves in the cervical vertebrae should be ruled out. Sometimes a neck-roll type of pillow while sleeping on one's back helps, as might sleeping on one's back without a pillow. The ten-minute upper back massage you can get in many Korean nail salons helps some people. A pain-management physician or physiatrist if these don't provide relief.

I've also found naproxen a very effective pain reliever, but I cannot tolerate the concommitant stomach upset. Ibuprofen might help pain more than aspirin, but not for everyone, or for all kinds of pain. The risk of bleeding is slightly lower, hemoragic stroke is always a risk, but is dose related. Acetaminophen (paracetamol) doesn't cause bleeding, but does nothing for me, other people like the effect. Large amounts taken chronically can deplete n-acetyl-cysteine (more than 1.5 grams is considered potentiall damaging to the liver.)