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[biomancer]

So, I was standing in class and I suddenly felt like someone had thrust a flaming sword into my lower abdomen. I am assuming this is bad?

I took a handful of Midol and it subsided for awhile, although now I am feeling a dull pain - maybe I was just distracted by trying to figure out whether or not I was going to survive for the rest of the teaching day.

Concordancia, that is a pretty exact description of what it feels like when my ovarian cysts rupture - only it's to the side of my lower abdomen (about an inch deep of my anterior superior iliac spine, if that anatomy landmark means anything to you).  It's not "good", but it's not life-endangeringly bad.  It is pretty #$%^ing uncomfortable, though.

I hope you're feeling better today!

[biomancer]

Cue Heather O'Rourke:
"They're baaaaaaaaaaack!"

<grumblegrumble>razzafrackin ovarian cysts....

Today I am calling the doctor.  This is ridiculous.

[wegie]

Oh no!

Bugger off, Wilson! And take your poxy friends with you!

Of course, I'm going to be joining you at the Dr on Monday . . .

[wet_blanket]

OK, today, tomorrow, and approximately five days from now I shall be experimenting with drugs.

I have obtained ibuprofen and ibuprofen/codeine, and restocked my naproxen and paracetamol/codeine.  I don't think there's going to be quite the methodological rigor here to make any definitive conclusions.  But the plan is to to take a dose or combination at quasi-random.

First dose right now, ibuprofen: I need to get work done so I'll forgo the codeine.  Despite being ravenous for the last three days, I can't handle the thought of food now, so no naproxen.

 

[zarathustra]

I'm intrigued by this ibuprofen/codeine combo.  Is it even available in the US (I know I'd need a prescription)?

[wet_blanket]

I'm intrigued by this ibuprofen/codeine combo.  Is it even available in the US (I know I'd need a prescription)?

Don't get too intrigued.  Results aren't good so far. 

I took ibuprofen on its own in the middle of the day.  The pain hadn't started ramping up.  Maybe 1/10 when I took the pills.  0/10 within an hour, back to 1/10 after 4 hours.  Took the ibu/codeine combo.  Pain free for 2-3 hours.  Took another dose at which time I'd say 2/10.  After  about 2 hours, there was a solid 3/10 with moments of 6/10.  I think the actual pain has started which usually  sits around 7/10 and reduces to 4/10 with my normal cocktail.

Though, the codeine that comes with ibuprofen is 12.8mg/tablet, compared with 8mg when combined with paracetamol.  So I've been feeling pretty happy.

[ucprof]

Never heard of ibu/codeine in the US.  How much ibu did you take when you took it alone?  In the US there is Tylenol 3 which is 300 tylenol/30 codeine.  Sounds like it's pretty strong on the codeine.  I can only take it when I am already in bed - it knocks me out.    Another common opioid/analgesic mix in the US is vicodin which is tylenol mixed with hydrocodone.  Less sleep inducing than codeine and supposedly a stronger pain med than Ty3.  I believe it is a different class of narcotic.  All of our narcotic pain meds are highly regulated.  One feels practically like a criminal just to request them.  I like Ty3 for generic pain when you need to sleep.  I would not take it for cramps though - I would stick to the NSAIDS - anything that specifically works on prostaglandins.  For cramps I still rank order the NSAIDS as (1) vioxx (nothing like it but it is now off the market), (2) celebrex, (3) ibu, (4) naproxyn.
When I had bad pain I had to take ibu like M&Ms whereas one vioxx worked for me.  300 mg celebrex was typically needed for me to mostly get rid of the pain.  but that was much more tolerable to my stomach than the ibu like M&Ms.  In general narcotics make me very nauseous unless I am flat on my back (something to do with the head
position and the way the drug affects my equilibrium) - it is very much like motion sickness.  So I can only take them at night - hence I have made heavy use of NSAIDS, especially the cox2.

[wet_blanket]

I got the my drugs on a recent overseas trip to see the fam.  It's OTC there, but I got it prescribed to make brining opiates through customs feel less dodgy.

The ibu is 200mg, so I took 400mg.  It's the same dose in the mix: 200mg/12.8mg codeine.  Unforseen problem number 1: the recommendation for the combo is three doses (6 tablets) max in 24 hours. 

I'll see if I can get some celebrex into this experiment.  Nothing like experimenting with drugs to make one feel they are living on the edge!

[wegie]

I got the my drugs on a recent overseas trip to see the fam.  It's OTC there, but I got it prescribed to make brining opiates through customs feel less dodgy.

Neither WH or I have been caught yet ;-)

I wouldn't transit through Dubai with them, though.

The ibu is 200mg, so I took 400mg.  It's the same dose in the mix: 200mg/12.8mg codeine.  Unforseen problem number 1: the recommendation for the combo is three doses (6 tablets) max in 24 hours. 

Ah. I spy with my little eye . . . a packet of Nurofen Plus?

Thoroughly uncontrolled experiments at wegie towers have shown that 8 in a day is fine, as long as it's only every so often. The limit isn't actually because of the codeine, but because the recommended limit for ibuprofen is 1,200mg a day. Your ibuprofen tablets should say exactly the same.

[wet_blanket]

The ibu is 200mg, so I took 400mg.  It's the same dose in the mix: 200mg/12.8mg codeine.  Unforseen problem number 1: the recommendation for the combo is three doses (6 tablets) max in 24 hours. 

Ah. I spy with my little eye . . . a packet of Nurofen Plus?

Luckily I buy generic on principle (and because subsidized prescription=generic) or I would be freaking out.

[wegie]

The ibu is 200mg, so I took 400mg.  It's the same dose in the mix: 200mg/12.8mg codeine.  Unforseen problem number 1: the recommendation for the combo is three doses (6 tablets) max in 24 hours. 

Ah. I spy with my little eye . . . a packet of Nurofen Plus?

Luckily I buy generic on principle (and because subsidized prescription=generic) or I would be freaking out.

Cost of NHS prescription: £7.20

Cost of 32 N+ over the counter: £6.12

Chances that NHS would actually give me enough N+ on one prescription to really make a difference costwise: not that good, as they prefer prescribing mefenamic acid or naproxen.

[wet_blanket]

The ibu is 200mg, so I took 400mg.  It's the same dose in the mix: 200mg/12.8mg codeine.  Unforseen problem number 1: the recommendation for the combo is three doses (6 tablets) max in 24 hours. 

Ah. I spy with my little eye . . . a packet of Nurofen Plus?

Luckily I buy generic on principle (and because subsidized prescription=generic) or I would be freaking out.

Cost of NHS prescription: £7.20

Cost of 32 N+ over the counter: £6.12

Chances that NHS would actually give me enough N+ on one prescription to really make a difference costwise: not that good, as they prefer prescribing mefenamic acid or naproxen.

24 tablets from evil-big-pharma, ~NZ$12.50
12-100 (I'm serious!  I got asked how many I wanted) generic tabs with prescription NZ$3.00.  Plus the cost of a GP visit.

[wegie]

The ibu is 200mg, so I took 400mg.  It's the same dose in the mix: 200mg/12.8mg codeine.  Unforseen problem number 1: the recommendation for the combo is three doses (6 tablets) max in 24 hours. 

Ah. I spy with my little eye . . . a packet of Nurofen Plus?

Luckily I buy generic on principle (and because subsidized prescription=generic) or I would be freaking out.

Cost of NHS prescription: £7.20

Cost of 32 N+ over the counter: £6.12

Chances that NHS would actually give me enough N+ on one prescription to really make a difference costwise: not that good, as they prefer prescribing mefenamic acid or naproxen.

24 tablets from evil-big-pharma, ~NZ$12.50

<looks at currency converter>

Ouch!

Oddly enough, the cheapest ever was Sydney Airport a couple of years ago. At that point the Aussies were still selling the packets of 72 that our government had banned a few years previously and they cost only a bit more than what a pack of 48 cost in the UK.

Of course, there was the £800 airfare to SYD to factor in . . .

[ucprof]

A standard advil (ibuprofen) pill is 200mg.  When I was taking them I would need three of them (600mg)
every 4-5 hours to keep the pain down.  This is the M&M dose I was referring to.  It worked but does a number on the GI tract.  Must take with food, and only for a couple of days.  Note that US drs do prescribe motrin (prescription ibu) at these doses so it is not completely out of line.

I would need about 300mg of celebrex for similar effect.  Much easier on GI but still need food.  Expensive pills, but if you have insurance..... also they would typically last only 5 hrs or so, not the 12 hrs or more that the package indicates.  I would take up to 1000-1200 mg celebrex a day - more than is recommended, but only for those few days when it was bad.  It worked and had no unusual side effects.

When vioxx was on market - one vioxx would do it for 12 hrs.  Really a shame that stuff is gone. 

In general with NSAIDs you want to watch the GI tract first and foremost.

[gennimom]

Well, my mammogram was normal. After seeing my doc and talking about all the other things that have been going on, and discussing my erratic cycle, she actually addressed making a permanent solution to one problem. She wants me to go 3 or 4 more months to see what happens, but then she is open to either a) uterine ablation or b) hysterectomy. Since I don't plan to use it again, I think I vote for B. Hmm.