Flexeril!

[TexasGrunt]

I stupidly twisted my back the other day. I've had chronic back problems for over 39 years. I know better than to do what I did.

That being said I did it anyway. I got slapped with muscle spasms that had me grinding my teeth with tears in my eyes.

I had to have my wife help me up out of my recliner and into the bedroom. I realized I was going to have to take something for it.

The muscle relaxant I have is Flexeril. It's good stuff and it works, however it knocks me out for 8-10 hours at a time and gives me really fuzzy brain if I'm awake.

I've spent the last two days in bed. Finally got up and moving around a bit today. I'm still having spasms, and my left leg feels like it's being crushed by red hot electric rollers.

Our little boy, Munchkin a Goffin's Cockatoo, has been pretty upset. He's a daddies boy and couldn't understand why I wasn't out in the family room. Twice he ran off from my wife and came all the way back into our bedroom and climbed on the bed to see me. He's got clipped wings so he had to run all that way. Pretty brave for a little guy that barely weighs 8 ounces.

He's been really happy that I managed to come out of the bedroom today. He's pretty much been glued to my shoulder.

[Spoonerism]

I see Xanaflex and Baclofen used for patients that don't handle the drowsy, foggy feeling. I have never used them so I don't know how well they actually work. Don't hesitate to talk to your doctor about pain meds, there is stuff out there that will help and won't get you too high to function. It amazes me how much personality small animals can have. My wife and I have 5 rats that are happier to see me when I come home most days than my dog.

[DerekP Houston]

Dang that sounds rough. Hope you get to feeling better so your feathered friend doesn't scare the missus off ;).

[dragon813gt]

That's a pretty nasty drug IMO. Had a friend w/ real bad back problems. Ended up w/ a morphine pump implanted in him. He was also on a whole host of other medications. Flexeril is the only one that would knock him out. I hope you get better.

[Rick Hodges]

Flexeril almost killed my mother...shut her kidneys down. Be careful with that stuff.

[454 shooter]

If I haven't had flexeril for a while, then a whole pill will knock me out for basically 2 days, the second day I am really foggy, and I'm a big guy.
After a week or so I can take two per day and get around ok. I have only had to take them a couple times for no more than a week and a half at a time. I can't even tell if I take a baclofen, it does nothing for me.

[JimB..]

I have a scrip for 3 or 4 a day pretty much forever. Initially 1 would make me drowsy, now not so much. Every now and then I switch to Valium, it is more effective but also more addictive and your body adjusts to it within a few weeks so the efficacy falls off unless you ramp up, and doctors aren't generally in favor of that since it significantly suppresses respiration at night at high dosages.

I'm 35 years into a back problem, pain every day.

[MaryB]

I must be the odd one out, Flexeril did zero for me, nothing...

[pjames32]

Flexeril is pretty effective for most people, but does case drowsiness, decreased motor function so don't even think about driving with it. A couple older drugs, Soma and Parafon Forte give less relief, but without the bad side effects. Valium is good, but addictive as are most of the pain meds.Talk to your Dr and try some of the other drugs too. (Retired pharmacist)

[Battis]

3 back surgeries (one botched). Forced retirement (lost wages? I don't like to think about it). I have drop foot from nerve damage and wear a lower leg brace.

What did not help...
Chiropractors (useless). Physical therapy (useless). Anti-inflammatory drugs (dangerous. I developed an aspirin allergy). Vicodin, gabapentin, Flexeril (can't tolerate either). Percocet when it gets real bad (small amount to take the edge off), but highly addictive. Inversion bed (be careful).
What did help...
Surgery with the right DR. Keep the weight down. Do pull-ups (I started with one or two a day, worked up to 10 sets of 10 - a hundred a day. Hurt my shoulder and had to back off). Exercise - join a gym. No lifting up - just pull down machines. Try mountain bike riding (mountain bikes put you in a forward leaning position which stretches your spine). WALKING with good, solid shoes (Soloman hiking shoes and boots) and a walking stick.
Find what works for you, but moving is better than not, even when it hurts like hell.

[runfiverun]

Mary:
your not alone.
I generally took 2 or 3 of them and it was like aspirin.
50mg's of Tramadol doesn't do a thing either and just makes me a little nauseous, but I see people looking like their drunk on 20.

[iomskp]

I feel your pain I was in a 65 mph head on, crushed T3 and T6 and shook everything else up, my Dr has just put me on a cocktail of Tramadol, Diazepam and Bruffon only for about 2 weeks but it is great to almost feel normal for a while.

[mold maker]

I'm already goofy, but even a small dose of any pain killer sends me to La La land. An aspirin puts me to sleep for a couple hrs. My DAD was the same way. He had 2 teeth pulled and the half dose of meds put him in bed for 4 days.
Guess you could call me a cheap drunk.

[Sasquatch-1]

I took flexeril for many years. Didn't do a lot but did take the edge off after it built up in my system. I could drive and function without any impairment. The side affect I experienced was severe mood swings. I would constantly be yelling at my wife and kids over very minor little things. Have not used it in many years and will not use it again.

[RKJ]

Flexeril works for me but (luckily) don't need it very often. I was given something that started with an S. I was like a limp noodle, my wife had to help me do everything that night to put me into bed. I'll suffer through before I'll take that stuff again. It's on my med chart and I recall the name when theDr's ask me about it. It would have been funny if it hadn't been me.

[cpileri]

If the leg pain is new, you need to be scanned as it indicates new nerve compression.




I'm still having spasms, and my left leg feels like it's being crushed by red hot electric rollers.

.

[sparky45]

You must have L4-5 problems. That's where mine is located and (knock on wood) it hasn't bothered me for about a year now. Good luck on finding a treatment that works for you and as cpileri said -"If the leg pain is new, get it attended to right away.

[skeet1]

You all may laugh but I have had such back problems in the past with severe muscle spasms in lower back until I went to a chiropractor. Every time I hurt my back I would get to the chiropractor as soon as possible and would avoid most of the spasms and all of the meds. Since I have been retired, my back got mysteriously better and have not had any real back problems since. I have decided that it was my carrying a gun for 33 years on my right side that was causing the problems.

Ken

[hwilliam01]

I see Xanaflex and Baclofen used for patients that don't handle the drowsy, foggy feeling. I have never used them so I don't know how well they actually work. Don't hesitate to talk to your doctor about pain meds, there is stuff out there that will help and won't get you too high to function. It amazes me how much personality small animals can have. My wife and I have 5 rats that are happier to see me when I come home most days than my dog.


Sorry if I am not adding any advice, but thought maybe a laugh would help...unless it hurts when you laugh and I will apologize in advance.

I took a song writing class at my local adult education center at the high school now that I am retired. I wrote a parody of a country and western song about my dog, called... "She the New Queen of my King sized Bed". Part of the lyrics were...a test of true love...put your wife and your dog in the trunk of your car....drive around the block for an hour and see which one is truly happy to see you".

[Moonie]

I must be the odd one out, Flexeril did zero for me, nothing...

I'm normally a lightweight with medicines and alcohol but flexeril doesn't effect me that badly either. I mean it helps but not much more than that.i have a bottle in the medicine cabinet.3 ruptured disks in my midback and now a bulging one in my lower.

[MaryB]

I take a slow release oxycontin and a percocet when I wake up and at 8pm. Right before bed I take another percocet to dull the pain down enough to sleep. 2 lyrica a day for the nerve pain... none of it makes me feel high in any way... just takes the edge off the pain so I can move and get something done for the day



Mary:
your not alone.
I generally took 2 or 3 of them and it was like aspirin.
50mg's of Tramadol doesn't do a thing either and just makes me a little nauseous, but I see people looking like their drunk on 20.

[MaryB]

Doesn't surprise me at all, I carried a 20+ pound tool belt and spare parts on the right side at the casino and my back is curved that direction from it.


You all may laugh but I have had such back problems in the past with severe muscle spasms in lower back until I went to a chiropractor. Every time I hurt my back I would get to the chiropractor as soon as possible and would avoid most of the spasms and all of the meds. Since I have been retired, my back got mysteriously better and have not had any real back problems since. I have decided that it was my carrying a gun for 33 years on my right side that was causing the problems.

Ken

[Greg S]

The only thing it does for me is make me fe3ling like my hair is my hair growing. Parafone forte used to do the trick. Still looking for the magic arrow to replace PF without a bunch on side effects.

[Sasquatch-1]

Walking around in uniform with a 20 to 25 lb. Sam Brown belt and body armor doesn't help much either. Also being hit by a car while trying to break up a fight early in my career didn't help a lot.



You all may laugh but I have had such back problems in the past with severe muscle spasms in lower back until I went to a chiropractor. Every time I hurt my back I would get to the chiropractor as soon as possible and would avoid most of the spasms and all of the meds. Since I have been retired, my back got mysteriously better and have not had any real back problems since. I have decided that it was my carrying a gun for 33 years on my right side that was causing the problems.

Ken

[William Yanda]

" It amazes me how much personality small animals can have." Spoonerism

I recently was the "chicken-sitter" for some neighbors for a couple of weeks. 4 chickens, a rooster and 3 pullets, out in the am, in at night. Didn't take them long to come running when I pulled up in the evening.

[Lloyd Smale]

after 5 back surgerys a hip and ankle replacement sleeping at night is tough. I don't take flexural during the day but take one a trazadone and a couple advil every night at bed time so I can sleep. Bottom line is nothing makes the aches and pains better then good sleep. I started on this routine because I couldn't stand the narcotic especially at bed time. One oxycodone and I'm up staring at the ceiling all night and add to that the fact you have to about live on laxitives.

[Char-Gar]

During my recent back problem Flexarril, Tramadol , or Hydrocodon did anything for me. They were like taking air pills. The Spine Doc finally put together a cocktail of Valium and Delaudin that allow me to get some sleep. It took a steroid injection in the spine to get up and going. I am now off all pain meds.
.

[SP5315]

I never had any luck with Flexeril when it has been prescribed for me. After taking on and off for a few months for severe back spasms, I had no relief at all. A nurse practitioner was standing in for my doctor one day. She prescribed Baclofen. Two days later the spasms were gone. After a week I stopped the medication and didn't have any spasms for several months. I have never found a muscle relaxant like Baclofen that worked so well on me.

YMMV

[Lloyd Smale]

I don't take flexeril to relieve pain. I use it to help me sleep at night and give the muscles a bit of a break. Kind of a preventive medicine. When real back pain comes narcotics don't even do much. they might make it livable if you sit in a chair and don't move but doing that sure doesn't help you get through it. If anything short of a morphine injection gives you total relief of your back pain you don't have REAL back pain, you have a sore back.

[Alstep]

Muscle relaxers do just that. Don't forget that the heart is a muscle. Relax the heart too much and you're a goner!

[gbrown]

Back in the day, Parafon Forte was my wonder drug. One day my doctor gave me Flexeril because he was worried about the aspirin in the Parafon. I have a cast iron stomach and it never bothered me. Anyway, I took a Flexeril and woke up the next morning feeling like I had been on a 2 day drunk. One of the worst hangovers I ever experienced (haven't had that many in my life) About 2 that afternoon, I finally came out of it. I had a gall bladder attack about 8 weeks ago and they gave me morphine in the emergency room--made me feel strange but did nothing for the pain. I just didn't care about the pain. I've been given hydrocodone scripts 2 or 3 times, did nothing for me. Ibuprofen works for me. I'm just lucky, I guess.

[Blackwater]

TG, FWIW, I had a fairly extensive history with Flexerill after '81 when I hurt my back seriously doing something I KNEW I shouldn't. Let some friends talk me into it, which seems often the case, or simple cussed "I can do that" when we know we SHOULDN'T do it. Long story short, it had the same effects you describe, and I couldn't do my job, or much of anything else, except sleep and laze around, neither of which was what I WANTED to be able to do.

I found relief without the meds (muscle relaxers and pain killers, neither of which agreed with me well) by going to a chiropractor. A buddy with similar problems called me from his office. His back had siezed up so bad he couldn't even walk to his car, and he asked me if I could come take him to his chiropractor. I couldn't deny him, and got off work to comply. Thankfully, it was a relatively "open" time for me. I got there, and parked in front of his office with the passenger side door open. I knew if he'd condescended to call for help, this would be needed. Got in and half helped, half carried him to the door and to the truck, and got him inside my truck. Took him to his chiropractor and half helped, half carried him inside. The chiro helped him back to the treatment room. Amazingly, about 15-20 min. later, he strutted out almost like a bantam rooster!

Now here's where you need to realize that I'd been raised to believe that all chiros were quacks, and they'd probably hurt you rather than "cure" you, and if you went long enough, just might KILL you! Naturally, seeing such a miraculous change in my friend got my attention, and the next time mine went out, I called his chiro and managed to get there on my own. Amazingly, he took me back, did a few twists on me, and I was able to walk out erect and under my own power, with no teetering, etc.!

OK, so now I was convinced! And that chiro was my "salvation" when my back went out for a good number of years, until he moved away. Since then, I've yet to find another chiro who doesn't want to get me on a steady schedule, and none that will do a simple maneuver and send me out "cured," at least until the next episode. I quit all the meds that I hated taking so much, and just used him for my "cures."

My GP doc once asked me why I went to one of those "danged ol' chiropractors," because "Nothing they do is permanent." I held up the Rx he'd just given me, and asked him, "So I guess these pain killers and muscle relaxers are permanent???" He just said, "Oh," and went back to writing and talking about other things. Loved that old doc. He was a tail gunner on a B-25 in WWII and THE doc you wanted to see if you wound up in the ER. But he didn't like chiros at ALL! He figured his "education" I guess, made his ways superior to a chiro's, but that's not how it worked out in practice for me.

However, the fly in this ointment is that each chiro has his/her own set of skills, and very few it seems, subsequent to Ralph, my original chiro, will do a "cure" in one sitting like Ralph did! And I have yet to find a single chiro that could or would do for me what Ralph did. So .... IF (and that's a big and very relevant word here!) you can find a chiro that can and WILL do what you need, treasure him and I'd almost want to buy life insurance on him because they're very rare, and if he is no longer around, the meds, etc. will be a LOT more expensive in addition to being less satisfactory.

IF you can find one of these jewels of the chiropractor's art, stick with him/her! If not, it's really a toss-up in my mind, as to what I'd do if I were still in that shape. ALL chiros are NOT alike, and the only way to find a good one, is to try them all one by one, going down the list when you get stuck bent over and can't get up. Eventually, you MAY (?) find one that can alleviate your taking all those meds and the side effects that you and I hate so badly. But it won't happen overnight, and CAN be almost as depressing as the pain itself. But FWIW, this is what I'd try if I were in your shoes again. Hope you find the key to avoiding the pain AND these debilitating meds! It really affects your life in ways that can't really be understood by those who've never had this problem.

[MaryB]

You would be wrong, narcotics dull the pain enough I can function/sleep. Morphine only dulls it too. I am never pain free anymore, it is the degree of pain... and that pain would put the average person in bed screaming for morphine. You get used to it after years of fighting it. I am sue it will shorten my lifespan due to lack of sleep...


I don't take flexeril to relieve pain. I use it to help me sleep at night and give the muscles a bit of a break. Kind of a preventive medicine. When real back pain comes narcotics don't even do much. they might make it livable if you sit in a chair and don't move but doing that sure doesn't help you get through it. If anything short of a morphine injection gives you total relief of your back pain you don't have REAL back pain, you have a sore back.

[MaryB]

Chiro works if you have misalignment, it doesn't help ruptured discs/no discs/bone spurs like I have... in fact a chiro looked at my CT scan and said NOPE not touching you because a wrong move could put me in a wheelchair. Walking, keeping stomach muscles strong are 2 of the best things you can do for a bad back because it holds things in alignment.


TG, FWIW, I had a fairly extensive history with Flexerill after '81 when I hurt my back seriously doing something I KNEW I shouldn't. Let some friends talk me into it, which seems often the case, or simple cussed "I can do that" when we know we SHOULDN'T do it. Long story short, it had the same effects you describe, and I couldn't do my job, or much of anything else, except sleep and laze around, neither of which was what I WANTED to be able to do.

I found relief without the meds (muscle relaxers and pain killers, neither of which agreed with me well) by going to a chiropractor. A buddy with similar problems called me from his office. His back had siezed up so bad he couldn't even walk to his car, and he asked me if I could come take him to his chiropractor. I couldn't deny him, and got off work to comply. Thankfully, it was a relatively "open" time for me. I got there, and parked in front of his office with the passenger side door open. I knew if he'd condescended to call for help, this would be needed. Got in and half helped, half carried him to the door and to the truck, and got him inside my truck. Took him to his chiropractor and half helped, half carried him inside. The chiro helped him back to the treatment room. Amazingly, about 15-20 min. later, he strutted out almost like a bantam rooster!

Now here's where you need to realize that I'd been raised to believe that all chiros were quacks, and they'd probably hurt you rather than "cure" you, and if you went long enough, just might KILL you! Naturally, seeing such a miraculous change in my friend got my attention, and the next time mine went out, I called his chiro and managed to get there on my own. Amazingly, he took me back, did a few twists on me, and I was able to walk out erect and under my own power, with no teetering, etc.!

OK, so now I was convinced! And that chiro was my "salvation" when my back went out for a good number of years, until he moved away. Since then, I've yet to find another chiro who doesn't want to get me on a steady schedule, and none that will do a simple maneuver and send me out "cured," at least until the next episode. I quit all the meds that I hated taking so much, and just used him for my "cures."

My GP doc once asked me why I went to one of those "danged ol' chiropractors," because "Nothing they do is permanent." I held up the Rx he'd just given me, and asked him, "So I guess these pain killers and muscle relaxers are permanent???" He just said, "Oh," and went back to writing and talking about other things. Loved that old doc. He was a tail gunner on a B-25 in WWII and THE doc you wanted to see if you wound up in the ER. But he didn't like chiros at ALL! He figured his "education" I guess, made his ways superior to a chiro's, but that's not how it worked out in practice for me.

However, the fly in this ointment is that each chiro has his/her own set of skills, and very few it seems, subsequent to Ralph, my original chiro, will do a "cure" in one sitting like Ralph did! And I have yet to find a single chiro that could or would do for me what Ralph did. So .... IF (and that's a big and very relevant word here!) you can find a chiro that can and WILL do what you need, treasure him and I'd almost want to buy life insurance on him because they're very rare, and if he is no longer around, the meds, etc. will be a LOT more expensive in addition to being less satisfactory.

IF you can find one of these jewels of the chiropractor's art, stick with him/her! If not, it's really a toss-up in my mind, as to what I'd do if I were still in that shape. ALL chiros are NOT alike, and the only way to find a good one, is to try them all one by one, going down the list when you get stuck bent over and can't get up. Eventually, you MAY (?) find one that can alleviate your taking all those meds and the side effects that you and I hate so badly. But it won't happen overnight, and CAN be almost as depressing as the pain itself. But FWIW, this is what I'd try if I were in your shoes again. Hope you find the key to avoiding the pain AND these debilitating meds! It really affects your life in ways that can't really be understood by those who've never had this problem.

[Omega]

I have a few injuries that still bug me, but my back is the one that bugs me the most. I am prescribed Oxy, flexiril, and Lidoderm patches and cream. I rarely take any of the strong stuff, I just don't want to become immune to their effect when I really need them. If I feel I'll really need it, I'll take a flexiril at night, after using my Teeter hang-up to stretch my spine a bit. I get spasms sometimes that make it extemely difficult to even get out of bed and the oxy makes the pain bearable but I don't like the way it makes me feel, I just can't understand someone wanting that feeling.

I got to say, that the traction really seems to help. If it wasn't for the busted tib/fib and ankle I would use the Teeter machine much more.

[Lloyd Smale]

Mary that's just what I said. I said if narcotics give TOTAL relief from pain you don't have real pain. That make your pain livable. Aint my first rodeo. I lived on them for 8 years taking them 4 times a day and liquid morphine for a booster so times. It never totally removed my pain. Luckily for me that level of pain isn't there anymore. I think physical theropy (walking ect) helped me more then anything. It was unbelievably painful at first. I was lucky to walk up the road a 100 feet and back but I bucked up and kept at it and eventualy could go farther and farther every day. Right now I'm kind of going the other way. I have bone on bone (discs gone) and you just don't fix that with exercise. I still refuse to eat narcotics again. When I get so bad that I just cant take it Ill got to the emergency room and get a couple shots. Been a few times that I would have liked to have some narcotics just to get me to the emergency room but I know that if there here they probably will get used and I just don't need the side effects that go with them. They just take away your quality of life more then the pain. Maybe twice a week youll find me up all night in pain. The other nights between the flexural, trazadone, and over the counter advil I can get 4-6 hours of sleep. I'm not knocking someone that takes them but I can spot a druggie in a second. Just tell me you eat narcotics and your pain free and ill tell you your full of bs and take them because your a junky. Like I said if you take them and they do give you TOTAL relief then your pain level is low enough that you could get by with advil. No such thing as a 60 year old man or women that actually WORKED FOR A LIVING to be pain free everyday. Some are just wimps and pop pills for a paper cut. In the last two years ive had a hip replacement and an ankle replacement. I was bone on bone with both of them. Add that to my back pain and I still got by without narcotics. Even after both of those surgerys I threw the narcotics away three days out of the hospital. This country is so over medicated its insane.
You would be wrong, narcotics dull the pain enough I can function/sleep. Morphine only dulls it too. I am never pain free anymore, it is the degree of pain... and that pain would put the average person in bed screaming for morphine. You get used to it after years of fighting it. I am sue it will shorten my lifespan due to lack of sleep...

[TexasGrunt]

Thanks everyone.

I take 45 mg of morphine SA twice a day, that amount cuts the hurt to a dull ache most of the time. I also take 500 mg of naproxen twice a day, 600 mg of gabapentin three times a day for the leg pain, that's just the tip of my daily pill intake.

My problems are L4/L5/S1. At age 35 I was told I had the back of a 80 year old man who had had a life of hard physical labor. That was 22 years ago.

I quit taking the Flexeril on Saturday as I as starting to feel better.

Now I'm pretty much at the "please shoot me" phase. Didn't sleep good last night. Couldn't carry my breakfast to the table this morning because it hurt so bad.

I know I've got molds to send out. If nothing else I'll talk my dear wife into helping me get them packaged up tomorrow.

She's going to a birthday party for one of her friends today so I'm not going to bother her today, she really needs the break.

Again, thanks everyone for the kind thoughts.

Munchkin, my little buddy is really happy that I'm out in the family room right now. I've got his box of toy parts sitting beside me and we're going to build him some toys later today. Right now he's having fun rooting through the box.

[Lloyd Smale]

Thanks everyone.

I take 45 mg of morphine SA twice a day, that amount cuts the hurt to a dull ache most of the time. I also take 500 mg of naproxen twice a day, 600 mg of gabapentin three times a day for the leg pain, that's just the tip of my daily pill intake.

My problems are L4/L5/S1. At age 35 I was told I had the back of a 80 year old man who had had a life of hard physical labor. That was 22 years ago.

I quit taking the Flexeril on Saturday as I as starting to feel better.

Now I'm pretty much at the "please shoot me" phase. Didn't sleep good last night. Couldn't carry my breakfast to the table this morning because it hurt so bad.

I know I've got molds to send out. If nothing else I'll talk my dear wife into helping me get them packaged up tomorrow.

She's going to a birthday party for one of her friends today so I'm not going to bother her today, she really needs the break.

Again, thanks everyone for the kind thoughts.

Munchkin, my little buddy is really happy that I'm out in the family room right now. I've got his box of toy parts sitting beside me and we're going to build him some toys later today. Right now he's having fun rooting through the box.

Feel for you!! Sounds like your one here with REAL pain.

[Battis]

It always amazes me when someone thinks they can determine if someone else has real pain or not, or that their pain is so much worse than your pain, or that you're a whimp if you take pain meds, etc.
Awhile back, I went through 35 days of intense radiation after major surgery to remove a malignant tumor from my leg. Percocet did take away all of the pain, and no one in the world can tell me that an Advil would have done the same. Now the leg won't bend, and I have to put my sock on with my leg behind me. I have to wear a lower leg brace so I can walk. The radiation damage pain is pretty intense and keeps me up most nights, but all I ask from my DR is one Percocet a week, which I ration, and it still takes away all of the pain. Does that make me a pill popping junkie whimp?

[dragon813gt]

It always amazes me when someone thinks they can determine if someone else has real pain or not, or that their pain is so much worse than your pain, or that you're a whimp if you take pain meds, etc.

It's human nature and it's one of our bad traits. Everyone has a different threshold for pain. If you have/had children it's readily apparent. When my son scrapes his knee up you'd think he's dying. When I almost cut the entire pad off my thumb I considered gluing it together before going to the hospital for stitches. No one can judge another's pain and it's quite foolish to do so.

[Battis]

Well said.

[white eagle]

the old sad story
well he looks fine how can he be in pain
Yeah rite

[HATCH]

It's good stuff and it works, however it knocks me out for 8-10 hours at a time and gives me really fuzzy brain if I'm awake.


My suggestion to you is to take it before bed time. I eat a piece of bread and drink a glass of milk then take it.
It lets me sleep all night and in the AM, I don't hurt as much.

[Omega]

I have experienced a bit of pain, I broke my femur on a parachute jump, my tib/fib and blown ankle on another jump (yea I kept jumping), blew my back out (just a disk) on another, shoulder...yea, you get the picture. The femur didn't hurt much, I broke it at noon and it wasn't until 5 pm that they gave me something for the pain, morphine, and when they pushed the plunger down into the IV it just relaxed me a whole bunch. It wasn't until I got the morphine that I realized I had been in a bit of pain. When they moved me from the ER to a room, I felt every crack in the floor, and when they closed the elevator door on my leg...yea, that made me jump a bit. They had to reset the traction device to get me into the elevator.

With the tib/fib, I had to come off the drop zone on a Ranger Special Operations Vehicle (RSOV), that was a joy. But at least then they injected me with something, don't know what, but it didn't do much for the pain. I was laying on my back in the ER but everyone thought I was on my stomach, all the on-duty staff just had to come by and take a peek under the sheets.

With those injuries I came to realize that your body will shut down the pain receptors and only when they move you do they kick back in, at least it did for me. The level of pain can only be measured by other things you have personally experienced, and can not say what others feel, even with the same injuries. The meds, when I take them, make the residual pain tolerable, and sometimes you just forget you are in pain, until you remember of course.

201407

[MT Gianni]

All Flexerill did for me was make me ill. Mr Dr prescribes a generic Skelaxin [Metaxalon] That I take when my back flares up. He told me the key is to take it with food and an OTC inflammation reliever, Asperin, Tylenol, Ibeprofin or Naproxene Sodium. I might go a month between pills or eat them for a week straight but they don't make me sick to my stomach.

[RogerDat]

When I handled a lot of weight as part of my work every so often I would get a back spasm. Nerve was pinched so back muscles would lock up trying to "splint" the injured area. The locked up muscle caused nerves to get irritated which leads to more muscle spasm. Flexeril at night before bed would allow the muscle to relax and break the cycle over a period of a few days. But those spasms tended to be upper back, maybe between kidneys and lower third of shoulder blades and did not have an underlying damaged disks/vertebrae just too much muscle getting too tight. Chiropractor would have to put ice bags on back for at least 20 minutes because back wouldn't crack unless all the muscles were too numb to resist. But again that was for acute incident of injury more than chronic condition.

After 20 years working mostly as a desk jockey I had a herniated disk, followed by bone spurs that left one branch of nerves pinched like a figure 8 on an MRI. Surgery this spring for it, helped but things have been back sliding a bit of late, still not bad enough I can't sleep but is enough to wear me out from the steady pain. Will see what comes next. I really felt good after surgery but sort of wonder if that was due to only working 1/2 time and zero lifting, no bending and no twisting. Felt better so did more and now I'm slowly finding I can't stand for as long without pain. Advil not getting as much relief as before when it was good for 100% a few weeks after surgery.

This stuff with lower backs tends to be long term so good advice to do exercises which over time can help and try to hold back on the pain pills a bit so those drugs will be effective when things are really bad. People build up tolerance to narcotic pain meds. Taking them for a long period they tend to get less effective. I think there is something to be said for "knowing" you have a way to relieve the pain if it gets too great but not taking enough that you overdo because you don't feel the hurt you are doing.

I don't think anyone can tell someone else where that point of "wise" pain management lies. To my way of thinking if addictive drugs allow you to continue participation in life with manageable pain that is all between you and your doctor. Frankly it bothers me when they talk about an opioid crisis all the time and use it to create regulations about how your doctor can prescribe your pain medication. One can abuse legal drugs such as alcohol OR not abuse them. Heroin and morphine are cheap and effective. And addictive, however as several posters have mentioned over time one's body adjusts and they can function on a drug that left them stoned initially. I guess I figure one is no less safe casting when distracted by pain then they are on a well tolerated dose of pain killer.

Good luck for a speedy recovery TG. And same for my wife who had pretty bad back pain and spasms come on over the weekend. As they say, getting old is definitely NOT for sissies.

[MaryB]

I had an old lady screaming that at me at Walmart last time I went. I pulled into a handicap spot, put my tag on the mirror then did my slide around on the seat so I can land on my right leg getting out(left sometimes buckles no warning and face planting is no fun). She sat in her car with the window down telling me that "if you can stand you aren't disabled so get out of my spot" routine. I ignored her and limped into the store where I can use the cart as a walker to hold me up. By the time I was done in there I could barely make it into the truck seat, had to use my hands to lift my left leg in. I can extend my left but can't lift or retract it very well and after walking it gets worse. My neighbor was with and she told the old lady where to go LOL she used the scooter when we got in the store, her knees are about gone. I will walk until I can't, then go under the knife again but this time around means a fusion and the problems 5-6 years down the road that can bring...


the old sad story
well he looks fine how can he be in pain
Yeah rite

[Lloyd Smale]

50 years ago people to it as normal to be sore or in pain once in a while and even constantly when they got old. Today people over medicate for a hang nail. They take narcotics for a pulled muscle!
It's human nature and it's one of our bad traits. Everyone has a different threshold for pain. If you have/had children it's readily apparent. When my son scrapes his knee up you'd think he's dying. When I almost cut the entire pad off my thumb I considered gluing it together before going to the hospital for stitches. No one can judge another's pain and it's quite foolish to do so.

[dragon813gt]

50 years ago people to it as normal to be sore or in pain once in a while and even constantly when they got old. Today people over medicate for a hang nail. They take narcotics for a pulled muscle!

I agree w/ what you're saying. W/ modern medicine why would you suffer in pain if there was relief available? It doesn't make you more of a man to live w/ pain. Narcotics are a whole different issue. The doctors are the ones that have caused the opioid epidemic. Those types of drugs should be the last resort. But they are prescribed to often.

[Battis]

50 years ago would put us in the 60s - yep, no drug abuse back then.
Opiates are not new - Bill Hickok had a fondness for opium dens, as did many others.
Check this out:
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/look-back-old-time-medicines#1

[TexasGrunt]

My wife ended up taking me to the ER on Sunday because I was really hurting. Spent two days in the hospital while they did some imaging.

Back is pretty toasted. Six eroded vertebrae and four partially herniated discs. Compared to the imaging I had done five years ago you can easily see the degradation in my back.

I'm back home now and actually feeling half way human. Went to the range with a buddy this morning and watched him shoot. Felt good to get out of the house.

Had to add that the two outside toes on my left foot feel like they are on fire all the time now. Not a real pleasant feeling.

[MT Gianni]

50 years ago people to it as normal to be sore or in pain once in a while and even constantly when they got old. Today people over medicate for a hang nail. They take narcotics for a pulled muscle!

Or have surgery. I was told if you are over 50 and wake without any pains or aches you should strongly consider that you passed away during the night.

[smokeywolf]

When you've had the back muscles spasm several times, you learn the feeling at the very beginning of a spasm; felt that 2 nights ago. Was right next to a chair and sat down. Had Mrs. smokeywolf bring me a Metaxalone and Ibuprofen. Stayed in the chair for 2-1/2 hours until I was sure that both had kicked in. Have moved very carefully since.
When I have a muscle in my back go into spasm, I'm in bed for at least 2 days and on Oxys and Ibuprofen.

I've never taken the Flexoril. Only med I've ever taken that absolutely knocked me out was Atarax

[MaryB]

I get that on top of my foot right behind the toes... been bugging me all day... I know my back is out a bit from the pain radiating to that side in my low back


My wife ended up taking me to the ER on Sunday because I was really hurting. Spent two days in the hospital while they did some imaging.

Back is pretty toasted. Six eroded vertebrae and four partially herniated discs. Compared to the imaging I had done five years ago you can easily see the degradation in my back.

I'm back home now and actually feeling half way human. Went to the range with a buddy this morning and watched him shoot. Felt good to get out of the house.

Had to add that the two outside toes on my left foot feel like they are on fire all the time now. Not a real pleasant feeling.

[Battis]

Too much pressure on the nerves leading to your ankles/feet/toes can eventually cause drop-foot. Trust me - you don't want that condition.

[smokeywolf]

Tibial and Peroneal nerve are the ones in the sciatic bundle that go down the leg (left leg on me) and on me causes pain behind my knee and a perpetual cramp in my calf.

[RogerDat]

Tibial and Peroneal nerve are the ones in the sciatic bundle that go down the leg (left leg on me) and on me causes pain behind my knee and a perpetual cramp in my calf.

I get the front of the thigh and hip, with a bit of top of foot thrown in by another branch. Pain radiates down leg as I stand for any length of time. Better after surgery but not as much better now as then. But I have been doing a bunch of stuff. Feel better, do more, feel worse. But for myself I agree with the idea (in principal) of not trying for 100% relief, will take a bit of discomfort if I can avoid pins, or heavy duty meds. I would not however live at a life altering pain level all the time to avoid "bad" drugs.

Heck my knees have been bad since I was in my late 30's but I was too young for knee replacement, they would wear out and I would have been having them replaced in my late 50's and the second set is not as easy as the first.

MaryB I feel for you. High pain makes stuff most people take for granted into an ordeal. I know I will have to pay a price for some activities and based on how I have to assess "will it be worth it" for some activities such as yard work or projects I can't imagine how much harder it is to deal with that for something like a simple trip to the store.

[MaryB]

Have it left side, drag that foot a lot.


Too much pressure on the nerves leading to your ankles/feet/toes can eventually cause drop-foot. Trust me - you don't want that condition.

[MaryB]

After 11 years it just becomes a part of life. Bad days I get little done, good days I can do a lot. I brew beer and those 6 hour brew days do a real number on me. The last 40 minutes is a lot of heavy lifting the way I am currently setup. Soon as I finish the brew shed project (pics are here http://imgur.com/a/RLzUX ) I will only have 8 feet to move full buckets instead of 80 feet... and I will have a sink to rest stuff on as I clean. Going to add a few hooks in the ceiling with pulleys for things like lifting the mash kettle down to empty it(about 40 pounds of wet grain plus a 20 pound kettle). Older I get the more I think of ways to do things easy instead of hard! I need to get a different mash burner and build a tip stand so I can just pull the pin and the kettle pivots to a waiting container... down the road as I have more funds and learn to weld better! Yup I am learning to weld in my late 50's! Day I stop learning is the day they bury me!


I get the front of the thigh and hip, with a bit of top of foot thrown in by another branch. Pain radiates down leg as I stand for any length of time. Better after surgery but not as much better now as then. But I have been doing a bunch of stuff. Feel better, do more, feel worse. But for myself I agree with the idea (in principal) of not trying for 100% relief, will take a bit of discomfort if I can avoid pins, or heavy duty meds. I would not however live at a life altering pain level all the time to avoid "bad" drugs.

Heck my knees have been bad since I was in my late 30's but I was too young for knee replacement, they would wear out and I would have been having them replaced in my late 50's and the second set is not as easy as the first.

MaryB I feel for you. High pain makes stuff most people take for granted into an ordeal. I know I will have to pay a price for some activities and based on how I have to assess "will it be worth it" for some activities such as yard work or projects I can't imagine how much harder it is to deal with that for something like a simple trip to the store.

[smokeywolf]

I've gotten more creative (and careful) about moving vises and rotary tables on and off the mill table. Also, use a dolly now to move wood for the smoker, from my truck in the front, to the smoker in the back.

[woodbutcher]

::( I had sciatic problems when I was in my mid teens.Told my Dr at the time what pain I was having and where.He says,"There is no such pain as you describe".Put up with it for a couple of years,and then a fellow that became a good friend who was a chiropractor checked me out and found the problem and fixed it permanently.Also had major migraines
complete with projectile vomiting.He also fixed that in about 4 visits.No migraines in over 40 years.Have been taking one or two hydrocodones a day(5/325) since about 2000 and have never had constipation problems.Keeps the pain level at about a 3 and I am happy with that level,as I can tolerate it ok.Wishing all who hurt the best having been there done that.There are still days that I wake up and swear that my hair even hurts.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[TexasGrunt]

Good news!

I actually feel almost human today. I'd go out in the garage and give it a try but the "feels like" temp is 109 right now. We had a lot of rain overnight and it's extremely humid out right now.