Pain relief tablets and dosage

[ClichéGuevara]

Without wanting to get bogged down by what I'm sure a multitude of associated issues, and I get that if one is reducing the pain it's liable to be enough at least in the short term, but does anyone know if taking 1 x 200mg tablet six times a day, is more or less effective than taking 2 x 200mg tablets three times day?

 

[fossyant]

My doctor advised, for example, take one paracetamol once every 2 hours, rather than two every 4 when you have a longer term pain issue. Just smooths out the pain relief.

Don't exceed the recommended dose though.

 

[vickster]

I'd take as per the box unless otherwise advised by your doctor, as that's what will have been assessed in the trials and long term evidence.

If those 200mg tablets are ibuprofen however, and you're taking for more than a day or two get the doctor to prescribe a PPI like omeprazole to protect your stomach and always take with food if you don't want to end up with gastritis

 

[midlife]

Combining ibuprofen and paracetamol in the recommended doses over each 24 hour period is what I tend to use.

 

[Sterlo]

Hard to say with individuals. After my op, hospital was giving me Ibuprofen and Paracetamol together every few hours. I weened myself off the paracetamol as I hate the chalkyness but stuck with the Ibuprofen for about 3 months (2 tabs, 4 times a day). By the end, I think its effectiveness had waned as I think your body get used to it. Personally, taking 1 tablet has no effect so I need 2 (if they're the 200mg). Sorry, not much help to you but just my experience.

 

[cyberknight]

im on 1 ibuprofen i think its about 350 mg tablet twice a day atm , i dont really like taking tablets if i can help it but some irritation /inflammation in my shoulder and knee that are calming down are responding well .
Post surgury i lived on cocodamol for a while and they did give me some liquid morphine but i never touched it , i dont like pain but i dont want to dose myself up so much i dont know if im about to push something the wrong way

 

[wafter]

It makes sense that the same total dose administered in smaller, more frequent servings will give a more stable / consistant supply of the medication so you'll see a shallower range of effects. On the down-side you might not get the same level of pain relief just after taking it, but this will probably be balanced by a stronger effect at the end of the time window before taking the next.

All that said I'm not a medical professional!

 

[tom73]

What Midlife said the combo of the two is a very effective pain reliever taken as given over 24 hours.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Some years ago I had a scare with a sudden massive Headache - and I never normally get headaches

It just would not go away but the Dr, including a Consultant, said that it would go away and just keep taking paracetamol and ibuprofen up to, but not over, the max dose every day

After a couple of months I was still getting headaches - but the main ones went away after a day or so
I was scared that if I stopped then the painkilling effect would disappear and the main one would return
But I decided I need to know so I could go back to the Doctor

Turns out that by then the headaches were being caused by the painkillers and stopping them took away the remaining problem

There is a term for it - I'm sure someone will come along with it but the point is that taking them for too long can cause it's own problems

 

[T4tomo]

What Midlife said the combo of the two is a very effective pain reliever taken as given over 24 hours.

yes same here, when I had some minging tooth ache, i used to alternate 2 ibru, then 2 parac 2 or 3 hours later so would be 4-6 hours between doses of the same drug.

 

[tom73]

Some years ago I had a scare with a sudden massive Headache - and I never normally get headaches

It just would not go away but the Dr, including a Consultant, said that it would go away and just keep taking paracetamol and ibuprofen up to, but not over, the max dose every day

After a couple of months I was still getting headaches - but the main ones went away after a day or so
I was scared that if I stopped then the painkilling effect would disappear and the main one would return
But I decided I need to know so I could go back to the Doctor

Turns out that by then the headaches were being caused by the painkillers and stopping them took away the remaining problem

There is a term for it - I'm sure someone will come along with it but the point is that taking them for too long can cause it's own problems

Rebound headache
Codeine based meds I take it ?

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

No - just paracetamol and ibuprofen

 

[tom73]

No - just paracetamol and ibuprofen

Can happen but less common than codeine based meds.

 

[figbat]

How fixed is the maximum dose, given we're all different sizes and tolerances? I ask because a few years ago I went to my GP with a persistent headache which was finally diagnosed as sinusitis. The doctor I saw was Greek (IIRC) and was quite scathing of the low maximum doses on UK painkillers, advising me to take more if needed (up to about double the recommended dose). I didn't, as I am so conditioned to the advice given here, but wondered if there's a medical reason and/or a cultural one?

 

[ColinJ]

Some years ago I had a scare with a sudden massive Headache - and I never normally get headaches

It just would not go away but the Dr, including a Consultant, said that it would go away and just keep taking paracetamol and ibuprofen up to, but not over, the max dose every day

An aunt of mine had that and her doctor fobbed her off in the same way. Keep taking paracetamol and the pain would eventually go away. He was right, it did - she died of a brain aneurysm...

Turns out that by then the headaches were being caused by the painkillers and stopping them took away the remaining problem

My brother-in-law found that out. His paracetamol intake was causing his headaches! (MOH - Medication Overuse Headaches.)