Best OTC pain killers for headaches.

[Anon54]

I edited this post to make it alot simplar & just ask a few direct questions

What do u guys think are the best OTC pain killers for headaches etc.?

Which OTC pain killers are actually available?

Which combinations work well & are safe together?
Im sure it's safe to mix APAP & Ibuprofen. So is APAP & Aspririn but I dont think Aspirin & Ibuprofen are safe to mix. Codeine is safe to mix with anything. I'm not sure about the others


Wiki info on APAP:

Regarding comparative efficacy, studies show conflicting results when compared to NSAIDs. A randomized controlled trial of chronic pain from osteoarthritis in adults found similar benefit from paracetamol and ibuprofen

Paracetamol is available in a tablet, capsule, liquid suspension, suppository, intravenous, and intramuscular form. The common adult dose is 500 mg to 1000 mg. The recommended maximum daily dose, for adults, is 4000 mg. In recommended doses, paracetamol generally is safe for children and infants, as well as for adults,[92] although rare cases of acute liver injury have been linked to amounts lower than 2500 mg per day.

In June 2009, a U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee recommended that new restrictions should be placed on paracetamol usage in the United States to help protect people from the potential toxic effects. The maximum dosage at any given time would be decreased from 1000 mg to 650 mg, while combinations of paracetamol and narcotic analgesics would be prohibited.

This quote is interesting. I hope these restrictions are put into place
http://www.naturalnews.com/001523.html

This research was conducted on 1,700 women, and spanned 11 years. Overall, it showed that 10% of the women experienced a decline in their kidney function, indicating that their kidneys were being harmed by this over-the-counter painkiller. Women who took between 1,500 and 9,000 tablets over their lifetimes raised their risk of kidney impairment by 64%

Take a look if u'r somebody who uses APAP often or even often does cwe

Wiki info on Ibuprofen:

Ibuprofen has a dose-dependent duration of action of approximately four to eight hours, which is longer than suggested by its short half-life. The recommended dose varies with body mass and indication. 1,200 mg is considered the maximum daily dose for OTC (Over The Counter) use,[9] though, under medical direction, the maximum amount of ibuprofen for adults is 800 milligrams per dose or 3200 mg per day.[10]

Which OTC pain killer is most appropriate for a hangover?
I thought it would be the NSAID, Ibuprofen over APAP. Now ive had to edit this post after reading this:

http://www.naturalnews.com/001523.html

This research doesn't even mention the extreme liver damage caused by NSAIDs -- which are anti-inflammatory drugs. When consumed with alcohol, NSAIDs cause severe liver damage and may ultimately lead to liver cancer and / or failure of the liver. These risks are almost never mentioned in the popular press, nor are they publicized by the FDA, and so most people remain completely unaware of the significant health dangers associated with long-term use of these painkillers.

 

[nAON]

You could always go for codeine/DHC with APAP, you wouldn't need to CWE it if you're just taking medical doses.

 

[Pjkt2501]

I find the extra strength Aleve to work best as an OTC. It's either Ibuprofin or Naproxen, I forget. Paracetamol is absolute trash, IMO, and does absolutely nothing for me but make me wonder why I took a gram's worth (typically 5x 200mg).

 

[kokaino]

In the U.S., it is definitely ibuprofen. Taking 400-600 mg of ibuprofen after eating something will kill a pretty bad headache. Naproxen works also, but I find it less reliable than ibuprofen.

 

[Beachcat]

Excedrin migraine, IMO. Plus aleve. Excedrin is tylenol, aspirin and caffeine. Aleve is naproxen.

 

[NeighborhoodThreat]

Both naproxen and ibuprofen are effective for headaches. Caffeine helps migraines specifically because of its vasoconstricting action. However, excessive use of caffeine can cause rebound headaches, don't use it unless you need to. Give 400-600mg ibuprofen a chance if naproxen doesn't work for you.

 

[reflekt]

Personally, I prefer apap over ibuprofen for headaches.

When I was released from the hospital after suffering a traumatic brain injury, I took apap up to 4g a day for my excruciating headaches/neck pain. They wouldn't prescribe me anything because there was suspicion of drug abuse involved in my accident (although there wasn't. well, i guess indirectly.)

But it did its job to stop me from screaming in pain all day, that's for sure. But when I took ibuprofen, just to switch things up, it didn't work nearly as well.

 

[Anon54]

Someone said APAP/DHC/Codeine tablets. ive never heard of them & they definetely arnt otc atleast in australia & i dought anywhere else as u could do cwe on them to get both codeine & dhc

Ive never heard of Naproxen. Im in australia. Has anyone from Australia heard of Naproxen?
Im assuming its still not as strong as Ibuprofen
from wiki:

In Australia, packets of 275 mg tablets of naproxen sodium are Schedule 2 pharmacy medicines

So I guess that means u can buy it...
well the max amount of Ibuopfren that can be taken in one hit if 800mg
that max amount of APAP atleast in australia recommended in on hit is 1g.
id say the ibupfrofen would be stronger.
theres another OTC NSAID called Diclofenac (Voltarin) Not sure how it compars to Ibuprofen.

I did have di-gesic pills with apap & dextropropoxyphene I used when I got headaches but i ran out & that was precription anyway.

apparently nobody recommended aspirin. obviously much less effective than apap or Ibuprofen
caffeine suppose to help with headaches. they actually have tablets here with apap & caffeine but I dont worry about them cuz I drink coffee anyway

they also have panadeine xtra strangth here with 500mg apap/15mg codeine

I might just get some Nurofen plus with 200mg Ibuprofen & 12.8mg codeine to keep for when I have a headache. I can actually take up to 4 of these safely. Seems safe to take for hangovers too cuz no APAP. & they would be safe to take with a APAP/Codeine cwe. cuz a little bit of apap is left so taking any more on top of that probably wouldnt be a good idea if im doin codeine that day too.
cwe wouldnt be practical for when I first wake up cuz I never have any apap/codeine laying around cuz when I buy it I take the whole pack in one hit.

 

[Pjkt2501]

Your idea for the Nurofen sounds like a good one - also, you may want to consider switching to those for your CWE needs. Ibuprofin is similar to APAP in its water solubility, and with less of it in each pill to have to remove, it'll probably be safer too.

 

[Anon54]

^^nah man I get chemists own pain killers with apap for my cwe they are less than half the price of nurofen plus & they dissolve just from touching the water.
I do cwe just fine. im sure im getting less than 1g & u cant get 40 packs of ibuprofen/codeine I dont think.
this would lead to another discission which is better to do cwe on. apap or ibu
they have a cwe thread in the aus drug discussion forum. i might ask that there

 

[Pjkt2501]

Whichever has a lower solubility in water @ whatever temperature would be "better" as that's what really makes it all possible.

However you're right - this isn't for discussing various brands or sources / options. Headaches. right. haha

 

[burn2shine]

A good OTC hangover cure is baking soda. Mix a heaping teaspoon in a glass of water and drink it. Drink a liter of water with your soda.

The reason this works is because when you're hungover your body and head hurt because you are dehydrated and in a acidic state. Baking soda makes your body more alkaline and helps to balance out the acidity that's giving you a headache and making your body hurt. This also works for working out for longer without getting sore.

 

[Anon54]

u'r right it might be safer pjkt2501
Ibuprofen solubility Less than 1 mg/mL (it didnt say the temp but im assuming its also 20 °C)
apap solubility 12.78 mg/mL (20 °C)

so that's less than 100mg of ibuprofen in 100mL compared to 1278mg of APAP

anyways apap dissolves easier, its cheaper, & i think u cant get Ibu in large packs

burn2shine: the otc electrolyte drink called hydraltye also works well for hangovers.
never heard of using baking soda though

 

[Pjkt2501]

u'r right it might be safer pjkt2501
Ibuprofen solubility Less than 1 mg/mL (it didnt say the temp but im assuming its also 20 °C)
apap solubility 12.78 mg/mL (20 °C)

so that's less than 100mg of ibuprofen in 100mL compared to 1278mg of APAP

anyways apap dissolves easier, its cheaper, & i think u cant get Ibu in large packs

burn2shine: the otc electrolyte drink called hydraltye also works well for hangovers.
never heard of using baking soda though

If your values and math is all correct, then that's a much, much better figure!

 

[Anon54]

http://www.naturalnews.com/001523.html

This research doesn't even mention the extreme liver damage caused by NSAIDs -- which are anti-inflammatory drugs. When consumed with alcohol, NSAIDs cause severe liver damage and may ultimately lead to liver cancer and / or failure of the liver. These risks are almost never mentioned in the popular press, nor are they publicized by the FDA, and so most people remain completely unaware of the significant health dangers associated with long-term use of these painkillers.

damn I thought Ibuprofen would be the better choice over APAP for a hangover but Im not so sure now after reading this

This research was conducted on 1,700 women, and spanned 11 years. Overall, it showed that 10% of the women experienced a decline in their kidney function, indicating that their kidneys were being harmed by this over-the-counter painkiller. Women who took between 1,500 and 9,000 tablets over their lifetimes raised their risk of kidney impairment by 64%

I did the maths on my calculator & taking 1500 tablets (assumming they're 500mg) every day over 11 years would only equal 187mg of APAP. that's not alot.
I cant remember exact amount someone said in another thread about the solubility of apap in 10 degrees celcius but I think it was something like 700mg.
So say u do cwe once or twice a week over a few years that would add up to be quite alot!
Ive used cwe on & off for years & I got my liver tested recently & it came out fine. But after reading this following article Ive become a little concerned
Does anyone know if blood tests can come up with problems with kidneys too?

am i just being paranoid. I mean drs precribe panadeine forte (500mg apap/30mg codeine) all the time to be taken long term.
the dr wanted to put me on it for 6 months waiting to get wisdom teeth removed. Luckily I chose Tramadol instead. I cant remember how many a day he wanted me to take but it would have been atleast 4g a day of apap.
drs should be more careful with panadeine forte long-term. they go on & on & on about how evil the addictive drug codeine is. god forbit u could get addicted & become a junkie but they dont give a fuck about the apap. Id rather an addiction to heroin than kidney failure!

Ive probably got everyone worried now & they'll be so stressed out that they'll have to have a drink of codeine

 

[Pjkt2501]

Well, it's no mystery that ONE thing or another is going to cause us some health complications.

Here's 3 options, you can have ONE: liver, kidneys, pain-free lifestyle

 

[Anon54]

lol well. what can I say?
I had 400mg of cwe codeine. Now I don't have a headache any more.
Best otc pain killers
Coffee, CWE, PST, Rikodeine (DHC), DXM & Alcohol

Oh.. & for liver damage. u can get prescribed pills for that too so no problems

 

[Pjkt2501]

Well, there are NO OTC opiates available in the USA, so that's only possible in some parts of the world.

 

[Anon54]

u cant buy poppy seeds at the super market?
nah ya can just like go to 10 pain clinics at a time & get prescribed anything u want!
We done have hydrocodone here. I'm lucky to have tried it. someone i knew came over from the US.
We get prescribed crappy panadeine Forte. which is basically the same as tylenol #3 here instead of vicodin.

For treatment of pain here they give out panadeine forte or tramadol.
then it's basically straight to oxy & morphine but not many drs make that jump. they should have hydrocodone here. it would be a good medium

 

[Pjkt2501]

Doctor shopping is illegal - as is mentioning how to obtain drugs on this forum. Poppy seeds that are purchasable out and about are pretty much guaranteed to be inactive.

I live next to what's practically one of the Heroin capitols of the world - I have no problems sourcing pain meds illicitly, however it's not the "right" way to do things - especially as I already go to a pain specialist (however it's moving slowly as fck, so I have to supplement it a bit in the meantime).