Okay so my wife has had back pain daily for months now. Doctor gave me 5mg hydrocodone only 15 per month to use "as needed". What's weird is:First Ibuprofen helped the pain to numb it out. Then she injured her back possibly again, and now Advil/tyneol does nothing at all. She took 5mg hydro and said it made her back feel more pressure and no pain relief. Weird. How/why would 5mg of Vicodin make more pressure feeling in back? Nothing OTC works. If she took 10mg to 15mg of hydrocodone at once should that work? If so then maybe she could go to pain Doctor instead of a primary care doctor who won't give much meds.I'm just scared to tell her to try a Higher dosage and the pressure triples. She has zero tolerance so I'm surprised Advil worked better then hydro. I know that means inflammation related If Advil worked, but now taking 4-6 tablets of Advil + 2 tyneols + and even Aleeve doesn't help one bit..Any ideas on what to try? Upping dosage and hope it works? Oxycodone better to try? Or morphine? I know each drug acts differently so maybe those ones wouldn't cause "pressure". I'm really not sure where to start and she's just living with pain. She would only take pain killers max of 3 days of week to never get hooked. And on other days try chriopractor and massage and lots and lots of pain creams as those hell being it down a lot, but not enough. She wants to at least have her 2 days off with no pain, and since OTC meds don't work not sure what to tell her to try.
My first instinct is to ask where the back pain is located. If it's lower, in the actual kidney region (not where everyone thinks the kidneys are) it's likely the hydro is making it worse because there is a kidney issue and opiates/oids are rough on them
The word "pressure" points my mind automatically to kidney inflammation or enlargement, indicating the possibility of a dysfunction of some sort. I could be way off base but it seems logical based on your wording and description.The second point I want to make is that it is safe to combine Tylenol with Advil OR Aleve, it is not safe to combine Aleve and Ibuprofen. They are both NSAIDS and she is probably going to do more damage than it's worth. Not to mention add strain on her already (presumably) poorly functioning kidneys.
I wouldn't recommend upping the dose of hydros because she will use them up far too quickly and have to suffer longer before getting a refill.
You're best bet is to talk to your doctor and be firm. If he isn't willing to investigate further as to the cause of her pain I would ask for a second opinion and/or a referral to a specialist. Imaging (x-rays, MRIs, something should be done to rule out certain things and know better how to treat her pain based on the findings.
some doctors overlook the obvious more often than they would like to admit but remember, he works for you, not vice-versa.
Please don't let her combine NSADS, either take the 1-2 Aleve a day and suppliment with Tylenol if needed but don't take ibuprofen and Aleve during the same 24- hour period. If she doesn't have stomach, liver, or kidney problems already, no need to create them or exacerbate them if she does.