<p>I have chronic pain from arthritis/fibromyalgia & have to take something everyday.</p>
<p>I had been taking acetaminophen but I have had something in my calf that I was concerned was a blood clot so I started taking aspirin instead.
( I know I need to call the dr)</p>
<p>So far, I can’t tell if it is working any better, I suppose this is something that is subjective, but curious as to what others use.</p>
<p>I can’t really answer your question, but here’s an anecdotal story for you. My Dad has a history of heart problems and is supposed to take a baby aspirin each morning. My Mom decided she should take one too just in case. Her stomach became agitated and it got worse and worse until finally she saw a doctor. She was immediately admitted to the hospital for an ulcer. The doctor says a likely contributor was the aspirin.</p>
<p>So be careful!</p>
<p>If you really have symptoms that are making you think blood clot, you need to be seen immediately! And don’t massage the calf.</p>
<p>Flex your foot (bring toes toward your body). Do you feel a sharp pain in your calf when you do that? That would be a definite sign that you need to be evaluated.</p>
<p>As to the general question asked, acetaminophen can be good for pain and reducing fever. However, it has no anti-inflammatory effect, which is what is needed for arthritis. Possible risk of heavy acetaminophen use is liver damage.</p>
<p>Non steroidal anti-inflammatories such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen have the anti-inflammatory effect, relieve pain, and reduce fever, but bring a risk of bleeding and stomach lining damage. Some studies have associated heavy use of ibuprofen with cardiac problems.</p>
<p>It’s a balancing act, but do discuss with your doctor.</p>
<p>A caveat about acetaminophen: excessive or incorrect use is now the leading cause of liver failure in the US (if my dh knows what he’s talking about, and it would be nice if he does :)). It’s particularly dangerous in conjunction with alcohol use, though I don’t know the specific limitations. </p>
<p>My mild arthritis responds well to aspririn. It responds even better to ibuprofen, but I try to use aspirin instead because I’ve never had stomach problems using it and I have read about the potential cardiac problems with heavy ibuprofen use.</p>
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<p>Good point to add about combining acetaminophen with alcohol. Definite no no.</p>
<p>Also, to the OP:</p>
<p>Absence of calf pain with flexing of the foot does not rule out the possibility of DVT. I wanted to make that clear. </p>
<p>When it comes to something like blood clots, it’s not a good idea to self diagnose and/or treat.</p>
<p>I have antibodies for Hep B, so I can’t give blood, but I have never really gotten a good explanation about that process since I am apparently not a carrier.</p>
<p>The acetaminophen is supposed to help with the fibromyalgia, ( & I try to just take it once a day), I get stomach aches if I take it more.</p>
<p>I think I will go to my naturopath first, our insurance doesn’t cover, but she answers my questions better & can explain about the Hep. Plus she can give me acupuncture for the pain-</p>
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<p>I can explain that. In the case of viruses that are spread through blood (primarily HIV, HCV, and HBV), the fact that you have antibodies in your blood indicates that were infected with HBV at some point in the past. And the fact that you are not a carrier (no detectable virus in your blood) means that you are not currently having an active infection. But the reason why they still won’t let you donate blood is that the virus tests have a lower limit of detection - there may be some still be very low level of virus in your blood that the test cannot detect. Not nearly enough to make you sick but more than enough to trigger a full-blown infection in anyone who might get transfused with your blood.</p>
<p>Maybe there is no virus at all so there is not risk to recipients. But since the blood bank cannot be sure of this they will err on the side of caution and keep your blood out of the blood supply.</p>
<p>My friend told me that her hepatologist prefers acetaminophen to aspirin or ibuprofen, in spite of her liver disease, as long as she stays under 2000 mg/day.</p>
<p>EK, get to the regular Dr. for an educated opinion about possible blood clot. If warranted, you need an ultrasound of that leg more than the opinion of the naturopath right now, though I’m sure the Naturopath is helpful for many things. Taking an aspirin daily is a good idea in case of possible blood clot, but not long term, unless prescribed. For the average person, aspirin use does carry risk of severe stomach problems, which is why they try to fine tune the dose for cardiac patients, give enteric coated pills, and so on.
Sans alcohol use, the upper limit for acetaminophen per 24 hours period is 4 grams. Taking any of these with food is a little easier on the stomach. </p>
<p>Coureur, thanks for succinct explanation!</p>
<p>In my experience, Advil v Tylenol v Alleve c Aspirin (or their appropriate generics) is a very personal thin. For my Advil is wonderful, tylenol not so much. My parents love Alleve. All have risks whether that be stomach issues or liver issues so you have to determine which is best for you.</p>
<p>I will say Advil’s anti-inflammatory effect works wonderfully for me, but you nee to take 800mg to really experience that.</p>
<p>I, too, have heard lots about the potential liver problems with Tylenol.</p>
<p>I became a devotee of ibupropfen when I was told by a friend, shortly after it became available OTC, that it addressed menstrual cramps. It was the ONLY thing that ever conquered the horrendous, debilitating pain I used to have.</p>
<p>Ibuprofen is always my painkiller of choice, followed by aspirin. I would only take tylenol if nothing else was available.</p>
<p>Tylenol (& likely many of these meds) can be hard on our kidneys, so please check with your pharmacist, especially if you will be taking any of these meds on a regular basis. I have a friend who developed kidney disease from taking these OTC meds as indicated on the label. :(</p>
<p>Tylenol is supposedly easier on the stomach but is NOT an anti-inflamatory. The others all are anti-inflamatories, including Aleve. Each works slightly differently in each individual.</p>
<p>Definitely have any potential blood clot checked ASAP. Good luck!</p>
<p>My rule-of-thumb guide to pain reliever side effects:</p>
<p>Drug/increased risk of heart attack/risk of liver or kidney damage/risk of stomach upset & bleeding</p>
<p>Aspirin/no/no/yes (actually <em>decreases</em> risk of heart attack)</p>
<p>Acetominophen/no/yes/no </p>
<p>Ibuprofen/yes/yes/yes</p>
<p>Naproxen (Aleve)/no/no/yes</p>
<p>So based on this I usually start with good ol’ aspirin or aspirin + acetominophen (Excedrin). If something stronger is needed I switch to Naproxen. I don’t take any of them on an empty stomach to reduce stomach upset/damage. </p>
<p>I usually don’t take Ibuprofen any more since I found out that it reduces the heart attack prevention effects of aspirin (Naproxen does not).</p>
<p>PS: In many European countries Acetominophen (Tylenol) is a prescription drug due to the significant risk of liver damage.</p>
<p>I have switched from acetominophen to Advil to eliminate any possible risk of an overdose causing liver/organ failure if I am also taking Nyquil or other fever reducer/cold meds that have acetominophen in it.</p>
<p>Like EK, I have fibromyalgia. Currently, the only pain reliever I use is extended release acetaminophen. I take 2 caplets before bed every night. The medication lasts a full 8 hours. I didn’t know that acetaminophen came in an extended release form until this past October. I said in an offhand way to my fibro specialist that I wished that acetaminophen came in a longer lasting form. She picked up a sample packet of Tylenol Arthritis formula and informed me that it did! I moaned that the Tylenol would probably be pricy and asked her if it came in a generic form. She didn’t think that it did, but, happily, she was wrong. Walmart has 225 extended release acetaminophen caplets for around $10.00. The stuff has made a real difference in the quality of my sleep. Regular acetaminophen worked okay for me, but it always wore off several hours before I was ready to get up. That would leave me stiff and sore every morning. I have much less stiffness and pain now in the mornings.</p>
<p>I’m one of those odd people that cannot take NSAIDs on a regular basis. I found ibuprofen was great for menstrual cramps, but I couldn’t take it for more than 2 or 3 days in a row. If I exceeded my tolerance level, my tongue would become incredibly sore and I would have canker sores all over my mouth. I tried switching to Aleve, but the same thing happened. Both of my Ds have the same problem. It must be some weird genetic quirk we have. </p>
<p>Even if I did not have the oddball mouth problem, I could not take NSAIDS now. I take Cymbalta daily to help control the fatigue of FM. It is not advisable to take any NSAID with Cymbalta because of an increased risk of bleeding. Since I need to take pain meds daily in order to have a decent quality of sleep, acetaminophen is my only non-prescription choice.</p>