['Hamas' Jenkins]

First, sorry, that really sucks.

Providers are altering prescribing patterns to lessen total opioid dispensation due to the recent crisis. As such, many are using a multi-modal approach to pain. This means using drugs that have different mechanisms of action in order to lessen reliance on opioids.


If you already drink a fair amount, you should be wary of using both ibuprofen and Tylenol in large quantities due to the increased risk of a GI bleed and liver damage, respectively. I would be honest with your provider about how much you drink and give them and your pharmacist a comprehensive list of every medication (and supplement) you take.

Tylenol: Four grams is technically the maximum, but you probably shouldn't go over three grams per day (1000mg every 8 hours, for example). Tylenol+codeine formulations (Tylenol #3, #2, etc) really should not be used anymore for control of pain. They effect different people in wildly different ways due to genetic differences in codeine metabolism (it is converted to morphine). This can also be affected by other medications you take.

Ibuprofen: 2400mg is the daily Rx maximum (800mg every eight hours or 600mg every six hours), but you increase the risk of GI bleeds and renal damage when taking the ceiling dose for more than a few days at a time. There is also cardiovascular risk associated w/ NSAID use, so if you have a history of heart disease, talk to your provider about using them.

Topical lidocaine patches tend to be more helpful for nerve-related pain but are OTC and are safe to use. There are topical capsaicin creams as well, but they must be applied on a scheduled basis rather than as-needed, and their efficacy isn't great.

There are a few other options in addition to the list that SupDock mentioned, but none that would be recommended for your type of pain.