Miracle Cure, sort of...

[Bob Bissett]

Just stumbled on this forum and have yet to check out the books. Like the concept. Wonder if anyone has comments on my recent experience. I've had back pain off and on for almost forty years. Gradually it's gotten worse. A year or two ago I started thinking it was SI instability and not a back problem at all. Maybe six months ago it became worse. About seven weeks ago after standing up for over two hours I was in some real pain and zero energy. None of the usual attempted self-adjustments of the SI worked. The doctor listen to my tale of whoa and thought maybe ankylosing spondylitis. Did some reading about that and it sounded possible. He was recommending antibiotics, low dose. Then, at an equinox party somebody said you need to take 800 mg of ibuprophin to get the anti inflammatory effect. Never heard that before. Tried it on the morning of the 22nd with some relief. Again on the 23rd, by that afternoon I was able to pop the SI back in the right place. Pain gone, energy back! Haven't taken pills since then. My theory is the SI joint has been out for some time causing irritation and inflammation which 'froze' the joint. The ibuprophin reduced the swelling enough the joint was able to move again. Once back in place no more irritaion. Problem fixed. This all happened by luck. I was worried for a while there.

[Dean]

Hi Bob,

Interesting. Be sure to check out the discussion on SI joint disfunction if you haven't already.

As far as exceeding dosage levels of any medication, I would strongly recommend checking with a doctor first.

Famous last words: "Somebody said it would work..."



Dean

[Bob Bissett]

As far as exceeding dosage levels of any medication, I would strongly recommend checking with a doctor first.

Dean

To reduce inflammation 1200 to 3200 mg in 3-4 doses during the day is not unusual. But there are side effects so I took only 800 each day in the morning. I'm not recommending this to anybody just relating what worked for me way better than I expected. The point is that following the directions on the OTC bottle will work for pain reduction, but will not reduce inflammation.

A friend's back was acting up again yesterday and he was in misery. I told him my story and just learned he took 2400 mg in three doses over a 24 hr period and it worked for him, too. Do check with a doctor just to be sure about interaction with other drugs you may be taking. I wouldn't take that much. He's a former drinker, still smokes and claims drugs have much less effect on him.

[Dean]

As all of you know, I'm not a doctor and I don't advocate self-medicating under any circumstances. The dosages that Bob mentioned seemed excessive to me, so I decided to run this by some doctor friends of mine on Pownce and here is what a couple of them said.

One doctor replied:

"Dean, the higher doses used to reduce inflammation are the ones that can cause more stomach / liver problems and should be used for short term use. If needed for long term use, then the person should be followed for those "side-effect" problems. Blood work to check the liver, questions regarding stomach irritation, etc."


Another wrote:

"NSAIDs are horrendously tricky because the dosage depends on someone's age, health, co-morbidities etc. Some people are fine with quite large doses and a schedule as above - others develop severe gastric irritation and for that reason, they should not be taken by people with heartburn, ulcer etc.

Some people might acquire tinnitus at those dosage levels. However, yes, there is some indication that larger doses will reduce inflammation. There was a recent item in NYT about a cardiologist who takes an NSAID before a long run to counter the concomitant inflammation.

As always, people's mileage with doses will vary - and there may be contraindications such as heart conditions, asthma etc.

Beyond that, if there is to be continued use, then it is essential that the BP (blood pressure) etc. should be monitored, appropriate blood tests and assessments for hepatoxicity."


So it seems Bob's information is correct. The amount required for inflammation is higher than what you would take for a simple headache. But please everyone, before experimenting on your own, check with your doctor to be sure that s/he approves of the dosage you are considering. What is right for one person may not be right for you.

Let's be smart when it comes to medication.

Dean

[Pilch]

Be sure to check out the discussion on SI joint disfunction if you haven't already.

Just read this latest post and unfortunately didn't get much feedback on my first post. So apologies if I'm being stupid here, but I couldn't find the 'SI joint disfunction' discussion - could you point me in the right direction please?

Many thanks

[Steven]

Hi Pilch,

Here's the link:
http://www.rebuildyourback.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=525

Steven

[Pilch]

Thanks very much Steven.