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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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How Can Pain After A Back Surgery Be Treated?

I am 75 and have had back surgery 4 weeks ago. I have a script for oxycontin but have not taken it for the past 2 weeks. Instead, since my pain has decreased substantially, I have taken Advil but had stomach upset and loose bowels. On another day I switched to Aleve and had a similar problem. In the past I had similar problems with Motrin. My sister is a 40 year very experienced RN and recommended that I take these right after dinner. I do not mix them or take them both at the same time. I went to Costco today and read the warning labels and I am confused. What can I take?
Wed, 24 Oct 2018
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hello,

Advil, Aleve, and Motrin are all the same kind of medication called an NSAID.

These medications can irritate the stomach and sometimes cause serious problems like stomach ulcers and bleeding.

You should not take them together because they are basically the same medication and you would probably be taking too much.

So there are a few options. One is you could avoid all NSAIDs and take other medications like acetaminophen (Tylenol) and the oxycontin you were prescribed.

Another is you can try another type of NSAID that is easier on the stomach like Celebrex.

Another solution is sometimes we give a stomach medication such as omeprazole (Prilosec) to protect the stomach when we give NSAIDs, and this sometimes helps with stomach irritation.

Finally, you could try using just a low dose of NSAIDs to see if you can find a dose that treats your pain while not irritating your stomach.

For you, I would suggest talking to your doctor about possibly trying an NSAID that is easy on the stomach and see if that helps.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Take care

Regards,
Dr Aaron Branch, General & Family Physician
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How Can Pain After A Back Surgery Be Treated?

Hello, Advil, Aleve, and Motrin are all the same kind of medication called an NSAID. These medications can irritate the stomach and sometimes cause serious problems like stomach ulcers and bleeding. You should not take them together because they are basically the same medication and you would probably be taking too much. So there are a few options. One is you could avoid all NSAIDs and take other medications like acetaminophen (Tylenol) and the oxycontin you were prescribed. Another is you can try another type of NSAID that is easier on the stomach like Celebrex. Another solution is sometimes we give a stomach medication such as omeprazole (Prilosec) to protect the stomach when we give NSAIDs, and this sometimes helps with stomach irritation. Finally, you could try using just a low dose of NSAIDs to see if you can find a dose that treats your pain while not irritating your stomach. For you, I would suggest talking to your doctor about possibly trying an NSAID that is easy on the stomach and see if that helps. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Take care Regards, Dr Aaron Branch, General & Family Physician