Antiinflamatory Drugs

Has anyone here taken and anti-inflamatory drugs? And if so how many, and what was the result? Yes I know we aren't supposed to take them, and I know why. Unfortunately I had an abscessed tooth and the tylenol and vicodin does absolutely nothing to take the swelling down. And anyone that has had an abscessed tooth can appreciate the severity of the situation. I have been taking antibiotics for two days, have had the root canal, and i'm still swollen up like a chipmunk. I have been taking vicodin two at a time every few hours for two days. They don't touch the pain, they just make me sleep. So finally I took a chance and took a Motrin 800 this afternoon. It gave me about four hours of real relief. It wore off of course, and my face is still swollen. So after about 4 more hours of being miserable I took another Motrin. That was about 3 hours ago. I am still feeling pretty okay, but the pain is starting to kick back in. My dentist is saying only thing that will help is the anti-inflamatory, and doctor says we can't take them because of the surgery. When I spoke to my doctor they couldn't give me approval to take them, but I got the idea 1 or 2 wasn't going to do much damage and that they were more concerned about continuous use. That was my interpretation but again..they weren't really saying yes it was okay. So I'm just wondering if any of you long timers have had to use anti-inflamatory pills , and if so what your results were.

I know this probably won't help... but my PCP told me that one day I could take anti-inflammatory medications again, but to wait a while. That is one of the things I asked prior to surgery because those are the only things that help get rid of my back pain... knock (pounding) on wood things have been so far so good. I had a strong stomach prior to surgery.... I am hoping my pouch is just as strong. If you are currently not having problems, I would say you are probably okay, just take it with some food. Maybe call Dr. Blackstone's office and ask them. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Hope you feel better!

I called and talked to Randy. He basically said don't do it. I don't know what else to do. I have to take them to get rid of the throbbing. They are only thing that will work. I guess you understand that if htey are the only thing that will help your backpain Thanks for letting me know that. I hope i feel better soon too.. I've had several absesses and rootcanals. Never one that stayed swollen and painful for this long.

Melissa I think your ok to take them on a very limited basis, I mean this is a emergency. I just would not do it a regular basis due to the possible complications. Just make sure you know what the signs are. I was very frustrated with Randy after my last appt - It just seems like that he opted out and referred me back to my primary doctor who has no clue. I mean what am I paying for - randy , Dr B & staff are specialist and should be able to assist us further in our daily medical care. Glad to hear your pretty face is not so swollen any more .

Thanks for understanding Jean. I am heading back to my dentist again today. I've been doing the godfather impressions all morning. My face is more swollen today then it was yesterday. Looks like I am storing nuts for the winter. This is very unusual. So the dentist wants to see me again. Fun Fun Fun!

from a Medscape article..... "Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and oral bisphosphonates should be avoided in this population, since these patients are at increased risk for ulceration due to the reduced stomach size.[2] Consider using alternatives for pain relief, such as acetaminophen, tramadol, and/or opiates." The thought of taking meds that may eat holes right through me scares the bejeebies out of me!!! I used to go through Advil and Motrin like candy as as pre-op but have not touched it since I was a post-op (4 years). ..... Because, I have experienced the pain of an ulcer; I would NOT want to trade one type of pain for something even worse! I hope you can get your tooth fixed soon Melissa so you don't have to feel that desperate! How bout some vicaden??? Gentle hugggzz to you, Joyce

unfortunately the Vicodin were'nt touching the pain. I was taking 2 vicodin every few hours for the past 3 days and still in terrible pain. I did end up taking a few motrin and they helped a lot. I woke up this morning and it looked like I had a golf ball in my cheek, so I went back to the dentist, again, and he lanced it. It still hurts like crazy, but it is tolerable now and the vicodin is helping with this pain. He didn't stitch it because he wanted to let it continue to drain so I got a mouth full of cotton, and still can't eat I wasn't keen on having a hole cut into my mouth either, but apparently the swelling was moving toward my windpipe, and that was going to cause some potential hazards with the lack of breathing..lol.. He said it will continue to hurt for a few days, but that horrible pressure is gone. So things should look up in the next few days. And hey with the lack of eating, maybe I will lose a few pounds. I've been stuck at this weight for a month.

I was just reading today on the Graduate-OSSG group (Yahoo) that someone had just lost a 5 year post-op because of a GI bleed from being on NSAIDS. What I don't know is how many he was taking. I know we have been told to never take them and I have never heard it said that we will be able to again in the future. I wish I had better information for you. If I were in your shoes part of what I would have to factor in is whether or not I have a history of ulcers since surgery. If not, perhaps a very limited relief might be worth it, but I am sure that I would have to be in a LOT of pain before I would consider it. Tough spot for you. I am sorry. Hope you recover very soon. Sandy

That is kinda what my doctor said in a round about way.. that taking one or two would likely not hurt me, but taking on a regular basis would. Oh yes. I was in a LOT of pain before I took it. It wasn't an easy decision. But the pain won over. For me tooth and mouth pain is about the worst kind of pain to have. Thank you for your concern. I appreciate it.

Ewwww! a mouth full of cotton!!! Now that would be reason enough for me to hunt for my vicodin bottle!!! Good thing your dentist thought it was important for you to breath! LOL! I"ve been known to enjoy a few good breaths of air throughout the day myself!!!.....Oh my gosh! I am just in a mood! ....I guess I'm just happy you are feeling better and not puting nasty meds into your pouch! .....I wonder if your denitst would stuff my mouth full of stuff so that I couldn't eat either????? ............ Good Evening AZ is having a piece on weight loss surgery this very second....gotta run! Hope your'e feeling better Melissa! Joyce