aspirin question...

i was in the habit of taking 6-8 excedrin every day for headaches and joint pain. then i started reading that aspirin is bad. bad aspirin. so awhile ago, i cut back to maybe 4 a day and i'm taking ibuprofin and/or tylenol. am i ok? is there something better?

Marty, All Nsaids like Ibuprofen, aspirin and Aleve are antiinflammatories and can cause bleeding ulcers if taken in large quantities which you are taken a pretty hefty dose. I am not familiar with Excedrin, does it have aspirin in it? They are really bad on new pouches so you will need to find something else. Tylenol is fine. Check with your doc. I was taking 800 mg of Ibuprofen twice a day for varioius aches and pains of being over weight before my surgery. Now I hardly ever have to take anything. I alway try tylenol first and if it doesn't help I will take 600 mg of Ibuprofen because sometimes that is the only thing that will kill my pain. I might take Ibuprofen once a month. I think as long as you do it in moderation(like everything else) it's okay. I hope that helps! Julie

Hi Marty Your time is almost here buddy. I'm sure that you are getting anxious.. Hopefully after your surgery your body will mend and you will be able to quit taking all those pain relievers.. I did take aleve for arthritis but never more than one a day as needed.. Might e-mail the Dr. and see what he suggest.. Getting off the asprin was a good thing.. I am in apt 2 right now. So far I have used 1 dannon yogurt, 1 sugarfree applesause, 1/4 can of chicken soup broth.. You will not be hungry. And you will be well taken care of here.. i do hope that you will have some company in apt 1 just in case you have any problems. I will be watching for you and keep you in my thoughts as you start this journey to the lighterside. GerrAnn

Hi Marty, I talked to my PCP about my meds, he told me that I can Continue my Tramadol in moderation which is Ultram(Brand Name) And I am sure I won't need that after awhile I hope. I use this for Inflamation in my legs, and it really does the job. Candice

Tylenol is a better choice. For your surgery you will have to stop taking aspirin a certain amount of days before. Check with the Dr. to see how long before. Aspirin is a blood thinner and is dangerous when surgery is coming up. It will be safe as long as it is stopped how ever many days before surgery that the Dr. suggests. If you have stomach problems I'd stay away from motrin. I have GERD and I can't handle aspirin, motrin or any of the NSAIDS. Hope this helps. Take care. Melissa

Hey Marty! I was told to stop taking alleve, ibuprofen and everything except tylenol at least a week pre surgery due to bleeding issues. They will all thin your blood. Tylenol only was ok. I don't know about after. I wonder about pain management after as well. I have so much pain and while I hope it goes away with the surgery I know it won't all be weight related since I have fibromyalgia. Right now I take muscle relaxers, tylenol with codeine, and ambien to sleep. I plan to not take anything after surgery and just see how it goes. If I can manage without it, I would like to do that. It is scary though because unmanaged pain is no fun at all and I don't want pain to inhibit me from being active. Just be safe and please switch to just tylenol at least until after surgery so that we don't have any complications then you can ask your doctor when you get home. Looking forward to meeting you, Tamara