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Pain Pill Usage

rfw6110rfw6110
in General Training Discussions

Just had shoulder stabilization surgery and got a bottle of pain pills.  Bottle says 1-2 pills every 4 hours as needed.  Immediately following surgery I was counting the minutes to 4 hours so I could take the next maximum dose, but now, 2 days after, I can get to around 8 hours before I start crying "uncle".  Is it better to just pop a pill when it hurts or take them on a schedule and "stay ahead of the pain" as some people have said to me? 

Comments

  • QuintanaRoosterQuintanaRooster
    As an Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant as well as personal experience recovering from acetabular surgery, you should take a pain pill at the onset of the pain otherwise as others have advised you, the pain may get ahead of you and then it is hard to play catch up. As you start getting further out from the day you had surgery, you should be able to start weaning yourself from the pain medicine such as instead of taking 2 every 4-6 hours to maybe taking 2 every 6-8 hours or 1 every 4-6 hours. Does that make sense. Eventually you may get to the point where you only need to take a pain pill at bedtime. I am assuming you had rotator cuff repair? Good luck with your recovery.
  • Paul TakacPaul Takac
    Bob, I was on them for about 7 months straight with 3x surgeries on the shoulder. I think it depends on how you react to the meds. I found it better to "stay ahead" a little bit due to the lag factor but after so long on them, got very concerned about stopping before becoming dependent. Luckily, I was able to stop as soon as I didn't need them anymore. Looking back I probably suffered more than I needed to.
    Good luck and hope that it's coming along well. How long until you start PT? That's when I had some discomfort too... but it was somewhat easier to take because it was more like "now I'm getting stronger again"
  • Paul TakacPaul Takac
    Probably goes without saying but this was my personal experience (n=1) and unlike others here, I have no medical training so take it for what it's worth.
    Good luck!
  • rfw6110rfw6110

    Thanks for the replies guys.  Pain is pretty much gone, except when I try and use the arm, and I'm not supposed to use it at all, so the simple solution to keep the pain away is to just let it hang there.  PT starts in 3 weeks.  Arm in a sling until then. 

  • Tom GlynnTom Glynn
    I had a major bike accident last summer and was given a bunch of pain pills. I really didn't think I needed them and was planning on having them for emergencies only. When I mentioned that strategy to a few friends who worked in hospitals (non doctors - PT and therapists) I was told to take the pills as prescribed. Not taking them may have caused me to sleep more poorly or not done the rehab to its full extent because of the unwillingness to push the range of motion issues and stretching. It's all about recovery and to the extent that the pain inhibits it, take the pills. I took their advice and was happy I did!
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