~nope~ *sparkles off into the sunset*

[kaberett]

So y'all wanna convince me that I shouldn't discontinue my NSAIDs just because

• I've already been to the GP three times this week and I am bored (by which I mean "super out of cope for managing medical professionals")
  
• there's currently manufacturing/supply issues with both sizes of mefenamic acid
  
• ~it's not that bad really~

... etc?

Like, I have arranged for my pharmacy to text me when they get some more supply in, but I just. It seriously feels like in the meantime least-hassle is (1) stroppily discontinue followed by (2) add ibuprofen in as and when I decide I really do need the continuous anti-inflammatory.

SO. BORED. OF. THIS.

Comments

[highlyeccentric]

I'm pretty sure that's not a great reason to discontinue (... yet?)!

[kaberett]

Heh. Yeah.

[killing_rose]

Can you switch that NSAID for naproxen until they've got it back in? Because discontinuing is usually a bad plan. But if you're running low, replacing for the duration is the least awful choice. (Or find someone with the spoons to call other pharmacies to see if they're similarly impacted.)

[kaberett]

In theory, yes; in practice, it will require yet another sodding GP appt :-/

[killing_rose]

....

Y'all don't have OTC naproxen? I mean, yes lower dose than scrip naproxen. But. It's a med you can find otc over here. .

[davidgillon]

Just did a quick google and looks like 250mg naproxen tablets are available over the counter here as Feminax Ultra.

[karen2205]

Yes, in packs of 9.

Buying them in a physical shop will probably require specifying you want them for period pain, 'cos that's the only indication they're available for from pharmacies. Buying online may be easier for establishing a stash, but doesn't fix the immediate problem.

Diclofenac tablets are also available from pharmacies.

But not sure if either are a good substitute for the mefenamic acid.

[davidgillon]

I guess your first and second points really revolve around how much supply you have left - can you eke it out until you have the spoons (whether physical or psychological) to deal with the GP/hunt down a supply/switch to an alternative.

The third point is one only you can really analyse, but even 'it's not that bad really' is nibbling away at your physical reserves to deal with both this _and everything else_. It's the _and everything else_ you need to seriously think about,can you deal with both a flare-up of something else and the effects of dropping NSAIDs.

Ultimately, I'm not convinced 'Bored now!' is the best basis for a medical decision ;)

[kaberett]

I have enough to get me through the end of Monday (or a bit longer if I drop my dose even further). I just... ugh, I SO do not want to deal with more doctors. I just want to be well. :-( (Spending too much time around doctors erodes my cope, and then I had to patiently explain to about the *third* person this week in the pharmacy that, yes, I know taking continuous NSAIDs is unusual and poses gastric risks, and yes I am on a proton pump inhibitor, and yes two different sets of consultants have okayed my painkiller regime, and yes the reason I am upright, walking, and talking relatively cheerfully to you is THE ENORMOUS QUANTITY OF MEDS I TAKE...)

[davidgillon]

Yeah, I get that. I struggle just with my very occasional appointments, three in a week would definitely erode my ability to handle things, never mind the pharmacist thing.

I'd drop the dosage (not ideal, but meh), in the hope of finding the coping spoons before the supply runs dry. No chance of just a normal repeat prescription without needing to chat to GP and/or asking a friend to pick up the prescription from the pharmacy on your behalf? I had my mother pick up my Butrans prescription when I was visiting them earlier in the year, and despite that being a controlled drug (Better living through opiates for the win!) and not my normal pharmacy, there wasn't an issue.

[redbird]

I gather naproxen is still a prescription drug in Britain; maybe someone you know has some spare tablets they're not using. (I wouldn't hand around partial courses of antibiotics because of the risks of creating resistance, but that's not relevant here.)

[tim]

If ibuprofen doesn't fuck with your stomach too much (and I don't know if mefenamic acid does or not, but ibuprofen definitely does for me when I need a lot of it), then go for it? (For me, anyway, it's not nearly as bad if I take it with food, even a little bit. You probably know all this.)

[azurelunatic]

General pain-management statement that stopping the pain once it has got proper started is more difficult and unpleasant than otherwise.