Voltaren Gel

In October I was prescribed Voltaren Gel for my knees. I, for whatever reason, had patella tendonitis around both knee caps. In Dec. I saw my Neuro and told her I was using the gel. She asked if I had tried it on my face or head or neck. NO. She said to go ahead. She said that if it works for me on my knees it may help with migraine, headache, or just regular muscle aches in other places, and to just 'rub some on'. Last night I rubbed it on my shoulders and the back of my neck. I did relieve then tension I was feeling in there. I am not going to put it on my face though. It has quite the odor. I am afraid of it making my eyes burn, or making the pain worse because of the smell. I just don't want that around my eyes, nose or mouth. Is anyone else using this for anything? I had never heard of it until the knee thing, and was really very skepitcal. So much so that they gave me a sample and a script, in case I decided not to fill it. Oh, almost forgot it is an NSAID.

I just got a perscription for this med too. I have not gotten it filled yet and it is also for my knees and back. I will be interested in what others have to say about this.

Hope it helps you and I would be concerned about my eyes and the smell for my head too!

kimsmom

will you let me know if it works for you? Anywhere you use it. I was really thinking "what a joke" whe they prescribed it, but when I tried the sample on my knees, it took away pain I had for years and just figured was part of me. i get stiff in the cold and sore. It just seems to evaporate the pain! I was really impressed and am hoping it works for you! Yeah, once you fill that, and use it, I doubt you will put it on your face either!!! LOL

My knees kill me. I think it is all the weight I put on. I will be getting it in two weeks when my normal meds are due. I will try to remember to post if it works. That would be nice to get rid of some back pain too.

What part of Ohio are you from if I might ask? I am originally from Ohio...

Voltaren Gel is very well known here for pain in joints and muscles. I very often use it to rub it on the back of my neck to get rid of the rest of a migraine or when the neck is stiff from pain. I would never rub it on my face though. There are also Voltaren pills which I occasionally try as first med to kill a m.attack. Sometimes it works.
Have a good day!

In England it is called Voltarol. It is a topical application of Diclofenac, the NSAID.
You need to observe the same cautions as with ingesting it.

I tried this for my pain from chronic Lyme disease, but it gave me stomach distress like all NSAIDS do! instead, I use the Lidocaine patches. They are a bit of trouble, but do give some relief of neck pain (with no side effects).
Cindy

I have seen Voltaren gel advertised on TV for a long time now. I have wondered if it would help ease migraine but thought I was just grasping out of desperation. After readng this post I am going to give it a try. Thanks for this post. Please keep us informed as to how it works out for you.

I have been experiencing arthritis pain in my fingers along with swelling for about a year. The pain and swelling seem to keep getting worse, and after seeing an osteoarthritis and rheumatoid specialist, she prescribed the VOLTREN GEL to apply to my fingers. I actually have what she called "cysts" in the bones, which look like "humps" in the fingers toward the fingernail. I am 52 years old and she said that everyone gets arthritis at some point in their life, some sooner than others and some WORSE than others.

I told her I would not take any prescription drugs because of side affects that most of them have. After paying about $50 for a three pack of the Voltaren gel, I returned home and applied it to my fingers. It did help with the pain and the specialist told me it may cause the cysts to go down but not completely go away. After researching this gel, I found out there are all kinds of side affects which makes me not want to continue using it, and I probably won't.

The side affects are: shortness of breath, increase risk for stroke, stomach ulcers, heart circulation problems, chest pain, vision problems, slurred speech, bleeding of the stomach or intestines, flatulence, weight gain, dizziness, and depression. I have been using it for two days now, and started feeling sick to my stomach and somewhat light headed.

This is a topical NSAID, which means (non steroid anti-inflammatory drug). Had I had known this I would have NEVER gotten the prescription filled. As I stated in the beginning of my post, I am not one to take prescription drugs because they can end up killing you faster than whatever ailment you are dealing with. My advice: Use it at your own risk! As for me, I am going to steer clear of it like I do for most all prescription drugs that offer serious side affects and depend upon my maker who has more healing power than any medicine or drug:o)

I use it when I need it on my knees mostly. I have never had any sort of side effect from it at all. Every medication has side effects. Some are more affected than others. Some medications are taken if the benefit of the medication out weighs the side effects. This stuff works wonders for me and I am good with it.

I use it when a shoulder and knee injury flare up. It works quite well for me. Way beyond what any other topical cream/gel has done for me.

I have also used it for neck tension and it provides some pain relief. I don't think it would provide much relief during a bull blown migraine for me, but can help in the very early stages.

I tried Voltaren gel for back pain, but didn't get any relief. Topical drugs minimize systemic exposure but may not work as well as oral drugs. Diclofenac tablets work better.

AlexB wrote:I tried Voltaren gel for back pain, but didn't get any relief. Topical drugs minimize systemic exposure but may not work as well as oral drugs. Diclofenac tablets work better.

I think that's a given. I am impressed with a topical cream like this providing ANY relief though. Most of them only numb the area you apply them a bit temporarily. I actually get relief from Voltaren. It's not going to work for everyone obviously, but as far as topical go, I am pretty impressed with it.

I have been prescribed Voltarol for muscular and knee pain by my GP, and it helps, but I also am put off by the smell.
So, I talked to pharmacist, and she said that I can use Ibuprofen gel instead, which has similar effect since it is also NASAID, but it is a clear gel and so it has no smell.
It works equally well for me, and here in UK you can get it without prescription.

I find it especially helpfull for my neck and tension at the base of my scull.

There is one important thing to remember though:
you should not use other painkillers at the same time as the NASAIDs as this doubles their strenght, so there is a danger of overdose.

Definitely worth trying.

http://www.epharmacies.com/online-pharmacy-medicine-blog/do-ibuprofen-creams-and-gels-work/

Here is an article about topical ibuprofen gel. I like the idea - if it works. I use ibuprofen a lot and it really works well for me.
But, even though it is over-the-counter, like all NSAIDs it has risks. The standard oral dose of ibuprofen is one pill, 200 mg. One pump of the gel is only 10 mg. 1/20th of the dose. So any side effect risks should be dramatcially lower with the gel.

The article says that when you take it orally, a large amount of the medication is processed out by your digestive system ( and liver!) before it can work. So the much lower dose is still effective. I'm gonna see if I can find this stuff.

I have RSDS (reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome), and my Dr. gave me a sample to help with the joint and nerve pain in my left knee, ACL, MCL, PCL. I was instructed to apply it over the skin near the large artery in my left leg. I did so, and my heart started racing. Is anyone else experiencing this? I can say it did alleviate some of the pain, but was replaced with a lot of anxiety. If this is normal then maybe I can release some of the tension and anxiety. I know this forum isn't used to give professional medical advice, but who better to ask than us ginny pigs. No pun intended.. Please advise?

Brazen wrote:I have RSDS (reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome), and my Dr. gave me a sample to help with the joint and nerve pain in my left knee, ACL, MCL, PCL. I was instructed to apply it over the skin near the large artery in my left leg. I did so, and my heart started racing. Is anyone else experiencing this? I can say it did alleviate some of the pain, but was replaced with a lot of anxiety. If this is normal then maybe I can release some of the tension and anxiety. I know this forum isn't used to give professional medical advice, but who better to ask than us ginny pigs. No pun intended.. Please advise?

Here are the potential side effects: http://www.drugs.com/voltaren-gel.html . It doesn't say how common these are, but they obviously can occur.

I can recommend a reputable pharmacy (Voltaren Gel) - onlinecheappills.com Good price and quality.