When you need to take painkillers for other reasons

Hey folks~
What do you do when you need to take painkillers for a few days in a row for other reasons, such as menstrual cramps or other pain conditions? I am asking this because of the dreaded MOH issue.

Sometimes I feel like I have to suffer through the pain but it makes me really upset because a percocet or a tylenol w/codeine can often help me sleep when I am in pain and of course that in turn can help with a bad migraine cycle. I am really careful with taking opiates. Put it this way: my script for 20 percocet from August still has more than half left.

Right now I have a bad cold and bad cramps. Taking a tylenol w/codeine would both help the cough and help the painful cramps, but do I dare? I took one 2 days ago.... I don't have a migraine, but my head does hurt some, I think mostly from having a head and sinus full of gunk from the virus.

Complicating the matter is that I am expecting my usual killer menstrual migraine that I have to keep all options open for. I am up to 40mg of Topamax and not sure if that will put a dent in the menstrual migraines; it has helped the other migraines, quite a bit...I've only had to take abortives/rescues a couple of times so far this month.

Again, I know we are all different, esp when it comes to MOH, but this carp has alot of us so freaked out. It's just not fair! I'd like to be able to take a painkiller like everyone else without having to deliberate for hours. Sheesh!

in Solidarity,
Jane

I take Aleve on an almost daily basis for Fibro pain and have not had any issues with MOH. I think the MOH issue is overblown. If you need the meds for a few days, I don't think you really have to worry.

Alli

I used to take Aleve every day during my period b/c I would get very bad menstrual migraines, but I think this may have added to the frequency of the number of migraines I got. I've since stopped doing that.

It's just me, my gut, telling me that it isn't worth it for me. I have chronic daily headache and I'm trying to dig myself out of this hole.

IMHO, the amount of opiates available to you (in your possession) are not enough to cause MOH. Go ahead and take them.

Ditto, Leslie!

Tylenol with codiene would be much less effective then taking advil, or aleve as they are antiinflammatories.

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I cannot take NSAIDS anymore Milo, as it aggravates my stomach and gives me gastritis. Even one dose of NSAIDS make my stomach hurt for days. My options for painkillers are limited.

1/50 ? Is it real? How much drugs to cause it? I think if you are taking so few of your pain killers, I would not worry about it. I would take the pain pill in a heartbeat and stop stressing over the MOH. Odds are you will never experience it. Getting rid of the pain is more important.

Hal

See my post at the top of page 5 of Pen's thread on MOH.

The only time I had MOH / rebound was when the med was for pain OTHER than migraine.

I have been taking Percocet daily 1 or 2 tabs for over 4 years due to joint/muscle pain due to chronic Lyme disease. I cannot take any anti-inflammatories at all. I sometimes get a dull headachy feeling from the meds, but not migraine. My level of pain or frequency of migraine has not changed over all these years. I have experienced rebound, so I know what it is like.I got them from Imitrex and later Fioricet.But, our bodies are all different and we have to find out for ourselves. If I were you, I would go ahead and take it.
Hugs,
Cindy

I have had three surgeries in the last ten months and very heavy pain meds for the recovery. Not once did I have and rebound or MOH head pain. As with most others I also think it's over blown. My own primary care doc has never said anything about it and she is the pain med prescriber.

We produce natural opiates any time we work out. If MOH was an issue docs would tell us mig patients to never exercise.