Warning from the FDA regarding OTC pain relievers-PLEASE READ!

Posted by jenatsky @jenatsky, Jun 13 10:45am

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I have MF pain in my mid to upper thoracic area. All MRIs results come back normal. I am going to PT 1-2 times/week that helps for a day or two. The MFR practitioners in my area charge at least $80/ 1 hr sessions. That plus $35/ PT appointments can cost me $150/week that I cannot afford. I’ve been fighting this pain for almost 7 years. My PCP has prescribed Nucynta for pain relief and Tizanidine for back spasms. Working on strengthening my back muscles through PT now however the exercises make my back pain worse so far. Hoping that will subside in time. I also tried Acupuncture; 12 sessions at $80/appointment with no lasting relief. I feel like nothing I try provides sustained relief. Will try the UTube stretching excercises - haven’t tried them yet. MF pain syndrome is terrible.

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@heisenberg34

I'm assuming this does not apply to prescription topicals like Diclofenac sodium, which my wife uses for her painful wrist. It is very effective in reducing he pain level.

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always read the ingredients and do the research yourself.

the big drug companies are heavily influenced by their profit-making desires. And they have been known to sometimes push profit over safety of their products.

Always be careful.

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@orion7578

I have MF pain in my mid to upper thoracic area. All MRIs results come back normal. I am going to PT 1-2 times/week that helps for a day or two. The MFR practitioners in my area charge at least $80/ 1 hr sessions. That plus $35/ PT appointments can cost me $150/week that I cannot afford. I’ve been fighting this pain for almost 7 years. My PCP has prescribed Nucynta for pain relief and Tizanidine for back spasms. Working on strengthening my back muscles through PT now however the exercises make my back pain worse so far. Hoping that will subside in time. I also tried Acupuncture; 12 sessions at $80/appointment with no lasting relief. I feel like nothing I try provides sustained relief. Will try the UTube stretching excercises - haven’t tried them yet. MF pain syndrome is terrible.

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very sorry about the difficulties.

I am not familiar with MF pain.

But I have been in a bunch of car accidents and generally dealing with a lot of pain issues.

wishing you well through the difficulties.

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@funcountess

Thanks for article. I only buy well known products. You never know what is in off brand merchandise.

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I agree Countess. That's one reason I don't buy medical products like Voltaren on Amazon, either. I don't think Amazon does a good job of policing their 3rd party suppliers of branded products.

While not a medical product, I bought a bottle of Byredo Mojave Ghost body wash on Amazon. The packaging and branding were spot on, but what was inside was most certainly not the real product. Byredo makes an expensive line of bath products usually available at Niemann Marcus.

That said, I don't always avoid Amazon for these non-medical purchases. But for medical products or OTC drugs and topical treatments, I'd rather pay a premium and buy from a manufacturer or at a reliable retail location.

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@heisenberg34

I'm assuming this does not apply to prescription topicals like Diclofenac sodium, which my wife uses for her painful wrist. It is very effective in reducing he pain level.

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Diclofenac is now available as an "over the counter" medication.

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@heyjoe415

I think Diclofenac is sold OTC as Voltaren gel. Kind of interesting because Diclofenac tabs are Rx only and I believe not for long term use. I don't know of any restrictions on the gel and have used it myself.

FWIW I have found Bio-Freeze Professional to be the best pain-relieving gel. It does have a strong smell of menthol but that fades and it really works on easing pain. That said, I use it for muscle soreness and not on my hands. I think Voltaren would be better on joints for arthritis pain.

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I have bad reactions to voltaren. There is 1 ingredient in it that is also in a pain prescription prescribed for me and I reacted to that as well. I have used A535 successfully for years for arthritis and FM. maybe try that?

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@heyjoe415

I agree Countess. That's one reason I don't buy medical products like Voltaren on Amazon, either. I don't think Amazon does a good job of policing their 3rd party suppliers of branded products.

While not a medical product, I bought a bottle of Byredo Mojave Ghost body wash on Amazon. The packaging and branding were spot on, but what was inside was most certainly not the real product. Byredo makes an expensive line of bath products usually available at Niemann Marcus.

That said, I don't always avoid Amazon for these non-medical purchases. But for medical products or OTC drugs and topical treatments, I'd rather pay a premium and buy from a manufacturer or at a reliable retail location.

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I agree. I don’t buy much from Amazon, not even a member. I buy otc items from reliable places like you.

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@funcountess

I agree. I don’t buy much from Amazon, not even a member. I buy otc items from reliable places like you.

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Yeah I'd rather pay the premium and know what I'm getting. I use Flonase, on and off, for allergies. It's available at Costco, but in a three pack. Considering how little I use, I'll just pay the higher price at CVS and then have what I need for the summer.

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@heyjoe415

Yeah I'd rather pay the premium and know what I'm getting. I use Flonase, on and off, for allergies. It's available at Costco, but in a three pack. Considering how little I use, I'll just pay the higher price at CVS and then have what I need for the summer.

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I agree, 3 pack at Costco is a waste. Better to have 1fresh.

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Diclofenac Rx is 10 x stronger than the amount in OTC Voltarin

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