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Voltaren gel

Posted by toddybob @toddybob, Sep 19, 2022

My wife has chronic pain in her hip and hamstring. MRI negative. Physical Therapy no help. Acupuncture no help. Is Voltaren gel safe to try? I read it can cause liver damage.

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happilyalive | @happilyalive | Jan 18 7:22pm

Thank you for reminding me of that. I haven't opened it yet and still have the receipt. Bless you for that. Have a great day. 🙂

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heyjoe415 | @heyjoe415 | Jan 19 7:06am
In reply to @erney2ey "Voltaren, ie Diclofenac, was suggested by GP for back pain prior to surgery. It caused liver..." + (show)
Profile picture for erney2ey @erney2ey

Voltaren, ie Diclofenac, was suggested by GP for back pain prior to surgery. It caused liver and kidney enzyme’s to skyrocket within 30 days causing my orthopedic surgeon to postpone my long awaited procedure!! My Hepatologist worked diligently with my me to determine root cause and halt diclofenac in time to get me back on surgical schedule. If you use? Get routine bloodwork! BTW… diclofenac is banned in Europe!! Wonder why??

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Hi Erney and thanks for this info.

I was on oral diclofenac before and after a hip replacement. I was then scheduled for a left shoulder replacement and kept taking diclofenac.

When I had my pre-op checkup for my shoulder replacement, my creatinine level was 1.5, where 1.3 is the upper limit. Elevated creatinine incidicates that the kidney is not doing its job completely. Anyway the RN called me and suggested I stop taking diclofencac or any NSAIDs as they are all hard on the kidneys.

I cut back diclofenac use by about 70% - it was the only thing managing my pain so I didn't stop completely, my bad. By decreasing it this much, my creatinine returned to a normal level of 1.0 two weeks before surgery, and was .9 the day of surgery. Everyone is different, and it's best to not take NSAIDs at all in the month or so ahead of a joint replacement. Or at a minimum, get your blood checked (which will probably happen anyway during a pre-op physical).

So I guess topical diclofenac can have the same effect. I didn't know this. At any rate, people using this drug should use with caution. And finally, NSAIDs aren't meant to be taken everyday. They are too hard on kidneys.

Joe

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joycelen | @joycelen | Jan 19 10:07pm

Voltaren Gel is helpful for me. My liver and kidney tests are fine. Some days would be impossible without it. Just saying that everyone is different and it should be used very judiciously by anyone who plans to do so. So many people having trouble with it, I thought I would add a positive word.

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laughlin1947 | @laughlin1947 | Mar 18 7:36pm
In reply to @wieczorkemaria "Hello, I swear by diclofenac gel not the cream as it seems to penetrate better but..." + (show)
Profile picture for wieczorkemaria @wieczorkemaria

Hello, I swear by diclofenac gel not the cream as it seems to penetrate better but I usually try other alternatives first like heat/ice/stretching and if all else fails and I still have extreme pain, I'll use an extra strength salon pas patch to provide long lasting relief. Be careful that you don't leave them on longer than directed, I forgot once and it was difficult to remove the patch, my skin turned red and hurt. I have kidney disease so my doctors said using the diclofenac cream although an nsaid, is better for me than taking oral nsaids. Tylenol helps as well but it bother me with my GI issues. I try one thing, if no relief, i try another and so on until I'm able to finally get some relief. Pain management is always a struggle and sometimes a never-ending battle.
I hop you are able to find some relief.
Hugs

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@wieczorkemaria There is lidocaine cream, roll-on, and spray. Doesn't last as long as Voltaren, but still effective.

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laughlin1947 | @laughlin1947 | Mar 18 7:42pm

My wife has been plagued with hip pain for many months now. She gets cortisone injections, but it has been most effective when administered by an orthopedic doctor versus a pain management specialist. The ortho doctor actually moved the needle around a lot to spread the medication around. That particular injection lasted several months of no pain. Too bad they can't do hip bursa replacements.

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behappy2 | @behappy2 | Mar 19 7:04am
In reply to @baileygirl "I can also vouch for Biofreeze. I did discover a new cream that helps also. Salonpas..." + (show)
Profile picture for baileygirl @baileygirl

I can also vouch for Biofreeze. I did discover a new cream that helps also. Salonpas Lidocaine Plus has helped me. I tend to switch creams since I noticed the more I used 1 brand the less effective it became.

I was told to use Diclofenac daily but the effectiveness became less and less. So, I use that sparingly.

I also will use CBD cream as well. Which really helps.

I must say I don’t use creams everyday. Only when the pain is so severe I can’t focus on anything else. I must caution you if you use multiple creams, make sure the area is thoroughly cleaned before using a different brand, I ended up with a chemical burn.

The most effective product I’ve ever used are Lidoderm Lidocaine patches. I used to use 3 a night. One on my neck and one on each shoulder. Once I got my divorce and I lost my ex’s health insurance, the new insurance wouldn’t cover it. Those were my life savers and sometimes the only reason I could partly function

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@baileygirl I can not get the patches to stay on. I have used them on my knees, ankles, back, elbow (the common areas of pain) my are prescription and they work if I can keep them from rolling up.

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behappy2 | @behappy2 | Mar 19 7:09am

I have found there are oils out there that help with pain. The work! I do not have the name of them and I would have to dig in the boxes of stuff I have for pain. But google or amazon natural oils for pain. Be sure to dilute them with other lotions or they will burn your skin.

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cutshaw01 | @cutshaw01 | Mar 19 9:11am

My doctor took me off Voltaren as soon as I told him I had started taking it. He told me to use cbd topical. Safer and works better. I was only on Voltaren for 5 days.

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Profile picture for SusanEllen66 Susan McMichael
SusanEllen66 Susan McMichael | @SusanEllen66 | Mar 19 8:54pm

The thing that has always been the best for my pain is BIO-FREEZE
It comes in all sorts of forms. There’s gel, roll on gel, patches. Look for green and white packaging.
Its menthol smell dissipates very quickly so you don’t walk around smelling!

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1 reply
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heyjoe415 | @heyjoe415 | Mar 20 7:50am
In reply to @laughlin1947 "@wieczorkemaria There is lidocaine cream, roll-on, and spray. Doesn't last as long as Voltaren, but still..." + (show)
Profile picture for laughlin1947 @laughlin1947

@wieczorkemaria There is lidocaine cream, roll-on, and spray. Doesn't last as long as Voltaren, but still effective.

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Thanks laughlin. There are also 5% lidocaine patches available via Rx. The OTC patches are 4%.

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