I could not take the pain meds on a daily basis no matter what they were due to severe constipation (I already have issues). I used some muscle relaxers occasionally and Tylenol. On really bad days I might take 1 Tylenol 3. I can use Voltaren cream as it's topical and doesn't have the same effects as the oral medication. I do take Gabapentin and took it before my TKR and was taking 900mg. Yes, you do have to wean off it and I had weaned off it totally prior to my TKR but because of nerve pain I went back on 300mg. We're all different so reactions will be different but you do have to wean down. I took one month when I completely weaned off it. If you don't do it slowly you can have issues....I was told that 900mg is not much and 300mg isn't hardly any at all,. There are some people who take 1800 or 2400 daily. I also took mine only at bedtime.
Just as an aside with respect to your constipation issues you might want to consider taking magnesium supplements
It can be a regular contributor to establishing bowel regularity.
I had TKR almost a year ago. The first few weeks of recovery were painful and I relied on Tramadol and Oxycodone (as well as Tylenol) for relief. The key for me was taking a dose of Miralax and Metamucil every day. It kept my bowels moving, no constipation. By doing this I had no bowel problems. Miralax is so gentle that it's actually used as an ingredient in some commercial cookies to keep them moist. I took Gabapentin a few years ago for osteoarthritis in my back and had a bad experience. While I got some relief from the pain, that drug made me forget things and I felt disoriented at times. Had to stop taking it. I would stay away from Gabapentin.
I was prescribed Tramadol for post op THR pain. They gave me that in the surgery center my first post op night and it had no effect on my pain. They then switched me to Percocet. That eased the pain. When I left the surgery center, they sent me home with Percocet and a stool softener. I can’t remember now which one- it was a powder I mixed into water or juice. I took that every day while I was still taking the Percocet. After a week at home I was able to decrease the Percocet and take extra strength Tylenol for pain. Two weeks post op I was totally off the Percocet.
Miralax is the best thing to take to avoid constipation. It’s very gentle and it works! Also drink lots of water. I never had any problems with constipation when taking pain meds as long as I followed this protocol.
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Just as an aside with respect to your constipation issues you might want to consider taking magnesium supplements
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322588It can be a regular contributor to establishing bowel regularity.
I had TKR almost a year ago. The first few weeks of recovery were painful and I relied on Tramadol and Oxycodone (as well as Tylenol) for relief. The key for me was taking a dose of Miralax and Metamucil every day. It kept my bowels moving, no constipation. By doing this I had no bowel problems. Miralax is so gentle that it's actually used as an ingredient in some commercial cookies to keep them moist. I took Gabapentin a few years ago for osteoarthritis in my back and had a bad experience. While I got some relief from the pain, that drug made me forget things and I felt disoriented at times. Had to stop taking it. I would stay away from Gabapentin.
I was prescribed Tramadol for post op THR pain. They gave me that in the surgery center my first post op night and it had no effect on my pain. They then switched me to Percocet. That eased the pain. When I left the surgery center, they sent me home with Percocet and a stool softener. I can’t remember now which one- it was a powder I mixed into water or juice. I took that every day while I was still taking the Percocet. After a week at home I was able to decrease the Percocet and take extra strength Tylenol for pain. Two weeks post op I was totally off the Percocet.
Miralax is the best thing to take to avoid constipation. It’s very gentle and it works! Also drink lots of water. I never had any problems with constipation when taking pain meds as long as I followed this protocol.