I...was in a car accident last Tuesday and been taking Tylenol like crazy. They refused to give me any prescriptions because I didn't have broken bones, despite the impact going 84 mph to zero in subsecond.
Thank you!
Do you know what's a good alternative to Tylenol? My chest and shoulder are hurting like hell.
Ultimately, that's a "talk to a doctor" kind of question.
My understanding is that if you stay below the warning labels, Tylenol is safe. But if you need doses high enough that you start bumping up against the recommended dose, DEFINITELY talk to your doctor about long-term use and possible kidney / liver damage. They may know of a safer solution (possibly an opioid: which has risks of addiction but... its the doctor's job to weigh the risks / rewards and your various options. Figuring out the right medicine probably requires a decent interview with you).
Getting addicted to an opioid might be "lower overall risk" than dying to kidney failure. Its bad options all around, but that's why we have doctors to help navigate your options.
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Good luck. I've never experienced chronic pain myself. I just know that being in that state means that you're probably not thinking through all your options 100% (just focusing on the pain-relief side of things). Which is why its important to get consultation from a doctor.
I know the urgent care facility in my neighborhood does primary care. Search around for urgent care facilities, they accept walk-in appointments. Ideally, you'd talk to a primary-care physician who has your medical history... but not everyone stays up-to-date with their doctor. (I certainly don't, and instead rely upon the urgent care walk-in appointments)
No broken bones probably means strained tendons / muscles and a (badly) bruised chest. Both are known to hurt a lot and for days if not weeks. Pain is a good thing in that it reminds you to rest.
If the doc already declined stronger painkillers, it's probably not without reason. I dont get why you would suggest opioids being the less evil in this case. I once got 60 pills of codein for a torn off toe nail while visiting over in TX. Needed maybe 2 of them.
As other said, really talk to your doctor, not just as the generic advice but also because there are many other options that can replace/complete/work better than Tylenol.
For instance there are Codein (an opioid) laced versions that are more efficient at lower doses (with other obvious aspects to watch for), or better identifying the source of pain can help target it more precisely (e.g. direct application gels).
There can be other mon drug related actions that help, if your doctor doesn’t give a shit finding another one would be your safest option IMO.
Never take tylenol "like crazy", the max dose of acetominophen is 4000g per day, but better to stick to 3000 if taking for more than a few days.
In the UK you can get cocodamol (paracetamol and codeine) over the counter for lower dosages, but pretty sure that's prescription only in the US, and more likely to lead to dependence.
It depends on the root cause of the pain; for inflammation and swelling that result from soft tissue injuries, I prefer diclofenac, although you need to be careful not to take it with an empty stomach, or mix with ibuprofen.
I would say, though, that this is something to talk through with your GP or a pain relief specialist.
Was it just the ED that refused you? Would be wise to go speak with your primary care provider and get their input, if you don’t have one it’s time to get one (if nothing else having one physician who has a complete history on you is a huge benefit).
The cop gave me a ride to the ED/ER after the accident, and the dr literally said "your x-ray is fine, take Tylenol or Ibuprofen" and just opened the door and left! Didn't talk to him more than two minutes total before and after the x-ray. They charged me 1,008 USD for that! The X-Ray itself was a separate charge by Radia and was just twenty bucks!
The nurse said the pain should improve within a week, but its been so already and I am still in pain even when I breath or move my arm up.
I'll tough it up for another week before seeing a Dr. I can handle the pain (had double kidney stones, one in each kidney before).
Ah, also, FYI for folks in the US: Do not reject Personal Injury Protection. The insurance agent told me my primary insurance will cover me, but then the hospital and my lawyer said that's false and insurance companies reject to pay hospital bills for auto-accidents. Later, they said they'll try to get a formal denial from my auto-insurance first and then try and see if my primary insurance will pay for it.
ER docs have, I think, been trained or conditioned to resist giving pain meds to people. I broke my foot about 6 years ago - badly. Lisfranc fracture, which is most common in football players (and is a career ending injury typically). I went to the ER in blinding pain, quite nearly passed out from that pain in the waiting room. They gave me a morphine injection, which helped a great deal while they did X rays. The doctor (mis-)diagnosed me with a severe sprain and tried to send me home without meds. I asked for some, and was reluctantly given a prescription for Tylenol w/codeine. I've heard similar stories from other people.
As a contrast, any time I've had even the most simple dental or other procedure, the doctors give me a prescription for pain meds without me asking for them (and in many cases not really needing them). So this seems to be specific to ER docs. I suspect it's a reaction to having to deal with people who are drug-seeking, but I don't really know for sure.
When I had my double kidney stones I only took a single Hydromorphone pill, and it was useless anyway for the pain, and didn't get me high either. Only psychoactive effect it had on me, was making it impossible to enjoy music for the rest of the day. I know the pill caused it, because the same thing happened at another time.
Thank you!
Do you know what's a good alternative to Tylenol? My chest and shoulder are hurting like hell.