I had an appointment to see my GP on Sept 9th to discuss pain medication for my arthritis and she prescribed Nefopam Hydrochloride.
It wasn’t until a couple of days ago that I felt the need to take some, the dose of which was two or three, three times a day, but the pharmacist suggested breaking myself in gently and only taking one at first.
Are we glad we listened.
I took the pill at 1.15 pm and in less than an hour, I began to feel unwell………. and I mean really ill. I was sweating profusely, felt sick, and had the start of a headache. Hubby was so worried, he called the surgery and asked for the duty doctor to call.
I ended up on my knees in front of the loo, breathing deeply and trying to calm myself down. I was so hot, I stripped off my top which was soaking wet by now, but Hubby put towels over my shoulders so that I didn’t get chilled. I was afraid to move in case I threw up.
We have the means to take our temperature, BP and Pulsox, so this was done and recorded. My temperature was 34.1, BP 130 over 85 with a pulse of 92, then my pulsox recorded 99% and a pulse of 88.
We took my BP again shortly afterwards and it had dropped to 115 over 65, with a pulse of 79. The pulsox recorded 99% and a pulse of 82.
After about 45 minutes I began to feel a little better. The nausea had passed and I was desperate for a wee, so shuffled myself into position.
I decided to drink boiled water for the rest of the day and the duty doctor eventually called me at 20 to 6.
It wasn’t my GP but one of the other doctors I had seen before and he is very nice. I explained what had happened and that my GP had told me to let her know how I got on.
Obviously it was not very well, so I am not taking any more and will be returning them to the pharmacy. He has made a note on my file that I am allergic to them, so it is back to
paracetamol until I can make another appointment to see her. I have a blood test on the 30th to determine which kind of arthritis I have and perhaps we can go from there.
I have to be honest, I had not felt that ill for years, not even with my cancer treatments.
Pretty scary stiff actually.
pensitivity101 
Yikes! Good thing you took the smaller dose!
Yep. I;m good now though.
Good thing you only did the 1 pill, and glad you re feeling better
Thanks Alice
Blimey. That’s horrid, esp when it hits so hard and fast. Glad you came through it unscathed…
Thanks Geoff
That was a scary reaction! Glad that it passed quickly.
Thanks goodness I only took one!
Good heavens, Di! That is awfully scary especially considering you took such a small dose. Thankfully you husband was there to help you and you both did all the right things … calling the doctor and taking your vitals, etc. We have to be so careful and I think if it’s at all possible we should never be alone when trying new meds; you never know what might happen. Thankfully you’re okay, albeit shaken up. Hope you are resting well now.
We always tell each other when we have taken different meds and make a note of the time etc. I feel fine now, but I won’t be taking any more.
I’m so glad you only took one!
So are we!
Some meds have pretty severe reactions.
Luckily for me I know if something disagrees with me in around half an hour or so.
Wow. I’m so sad to hear that you had such a bad reaction. Lucky that you only took one! I can only imagine that if you had taken 2 or 3 that you’d have been taken away by ambulance!! Glad you are feeling better! ❤
Thanks Val. We shall be taking them back.
Some of the side effects for any medication are the stuff of nightmares…
This certainly was for me. Thank goodness I only took one!
I have new meds to dissolve the blockage in my artery, but the instructions say not to take them if you have kidney trouble…
Makes you wonder doesn’t it. Have you been back in touch with your doctor about it?
I am supposed to be seeing them again soon…
Good.
Oh! My that’s awful these chemicals that we take are often worse than the cure. Please stay well now.💜
Thanks Willow. I’m good.
Thank goodness 💘
🙂
😁💜💜
How terrible, sometimes the cure is worse than the cause
I will deal with it and a hot water bottle or ice pack if necessary can help.
I read an article that claimed paracetemol doesn’t help much with pain from arthritic hips, which I had already decided for myself, but it’s good to know one isn’t alone. (Apparently it’s more effective for knees.) The article claimed that ibuprofen was more effective for hip pain, but since I have no intention of wrecking my stomach lining I won’t be living on ibuprofen either.
On the plus side, targetted exercise seems to be helping.
Thanks Cathy. I have the same issues with Ibuprofen and similar. Walking is the only exercise I can do and provided Maya doesn’t pull me too hard, I can usually cope.
I’m allergic to most meds so understand completely and empathize
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Thanks Cheryl.
I am having the exact same problem with different medication for the exact same problem. In my case, the medication is Sulindac, which is a NSAID specifically aimed at arthritis — especially spinal arthritis.
I’m still taking a half the prescribed dose — 1/2 table at a time — because it makes me REALLY sick. I’ve been battling to somehow manage to get this medication to work with me as opposed to against me, but as often as not, it makes me really REALLY sick and while I’m not glad you are sick, I’m glad I’m not the only one going through this. It has made my life a real misery. Doctor visit Tuesday. I think I may be out of options, though.
The thing is, Sulindac works. It works very very well. Garry and I were out taking pictures today and I was able to walk around and I was not in pain. I can’t remember the last time I was able to be on my feet and moving and not be hurting. But omg what it does to my guts is horrendous. Please let me know how you are doing because it sounds like we are fighting the same battle.
I’m supposed to take two of these a day. I think I would be totally dysfunctional if I took even another half. But it works and works well. Talk about Hobson’s choice.
I was originally prescribed Naproxen which is ibuprofen based, and that affects my kidneys, so is not recommended long term. I have a blood test on the 30th to determine what kind of arthritis I actually have and will make an appointment to see the doctor to discuss the results.
Good luck on Tuesday. These side effects are horrendous. With the Naproxen, I was also prescribed Lansoprozole to line my stomach, but this also has side effects and was part of the cause for Hubby’s digestive issues as he was prescribed them for reflux.
Somehow Grin and Bear It comes to mind as the treatment is worse for you that the ailment that’s being treated.
I asked the doctor about changing antacids, but he said we had done enough changing and anyway, they hadn’t made any substantial improvements in antacids in years. They go by different names, but there are maybe three of them, really. Different companies give them different names, but cut through the advertising and it’s the same old drug in a new box.
All of the medications you named are NSAIDs. The thing about NSAIDs is that they work far MUCH better than narcotics which don’t make the pain go away — they make YOU go away. BUT. NSAIDs are hard on the gut, sometimes, kidneys — and occasionally, hearts. I have two replacement heart valves and a pacemaker, so I have to be wary of many medications — AND I’m missing a stomach (ulcers). Sometimes merely trying to eat FOOD is difficult.
For the past three days, I have been feeling a bit better. Maybe it’s because I stopped trying to up the dose on the Sulindac. Or maybe it’s because I made a doctor appointment. That almost always cures what ails me. Sometimes, I’d like a day or two of feeling GOOD. Can you even remember when you felt really good? Did we ever?
It’s been a while I admit, and if it isn’t my hands, it’s my back, my knees or my feet that hurt. Yes, I have to avoid the NSAIDS. Hopefully I can make an appointment to see my GP and see what else she recommends I try.
I have the doctor tomorrow. But I’m feeling better. Is it the magic of making a doctor’s appointment?
Maybe. Hope all goes well Marilyn.