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I understand. The problem is, what works for one person might be exactly what another shouldn't do. Unless you give someone all your specifics their suggestion may not be of any use.
I assumed that when the OP mentioned four common pain relievers, he was naturally not including any that were contraindicated by his medications or health conditions. In other words, there may not have been much in the way of specifics to mention.
To me, minor pain is MINOR! If it's really bothersome I'll do a heat wrap, OTC arthritis cream, feet soak in epsom salts, whatever - don't take meds unless absolutely necessary. I know some who pop an advil, aleve, tylenol for the slightest thing. (I have fibromyalgia so I hurt all the time as a rule).
When my doctor instructs me take Ibu she actually asks me to take more than the 200gm capsule I normally take, and several times. She wants me to get the inflammation down so I can heal.
On my own I am much more conservative, if one helps I'd rather not take two.
I think it depends on the situation and the reason you are taking it. If you sprain or injure something, it’s more common to take medications in higher dosages and for a longer time to help get the swelling down.
Certain medications might be better suited to specific situations as well. For example, I tend to use Tylenol if I have a fever or at night, because it does not cause reflux. The other 3 are more likely to cause reflux, so I try to avoid taking them before bedtime.
If I have a really bad headache or aches and pains, a lot of times I take BC powder (which is Aspirin and caffeine) because it works quickly, but it can give me heartburn so I don’t like to take it that often. It has 900mg of Aspirin, so it is pretty strong. For other aches and pains, I generally take Aleve or ibuprofen (2 tablets).
I had been using them a lot for headaches, but was getting medication overuse headache. Now I try to do foam rolling/trigger point massage balls for muscle tension daily or every other day and find that helps a lot for back, shoulder, and neck pain and also helps with the headaches from tension. I have a shoulder and neck heating pad too. When I have really bad shoulder pain, I also have those patches I can put on.
Is the patch for heat only or is it medicated?
I make my own compress by putting a wet napkin in the microwave for 30 sec and slip into a mit, and use that. It works quite well.
I made several versions of this, but with rice. I have sewn flannel cloth in different shapes and have added different essential oils (lavender, jasmine, chamomile, etc). This works for many things like muscle aches and pains and there have been times that I will lay with it on my ear if I have an earache. I also have an old fashioned reusable ice bag; it doesn't leak and is cheaper than the onetime use ones from the store.
I, too use massage for many pains. I have hard "peanuts" that are spaced perfectly for many of my knots (I just lay on them for 10-15 minutes at a time).
I have a massage therapist who will come over on short notice or my DH will help with ROM or massage at night.
I have a lot of intractable pain (I have an pain pump) so, aspirin or ibuprofen does absolutely nothing.
Lately I've been doing a hot compress (one of those clay ones) for my stiff back/neck and oh it is soooo nice. Yet it's just for when I can sit/lie down. When I've got to be up and about, I'll generally take an aleve or prescribed Nabumetone (about the same as aleve). Sometimes I'll put a patch on. Most of the time capsaicin works wonderfully but last time I put it on (this morning) it got too itchy. Oh well.
A heat wrap is nice too, but that and the hot compress too, would probably be too hot in the summer/hot months. I take excedrin for headaches/migraines. The aleve/nabumetone doesn't work too well for them for some reason. When I get eye strain/headaches, etc it seems that excedrin is all that works.
My back's been hurting more and more lately, but then I haven't been getting regular massages, so those may be helpful too for chronic back pain. It seems to have helped me. I'm definitely scheduling a massage as soon as I can around here!
For pain, ibuprofen.
For inflammation or fevefs, acetaminophen
For earaches, drops made of equal parts 90% rubbing alcohol and white vinegar. That's also effective at clearing out earwax.
With pain relievers, I take one pill and give it an hour, take another if it's still bothering me.
For musculoskeletal booboos I take ibuprofen, but honestly that's pretty rare unless the bone spur in my foot get's inflamed.
For a headache I take asprin unless it's close to bed time. My grandfather took Excedrin regularly for many years and lived to be 90 without any problems. If it's close to bedtime I take Tylenol PM.
For pain, ibuprofen.
For inflammation or fevefs, acetaminophen
For earaches, drops made of equal parts 90% rubbing alcohol and white vinegar. That's also effective at clearing out earwax.
With pain relievers, I take one pill and give it an hour, take another if it's still bothering me.
This is excellent, just what i was looking for. Thank you.
Light to moderate range of motion exercise of the painful area. I rarely take pain meds.
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