chest pain.

I'm just wondering what pain killer works best for chest pain?

I've been having this chest pain spring up for the last couple days, (don't worry I'm not having a heart attack) It's some condition I have that is acting up recently (inflammation of my in my rib joints etc) you get the general idea. It's some genetic?? (well I think it's genetic) dad and nana have the same thing that I have.

Just wondering what helps with chest pain? It's not too bad so I don't think I'll need to ask my doctor to prescribe me anti-inflammation drugs or anything, but usually it gets worse once It acts up.

I have this thing called costochondritis which springs up every now and again, usually goes away. I think it lasts roughly a month before it goes away.

I'm not a doctor, but here's what I know...
NSAID drugs like ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen are good for pain with inflammation. I've never taken naproxen, but when I take ibuprofen or aspirin, I take them with food. Otherwise, they occasionally bother my stomach a bit.

I take Ibuprofen because it's easier on my stomach than aspirin. I can't take aspirin because of a past bleeding ulcer history. Tylenol is probably easiest on the stomach, but it doesn't do anything for me. I would suggest that you try to find the real cause of your pain however, as you never know what might be causing it. It could be a lot of things including acid reflux, in which case, aspirin and ibuprofen would make it worse.

dogboy said:

I take Ibuprofen because it's easier on my stomach than aspirin. I can't take aspirin because of a past bleeding ulcer history. Tylenol is probably easiest on the stomach, but it doesn't do anything for me. I would suggest that you try to find the real cause of your pain however, as you never know what might be causing it. It could be a lot of things including acid reflux, in which case, aspirin and ibuprofen would make it worse.

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It's usually either acid reflux or costochondritis the second being the most painful. Something I've had since I was 13.

Binary said:

It's usually either acid reflux or costochondritis the second being the most painful. Something I've had since I was 13.

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That would make sense and both could cause pain. If it's acid reflux, something I suffer from, try taking Omeprazole which is the generic for Prilosec. It doesn't control the pain but rather, the stomach acid. It has some future side effects, but it works really well.

dogboy said:

That would make sense and both could cause pain. If it's acid reflux, something I suffer from, try taking Omeprazole which is the generic for Prilosec. It doesn't control the pain but rather, the stomach acid. It has some future side effects, but it works really well.

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I was on omeprazole for my stomach ulcer I think, or something that sounded like it. (correction was esomeprazole)

All I can say the side effects were awful, ended up crapping my pants every half hour, literally lol.

Binary said:

I was on omeprazole for my stomach ulcer I think, or something that sounded like it. (correction was esomeprazole)

All I can say the side effects were awful, ended up crapping my pants every half hour, literally lol.

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That sound horrible. Omeprazole shouldn't do that. It sounds like what you were taking was a fat stripper which pushes fat as oil through your digestive track. Women used to take something like that to lose weight, but I think it got taken out of the market because of the side effects.

It was nexium, was used to reduce stomach acid I think, can't recall too much.

Eeeeek! Maybe don't take NSAIDs after all. They're bad for both stomach ulcers and acid reflux! I get acid reflux when I take them, if I take them on an empty stomach. When I do get acid reflux, I just take Tums... though Tums can reduce the effect of some NSAIDs. That's why I take them with food. Caffeine is another thing that can make ulcers worse.

http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/tip-sheet-ulcers-pain-relievers

tylenol might be the only truly safe option.... I dunno for sure what a doctor might be able to recommend.

If you're not taking it long term NSAIDS (Ibuprofen is best) are your best bet. If you're worried about ulcers, see your GP who can prescribe you a proton pump blocker to reduce stomach acid production.

I'd actually recommend seeing your doctor anyway. He may want to change your meds or put you on an antiinflammatory.

I still think ibuprofen could make it worse. But it could be fine with a meal, maybe. I'm overly cautious sometimes.

And the summary here is that this is definitely worthy of a visit to the doctor.