I need pain pills for my dental pain. My dentist says he can only prescribe a few and I asked why is

[CTyankee]

that? If I need the medication for dental pain I am experiencing, have sought dental help, and HE acknowledges that I certainly could be in pain given his dental examination, why can't he address my pain needs?

He says he could be penalized professionally. I am elderly, have no record of ever possessing or dealing drugs. I just want pain relief. He could certainly show evidence that I am who I say I am, not a drug dealer. I am just an old lady with old teeth and inevitable dental problems that normally come with aging.

So I am taking otc stuff. I get some relief. I am hoarding my last 3 pain pills and taking a minimal dose. I have an infection that he is treating with antibiotics and take that according to directions.

We are not doing anything wrong, but the guy fears professional sanctions against him.

[RKP5637]

1. So sad! Physicians have become paranoid over this. It's all so out of control. And those that want

illicit drugs will still get them ... but the ignorant powers at be want to punish everyone. US = United Stupidity

[2naSalit]

2. Dear friend of mine...

Says she has to take a urine test at regular intervals in order to keep her ongoing prescriptions for pain active.

[CTyankee]

4. I would do that. I have a medical lab extension of Yale NH Hospital in my neighborhood. It's easy.

[2naSalit]

14. Right?

Perhaps you have a GP who might help as long as you tell them about the antibiotics, which I would imagine you'd do.

[Phoenix61]

3. This may be why he is hesitant to prescribe pain meds.

“Anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin or naproxen work well with dental pain because they reduce inflammation,” says Huang. Recent data has shown the combination of Advil (ibuprofen) and Tylenol (acetaminophen) is as effective as prescription opioids for tooth pain.Dec 20, 2022

[CTyankee]

6. Yes, I take ibuprofen with my prescription for acetaminophen with codeine.

[Elessar Zappa]

17. Maybe the case for some.

I’ve had dental pain that could only be lessened with an opiate. I had tried 1600mg ibuprofen and 1500mg Tylenol and it didn’t touch my pain.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

5. Is it because we live in a Big Government Nanny-State?

Just askin'

[LuvLoogie]

7. Did you have an abscess? Did he lance it?

That may alleviate some pressure. Drink some really hot tea. Might help drain any infection. (Whiskey to help you sleep? Just sayin')

[CTyankee]

9. He didn't mention it but he has done a root canal.

[ShazzieB]

35. If you've had a root canal, that presumably means there was an abscess.

Last edited Wed Feb 1, 2023, 06:29 PM - Edit history (3)

Emphasis on "was," because the root canal means it's been treated, but healing can take a while. In the the meantime, I'll share a little trick that my daughter's oral surgeon taught me when she had her wisdom teeth removed.

He told me to give her both tylenol and ibuprofen, alternating every 2 hours. For example, Tylenol at 3 o'clock, ibuprofen at 5, tylenol at 7, ibuprofen at 9, and so on.

Ibuprofen is an NSAID, but tylenol is in a different class of drugs, so it's okay to take them at the same time like this, at least for a limited amount of time. (Longer term, I have no idea and would not recommend without additional research.) By doing this, you get double the pain relief, and alternating every 2 hours means there's never a point where everything wears off at once.

This worked great for my daughter when she was recovering from having 4 impacted wisdom teeth removed. I wish you rapid healing, but for now, I would try this and see if it's helpful. Good luck!

CLARIFICATION: Please note that means taking ONE DRUG OR THE OTHER (NOT BOTH) EVERY 2 HOURS. Each individual drug is taken EVERY 4 HOURS, on an alternating schedule. I hope this is clear!

[James48]

41. WRONG and potentially dangerous!

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) can damage the liver if taken in excessive amounts. Taking a full dose every two hours as you imply could lead to too much and damage the liver. ONLY take drugs as prescribed, and as labeled.

[ShazzieB]

48. Yikes! I know about the dangers of taking excessive amounts of tylenol!

But that's not what I said to do! Or at least not what I meant to say. (I will go back and check that comment for typos after I post this, just in case.)

You take a full dose of tylenol every 4 hours AND a full dose of ibuprofen every 4 hours, alternating so that you take a dose of ONE OR THE OTHER (NOT BOTH) every 2 hours. That's what I meant by the example I gave of tylenol at 3, ibuprofen at 5, tylenol at 7, ibuprofen at 9, etc.

You get double pain relief because you're taking both drugs, and alternating every 2 hours means there's never a point where everything wears off completely. I hope I've made this more clear
Going to check my original comment now to make sure I didn't post misleading information.

EDITED TO ADD: I checked my original post and didn't find any typos, but I added additional clarification to be on the safe side. I hate the idea of anyone thinking I was recommending double doses of tylenol!

P,S. This dosage schedule was recommended by an oral surgeon, who I'm sure was fully versed on what's safe. No overdoses of either drug were involved!

[Marthe48]

55. When I had my gall bladder removed

My dr. told me to do what you suggest. I had an opiate he prescribed, but the alternating of tylenol and Ibuprofen was more effective. I only used 3 of the opiates. I used to take Tylenol 3 (with codeine) for period pain, and it was very helpful.

It is really too bad that whoever regulates doctors and doctors lump everyone together. I'm pretty sure at this stage of life (70s), if I haven't gotten addicted to any substance, I'm not going to get addicted to any substance.

I hope you feel better CTYankee. This has been going on too long for you

[Biophilic]

8. 20 years ago they were handing out pain meds like candy.

The theory being that stopping pain was almost more important than anything else. Then the fear mongers and the theorists got together and decided pain management was dangerous and not really important. I worked through this period and saw people in need being denied pain meds that only a few years before would have been offered and helped them. We do seem to repeatedly do the mistake of swinging the pendulum to far one way and then too far the other.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

10. Those were the days my friend ;)

[Delphinus]

45. My Mom

paid the price of that too. She needed Vicodin for pain and started not taking them because the doctors were reluctant to prescribe. She was 86 and never had a history of abusing them.

[hlthe2b]

11. Believe me, anyone with a DEA license is under the microscope now...

Whether physician, veterinarian, dentist... I share your frustration that it is impacting good analgesia control decisions, but it is a very real issue. Even failure to check the state's database (Prescription Drug Monitoring Program) to make sure the patient (or owner, in the case of veterinarians) is not suspected of abuse or "doctor-shopping" can come back to haunt the prescriber. It is a mess.

That said, NSAIDs-- if you can take them-- can stretch out your pain control with the few tablets prescribed. In fairness, many European countries have always relied more on NSAIDs--even for major orthopedic procedures than we have in the US with demonstrably better results and obviously less opioid addiction. But for chronic pain or intractable neurologic pain, we are really have problems treating it effectively over the long term.

Blame the bad apple prescribers, the pharmaceutical companies that pushed the opioids that caused all the addiction, and those who would redirect legal drugs to the street. But, I do share your frustration.

[werdna]

12. Try this.

https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/features/oil-pulling

I have two teeth that the fillings fell out of 5 and ten years ago. Have been practicing this since. Mix several drops of clove oil for pain relief, tea tree oil to fight infection. Hope this helps.

[Lettuce Be]

15. Was going to mention clove oil -- works great but use just a little -- it's also effective sedative

When I say a little, I mean a drop. Just a drop. I used to drink a drop in some water at night for sleep. You can get clove oil in the natural foods section at the grocery store or a chain like Whole Foods, Natures Grocers, etc.

[iscooterliberally]

13. I guess we're back to the "rub some dirt on it" phase of medicine.

We can't prescribe pain pills because people are buying street drugs laced with fentanyl. People are buying street drugs laced with fentanyl because they can't go to a pharmacy and buy pain pills. We can handle all sorts of very dangerous things as adults, but someone might get high on pain pills. We can't have that! no no.

I will never understand the complete lack of logic, reason and compassion that is our nation's "war on drugs". I'm sorry you have to go through this and hope you feel better soon.

[SergeStorms]

24. Everything was good, until.....

white kids in the suburbs started getting hooked, and eventually dying, from the flood of pain medications on the streets.
When it was confined to the inner cities and only POC were dying, there was nowhere near the outrage and political pressure.
When white suburban kids started OD-ing it was all hands on deck and it became a political hot-button issue.

Sorry to say it, but that's the truth, and I'm a white, suburban, old guy who witnessed it happening.

[appalachiablue]

42. The 1st line, luv it! No joke and thanks..

[Blues Heron]

16. Shameful what the zealots are doing to us. Truly shameful and cruel.

We need a constitutional right to self defense from pain, just like humpers have for their guns.

[Elessar Zappa]

18. Pain management in this country has gotten ridiculous.

[Chalco]

19. This is very common now because of the opioid crisis

Both my husband and I had similar issues with pain regulation and docs limiting their prescriptions.
They said there were new rules.

[Basic LA]

20. Pain relief is now taboo, but pain remains.

I asked my VA doctor what they now recommend for pain ... yoga?

[Chainfire]

22. Yea, you should ask you VA doctor if he uses yoga for dental pain....

[Chainfire]

21. If he is too afraid of the lawyers to practice good medicine, he should find new work.

[debm55]

23. CT, I was going to mail you. I woke up Monday morning and had this huge dark bubble on the roof of

mouth, It didn't hurt. I went to the dentist Monday, he did x rays and said I needed a root canal. Never had one before. He scheduled me for Feb 9. It was an abscess and gave me a script. Mine didn't hurt because it was on the outside of the tooth. I am nervous. Doctors will not give you painkillers because they don't want you to get addicted. Even the painkillers they give you have been mixed with aspirin so you are not getting a true painreliever. It's a bitch, isn't it? My husband was only told to take asprin.

[housecat]

26. Everyone is different, but as long as your mouth is numbed, it might not be bad. My three

root canals didn't cause much pain. Good luck.

[CTyankee]

30. I would ask what are painkillers for, if not for pain? If they say, you are not in pain ask them how

do they know how YOU feel. And why should guidelines be issued without the docs affirming that pain can occur? It seems to be common sense. In the old days when you had a tooth pulled, they gave you a shot of whisky to get you through it. It seems things are not getting all that much better. Better medicine should be better care of pain. But now the imperative with the patient seems to be "Don't get him addicted" rather than "how can I help him get out of pain."

[debm55]

36. The pain meds they are using know are cut with aspirin. I can't take aspirin. I get very sick in the

stomach. I have use clove oil for other teeth but you have to put it on constantly. Well, for me I did. My dentist isn't doing the root canal. He sent me to a specialist. Luckily it is on an upper tooth. I have teeth pulled and given nothing.

[eppur_se_muova]

54. Mixed with aspirin?? Or acetaminophen ? Some combinations have a synergistic effect.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538530/

So yes, that would be a "true" pain reliever, as is acetaminophen alone.

[housecat]

25. from one extreme to another

[Gore1FL]

27. I don't know how it would translate to oral pain

I use weed very effectively for muscle and digestive pain. In MO, it's legal.

[CTyankee]

31. We have a dispensary near our house. My doc could write a prescription.

[BadgerMom]

28. Something else to thank the greed of the Sackler family for.

[appalachiablue]

40. +1

[NewEnglandAutumn]

29. complain LOUDLY

Pharmacists (and Technicians), Doctors, Vets etc are licensed through the states they practice in and are fearful that they could lose their licenses (ability to make a living).

Pharmacies and Hospitals are afraid of being sued. CVS and Walgreens lost massive lawsuits regarding opioids and are constantly requiring employee training to ensure that CII prescriptions are not being misused and the fear of job loss is present.

Patients often feel judged but are becoming increasingly abusive to medical professionals on this issue. The abuse is a major factor in people leaving the profession.

I believe that actively protesting the overly strict laws/rules are causing harm is a key component in fixing the problem. Write call and be vocal.

Sadly, it may take more lawsuits to fix the problem. It does need to be explored because much of the pressure comes from hospitals, pharmacies, insurance companies etc.

I urge people to act before they need medications because by that time it will be too late to do you much good.

[CTyankee]

32. see my previous response. We have a marijuana dispensary on the same block with our primary care

doc.

[Applan]

33. Recovering from a recent surgery I was told

That I could alternate ibuprofen and acetaminophen every 3 hours. It certainly helped me avoid taking the prescribed opioids.

[mtngirl47]

34. Oral CBD tincture will help

I had extensive dental work and CBD under the tongue gave me relief.

[barbtries]

37. the pendulum swings wildly.

a friend and I were recently discussing the way people in true, dreadful pain, are denied the meds that would provide them meaningful relief, because of the overuse of opioids and the skyrocketing death rates etc. It is not fair.

She had a knee surgery and was given only 5 days of oxycontin. I just had surgery for kidney stones in Jan and they would not give me any. Only Diclofenac, even though I asked for oxy and am not at risk for addiction. the only silver lining I came up with regarding this treatment is that there was no constipation. I would have preferred a few hours pain-free.

This treatment does not facilitate healing. it's really regrettable and I don't know when some steps will be taken to let the pendulum swing back to a more humane practice. I'm so sorry you're suffering - we talked about this recently, tooth pain is some of the worst pain.

[judesedit]

38. Get liquid Benedryl. Take a little bit and hold it next to your sore tooth for a few minutes

You can mix it with a little Milk of Mag, but not sure exactly what that does. The Benedryl worked so good, I actually got some sleep. Good luck.

[quitnesset]

39. Be careful with nsaid's

Years ago while awaiting an appointment with an endodontist for two root canals I took Motrin 800 mg. four times a day and it relieved the pain. However, it landed me in the Emergency Dept. With a gastric bleed that necessitated taking out a third of my stomach

[MLAA]

43. 87 year old Husband had major dental surgery 2 weeks ago. Pulled 7 teeth and began implants.

He doesn’t react well to hydrocodone or any opiate so I asked for alternative. Was told 1 extra strength Tylenol + 3 Ibuprofens. I was thrilled and surprised that this combo has kept him pain free. Sending you healing vibes and best wishes.

[True Blue American]

44. My Dentist would only prescribe 800 milligrams

Ibuprofen when I had implants and the number was limited.

You can not even buy Sudafed OTC now. It is in a locked cabinet at the Pharmacy. Too much drug abuse.

[LiberalArkie]

46. They like to prescribe hydro codeine and others like it. I find that Tramadol works just as well

doesn't get the doc in trouble..Tramadol can even he faxed into the pharmacy whereas the xx-codones can not.

[flying_wahini]

47. But they don't worry about their patients and their pain. Got it. Just lawsuits.

[Sogo]

49. You might get yourself some clove oil for your tooth pain:

https://www.healthline.com/health/clove-oil-toothache


https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Clove-Bud-Essential-Oil/dp/B08G3B7S47?th=1

[IbogaProject]

50. Another dental discomfort trick

Melatonin put near the problem tooth, either above it or below it depending on it being upper or lower. Melatonin helps with inflammation, stimulated lymph drainage and boosts the immune response locally. Best wishes and review this thread, the combo mentioned looks like an idea as it comes from an actual medical study.

[usaf-vet]

51. All these over the counter option are fine. BUT if you're on blood thinners be warned they might...

....not be safe if you are taking prescribed blood thinners. Warfarin and Coumadin, to mention two.

Here is another easy example as a comparison. Increasing or decreasing the amount of green salad you eat can swing your INR up or down.

One more I was prescribed a "large" dose of a common antibiotic before dental work. It caused a jump in my blood-thinning INR number.

Your dentist may not know your entire medical history.

I always google any suggested OTC meds to see if they can affect my INR.

Be safe, Be careful.

[CTyankee]

52. No. I am not on blood thinners. I take meds for high blood pressure and that's it.

I'm just really lucky, having made it into my 80s w/o other major problems.

[usaf-vet]

53. Yes you are!

[CTyankee]

56. In a sense, I know how grateful I should be that I have been lucky enough to be healthy but

I know I don't need to be in this situation. It's just so stupid.