#nsaids make me feel bad and tylenol doesn't really do anything for me

[bladeofthestars]

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[werevampiwolf]

I am someone who actually did develop a tolerance for ibuprofen at least when I was a teenager. Mostly because I have always had chronic pain so took it constantly for years and years. I got to the point of taking 4 pills every six or so hours and even then it still wasn't helping, so I stopped taking it. Now I take prescription-grade anti-inflammatory meds once a day and am better off. Though that means I also can't take NSAIDs if I'm feeling worse than usual, so my only option is Tylenol. So if you're hurting, and you can take them, pop an ibuprofen or two on my behalf, okay?

Fun fact, I also have a CYP mutation (the rare kind) that means my body processes opiods so quickly that they don't really do anything, which is fun. I've woken up during surgery every time, and the second I wake up afterward, I'm fully lucid. My (normal) sister and I were both put under for wisdom tooth removal (she was actually put under about 15 minutes before me) and she woke up and was loopy and holding her breath to try and make shapes with the oxygen monitor readout ("hehe, it looks like a cityyyy~") and I was just sitting next to her like "just breathe normal, you're going to scare the nurses". I'm not sure if she even remembers it, but I do. She went under first and only had 3 wisdom teeth to remove to my 4, so she was done before me, too. The first time I had surgery (as a teenager- tumor removal), immediately afterwards I ate an Everything Bagelwich and watched, in order, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Castle in the Sky, and Kiki's Delivery service. If my mother has surgery and gets put on opiods, she has no idea what the fuck is going on for days to weeks. She has said that if we'd asked to go jump rope in the middle of a 4-way intersection, she'd probably have said yes. It's possible she has a more common CYP mutation that makes you process it slower, so it stays in your system longer. As far as I can tell, my mutation originated with me and wasn't inherited.

But yeah, medicine is there for a reason. Take it if you need it, and if it doesn't work, talk to a medical professional if you can; don't just keep taking more. If it doesn't work in the first place and you keep taking more, you're going to hit the toxicity limit before it's actually effective, which is Bad

I'm begging people to not be afraid of OTC pain meds.

OTC pain meds are not a devil’s bargain or a moral failing. They are a tool to reduce unneeded suffering. They do not destroy your organs if taken correctly, and there is no reward for the people who take the fewest pills in life.

Take what helps, and take it safely! If you have prescription meds or other health issues, always check for possible interactions/adverse effects.