Pain medication

Take pain medication if your pain is stopping you from doing the exercises you were told to do by your physiotherapist or if you aren’t moving well at home. Generally, your body will tell you when you need medication for pain; you should take your pain medication at least 30 minutes before activities that may increase your pain. If pain is interfering with your sleep, you may benefit from taking pain medication before sleeping.

Every person is different in their need for pain medication. Some patients may require 6 weeks of regular medication with a weaning (or lessening) of pills over time. Other patients may require medication for only one to two weeks. Most patients are somewhere in between. It is important that you do not suddenly stop your pain medications if you have been taking them on a regular basis, see Question 9 to learn about how to wean off your medication.

If you are still having pain, do not wait until your pain medication is almost done; call your surgeon’s office 3 to 4 days before it is finished. If you have already had your first follow-up visit then call your family doctor who can help you get the right medication for your pain.

Medications for pain relief after surgery belong to three groups – opioids, acetaminophen, and anti-inflammatories (details in "about your pain medication" below). By using pain medications from each of these three groups, it often will reduce your need to take as much opioid medication (which has the most side effects). Always follow the directions on the label of the bottle.

If you were taking opioid pain medication with sleeping pills in the hospital without any problems, it is safe to continue doing this at home. Do not increase the amount of either medication you are taking. If you are starting a new sleeping pill after you left the hospital, speak to your family doctor and tell them that you are also taking opioid pain medication.

Check the directions on the label of the pain medication bottle and review this pamphlet to make sure you are taking the medication properly. If you are not sure, ask your pharmacist. If you continue to experience problems with pain before your first follow-up visit, then call your surgeon’s office. It is important that they know about your pain as they may want to see you to make sure you are healing well.

Constipation (hard bowel movements)

• Drink more liquids, you may also find prune juice helpful
• Eat foods that are high in fiber (e.g. fruits, nuts, beans and whole grain bread)
• Slowly increase your activity
• If your constipation lasts more than 2 days, you may need a laxative or suppository to help your bowels to move. Talk to your pharmacist or family doctor about what medication would be best for you. You may have been given Senokot® or Lax-A-Day® while you were in hospital. You can buy these laxatives over the counter at the drug store.

Nausea and/or vomiting (stomach upset)

1. Take your pain medication with food.
2. Ask your pharmacist or family doctor to recommend something to settle your stomach.
3. If your pain level is okay try taking a smaller amount of pain medication, for example one pill instead of two.
4. If this does not help, please contact your surgeon. The pain medication may need to be changed.

Sleepiness, confusion or dizziness

Stop taking your opioid pain medication and call your surgeon if you are confused, very dizzy or too sleepy to do your daily activities (e.g. falling asleep while eating). If your pain medication makes you a little sleepy or dizzy, try taking a smaller dose, for example, one pill instead of two. If less medication does not help, please call your surgeon. The pain medication may need to be changed.

The risk of addiction is very low. It is important to wean yourself off (slowly reduce) taking the medication when it is no longer needed to allow you to do your exercises or move around your home easily. If you find it difficult (for reasons other than pain, such as the effect on your mood and sleep) to wean off your opioid pain medication, please contact your surgeon or family doctor.

Do not stop taking the opioid pain medication suddenly. Wean off your medication slowly to avoid withdrawal symptoms (sweating, fever, shaking, nausea and/or vomiting, diarrhea, more pain, anxiety, feeling tense, worried or irritable etc.)

Withdrawal symptoms are not a sign that you are addicted. If you experience any of these symptoms when you are weaning off your medication, you may be reducing the amount you are taking too quickly.

To avoid infection, do not put anything on your incision until it is well healed and there are no longer any scabs. It is okay to use these creams as long as you avoid putting them near or on your incision.