Can I take painkillers before an appointment?
TLDR:
Yes!
“I didn’t take painkillers because I didn’t want to make it harder for you to find out what’s wrong.”
When taking your history, I have already built up a good idea of what's going on and what is possibly the problem. The examination then helps me to confirm my diagnosis or rule in/out any other possibilities and work out any finer details.
For example, I might know from your history that you have sciatica - and my examination can tell me where in the body the issue is (for example a weak reflex in your foot tells me the issue is likely at the bottom of your back, cool right?)
Do I need you to be in 10/10 agony to come to the same conclusion? No!
“I don’t want to mask the problem with painkillers”
I get it, I don’t like to take pain killers if I don’t have to either. I understand that you may be worried that painkillers are masking something more serious, however I am trained to spot when something is more serious, and not always the person in the most pain that is the person in the most trouble. Following on from our sciatica example earliler, a red flag for sciatica patients is incontinence or lack of sensation in the genital area.
People who use painkillers actually often find that taking away or taking the edge off the pain helps them to move more easily/normally - this in turn speeds up the recovery process as we’re guarding the area less, improving blood flow to the area and are generally less stressed and anxious!
So the moral of the story here is it’s your choice. If you don’t want to take painkillers then I completely understand. However if you are taking painkillers, please don’t think that you need to stop taking them before you see me