Sorry that I can't answer your question about pain relievers but I thought you might want to consider compression socks. I find that my legs don't feel so tired and achy when I wear them.

Who recommends things without knowing your situation. I've found that wearing compression socks helps a lot with calf pain. You may also want to get checked by a vein specialist.

I was asking opinions about the efficacy of Advil over ibuprofin. But I do thank you for recommending a vein specialist. If this is a condition that can be helped by a vein specialist I might seek their help. Being referred to a specialist is often problematic and frustrating. My PCP is overwhelmed with patients and I try to avoid his small, crowded waiting room. Specialists are often only available months away. the only wanted to try an OTC painkiller before I went to him.

I can easily get compression socks and OTC pain relievers. I can't avoid using stairs, just limiting the number of times I use them. But I can switch from Ibuprofin to Advil. Perhaps they are the same, I don't know.

Ibuprofin is the medication. Advil is the brand name. Or Motrin.

A woman in my social walking group suddenly got leg pain that prevented her from walking with us. They found that she got a "leaky vein" and are preparing to fix it. I'm reasonably sure there could be 50 reasons for leg pain.

Side comment: When I had knee pain that made stairs a problem, I kept lists at tops and bottoms of stairs of things to do/get when I did do the stairs. You've probably already figured that out, or some equivalent.

and Ibuprofen are in the pain killer class of NSAIDS and basically the same. Aspirin as well. Only Tylenol is different. I only know this because they cause an allergic reaction in me. Tylenol doesn't. There are OTC meds specifically for leg pain. My doc also told me to take magnesium supplements. Check with your medical provider.

Or Magnesium cream if you get leg cramps. It's easily absorbed through the skin, so it goes right to the problem area.

I get let cramps from tromping around gardens the size of football fields. Magnesium capsules helped. I take on a daily basis.

A friend got that.

I was having signifigant pain every time I had to go up the steps. Dr. said it was tight hamstrings. He told me to stand on the lowest step with just the front part of my foot on the step and to lower and raise my heels. It really helped stretch out those hamstrings and I did it for probably 2 weeks and not a problem since.

you're sweating. And drink the e-lytes that have sugar.

Look for ones that have potassium and magnesium. Sugar will just raise your glycemic index. I like Ultima or LMNT. LMNT is a little salty, but works for serious problems. Also, Redmond's Re-Lyte.

I've heard that's great for dehydration. My chiro suggested drinnking it twice a week.

It's supposedly very good. Frankly, I'm not a big fan of the taste, but YMMV.

Over ice. Seems OK; really, like water. Not much of a taste to it.

I didn't like the smell so I chopped some basil leaves, then bruised them with the pestle.

(sip)

That does the trick. Lovely aroma.

I think I'll also try cucumber slices.

If 400 MG Ibuprofen isn't enough, you might add 500 Acetaminophen (Tylenol). You can actually take up to 800 MG Ibuprofen with 1000 MG Acetaminophen, but that would only be short term use (a week). You might want the pain investigated with a doctor to make sure it isn't something other than muscle pain.

On edit: The 800 MG dose of ibuprofen is a prescription level dose with a maximum of 2400 or 3200 per day depending on weight. Maximum daily dose for self-treatment is 1200.

You may have done this already, but have you tried stretching your calves. Going up and down the stairs tighten the calm muscles. Those muscles constantly being constricted/tight, can cause pain.

Advil and ibuprofen are basically the same. Advil is just branded name.

P.S. There was a study done which showed those who lived in home with stairs generally had a longer life span.

Last edited Tue Aug 20, 2024, 11:00 AM - Edit history (1)

1. Add Magnesium Glycinate to your diet. Capsules. Easiest to digest. Reduces leg cramps.

2. From October 2023 until April 2024 (six months), I had severe leg pain and weakness. Couldn't use alternate legs for going up stairs. Going down stairs was a peril. Hobbling when I walked. Then it went away. Doing some online research, I found that some people have these symptoms after getting a Covid shot. Apparently it triggers Guillam Barre syndrome. Fortunately it's temporary with the effects of the vaccine. The symptoms went away in the Spring and I'm fine right now. Walking, stairs, etc. My doctor has recommended that I forego future vaccines and wear a mask.

Have you had a vaccine recently?

But it hasn't worked with pain in calves. I do have a bottle of with some Advil left and the expiration date is in 2025. I'll let folks here know what happens...gonna try cherry juice from my health foods store. It can't hurt and might help!

I'll call my pharmacy about Magnesium Glycinate.

Thanks.

I was recently at the home of someone who passed away of a lung illness. I noticed there was a stair thing going up the stairs. His wife told me they rented it and it will be going back, but he was able to have it for the time he needed it and their insurance paid for it.

I didn't know you could rent those things.

cuz diff pain killers work in diff ways, a combo will b more effective than a single drug.
so, an advil, a tylenol and a low-dose aspirin will b way more effective than a large dose of any 1 drug.

also, my fave yoga posture for lower back/leg pain is called legs up the wall.
exercise starts at about 4 min.

Consider Physical Therapy, could be piriformis syndrome causing sciatic pain

I suffer from leg cramps at night. I have found that either a spoonful of mustard or a 100 mg gummies magnesium tablet eliminates the cramp within minutes. I tend to avoid regular and prolonged use of analgesics due to potential liver damage. Neither the magnesium nor the mustard should present any negative health issues.

...muscular from strain, sciatica from back issues, poor circulation, but I am not a doctor. Ask yours the next time you see him.

Advil is the brand name, ibuprofen is the generic name. It can be good for short term pain, but shouldn't be taken every day long terrm because it is very hard pn the kidneys and is associated with increased risk of things like gastric bleeding.

Tylenol/acetaminophen might be a better choice. It's a centrally acting pain reliever that's a little better tolerated.

You haven't said what kind of pain. If it's sharp and occurs during and for a short time after using the stairs, you might want to get checked out for vascular insufficiency, which means your legs aren't getting enough circulation and they're complaining about it.

You can also look into getting a stair lift. It's a fold down seat that travels along a rail on one side of the stairs to get you up and down. Medicare might pay part of the cost and it can be extremely helpful when stairs get to be a problem.

I used to think gravity would be my enemy as I aged. Now I know it's entropy.

layout in our neighborhood.

As for the pain, it is just soreness, sometimes very much so, as it has been lately. Trying not to take the stairs a lot takes planning and not being forgetful and having to run back upstairs for something I forgot. I have arthritis in my knees and lower spine.

Even with room for a straight flight of stairs, they insisted on putting landings on them to make them go around corners. Been there, done that, swore I'd never do it again.

I've had arthritis since I was 13 or so.

When I was in my 50's (I'm now 75) I began having knee pain. It was difficult going down stairs. I was advised to go to the pharmacy and purchase some glucosamine and chondroitin tablets. These tablets quickly eliminated my pain and did so for 20 years, when suddenly in 2020, the pain in my knees returned and also in my right shoulder and right hip.

I was fortunate to stumble upon a YouTube video of a fellow talking about Moringa Leaf Powder and how it eliminated his joint pain caused by a rare form of arthritis he had. Moringa leaf is a super food you can learn about on the NIH website. It's used to help feed poor populations. I was in constant pain and forced to go down the stairs one step at a time, like a two-year old. So, I gave it a try. You can order it on Amazon. I recommend the capsules, as the powder is not all that tasty, although I have found one powder that does not taste too bad. Private message me for the brand if you would like it and how I take it.

It worked pretty quickly, I'd say within two weeks my joint pain was gone. Within 6 months I had lost over 30 pounds.This was an added bonus I hadn't known about. Fast forward to 2024 and I'm still pain free and I've kept most of the weight off.

I recommend you take more than the recommended amount. The usual dose is one or two capsules twice daily. That worked for quite awhile, but I've doubled my dose in the last year or so. It's considered a super food, so it's safe.

Wishing you good luck.