Apologies for any weird formatting. I’m a lurker with no idea how to post. For context, I live in the USA, asscrack of the planet.
I had a surgical extraction of a broken tooth at an oral surgeon in a town about an hour away from me. It was a little bit brutal, so I was told to load up on the prescribed ibuprofen/acetominophen and start antibiotics that evening after surgery. After the hour drive home, I went to the pharmacy that I had listed in my paperwork. They had no scripts for me since last year. I called the surgeon’s office. The woman on the phone said she saw them in her system, had an hour left in her shift, and would call me if she saw them sent out. I told her not to worry, that the pharmacy would contact me as soon as they received it. I assumed there was no way they’d leave a patient without post-op meds. Well, I was wrong.
They never sent my prescriptions before closing up for the weekend.
The office doesn’t have an emergency number of any kind. Voicemails or text messages can be left for them to check on Monday. What in the world do I do or even say to these incompetent assholes?
I’m managing my pain with my own medication, but it’s expensive, and they sure as hell aren’t antibiotics. I’m broke, if that helps.
urgent care. like asap.
you need those antibiotics. infections in the mouth can set in within the first 48 hours.
that surgeon could have been looking at a malpractice suit, but you decided to tell them not to worry about it, unfortunately for you. though it could still be argued by a lawyer.
urgent care can prescribe medication or at the very least get in contact with an emergency contact at the office you had the operation done at.
having an abscess or infection in your mouth is one of the worst pains I have ever felt. I would rather have my dick ripped off than feel that pain ever again, and my tolerance for pain is “concerning”, as I have been told by several medical professionals.
First thing I’d do is call the pharmacy again, explain the situation, and ask if they can contact the doctor directly. This is not likely to work, but sometimes they have communication channels beyond the main office line. Pharmacies can sometimes override a prescription and offer enough of a med to get through the weekend, but not likely if this is a one-time prescription and not something you take regularly.
The only other approach is to try to get a prescription from elsewhere, like a telehealth service or an urgent care clinic, but that will require a consult which might come with a copay depending on your insurance (assuming they cover any part of it at all). You might be able to argue with your insurance that this was not your fault and they should cover it due to the circumstances, but they’ll likely tell you that you should have gone somewhere in network anyways.
And this is all on top of the fact that you need pain medication, which could be interpreted as doctor shopping if you’re not careful. If the original script was placed but not signed off and it shows up in an opioid control database (likely won’t if it’s just extra strength tylenol, but would if it’s percocets), there’s a good chance any other prescriber will say no and tell you that you have to follow up with that office when they reopen.
If you have no meds and the pain is unbearable, then you go to the ER. Depending on insurance, prepare for a high cost. Don’t take an ambulance if you can help it.
Yes the USA is fucked.
The pharmacy has been as stumped as I am because the Rx was never placed, but those are great ideas. Ive been afraid of being labeled as a malingerer iin this process jsut because pain meds are involved. So sad! Thank you for your suggestions and feedback!
Ibuprofen/acetaminophen are not narcotics, they’re prescription doses of over the counter medications (acetaminophen in particular can destroy a liver if overdosed, hence “prescription strength”). Go to the pharmacy, ask the pharmacist what their advice is and what options you have for OTC meds or emergency antibiotics, based on what you were told by the dentist/oral surgeon. Sorry your dentist office sucks U_U
Yep, should be no issue with opioid checks if it’s just a higher dose of normal OTC painkillers. Acetaminophen + oxycodone (Percocet) would likely trigger the check, but it’d be the oxycodone part they’re tracking.
Last time I had oral surgery though, they prescribed oxycodone, so might just be worth double checking in case the prescription was for more than just extra strength Tylenol.
Thank you, Sir! Boy is that the truth. Nothing over the counter was designed to do this amount of heavy lifting! They’re terrible for your liver, kidneys, and are not nice to your stomach. My pharmacy doesn’t want a shred of accountabillity, so I can only consult the pharmacist if I have a prescription to discuss. Womp womp U_U
You can safely stack some types of pain medications because they work in
completelyslightly different ways. Ibuprofen + acetaminophen are much more effective than either one by itself. IMO the combination at maximum dose of each is just as effective as prescription pain medication.Cleveland Clinic: “Both ibuprofen and acetaminophen are pain relievers and fever reducers. They both can reduce inflammation, but they work in slightly different ways and are processed by different parts of the body,” says family medicine physician Amy Bernstein, DO. “It can be safe to take them together if taken as directed.”
Also keep detailed notes. In the unlikely event that significant complications occur due to your surgeon’s incompetence you may need them.
Thank you! I’m alternating between 800mg Ibuprofen and 500mg acetaminophen every 3 hours. Can confirm that it does the trick enough to get a few hours sleep at a time! Detailed notes are a great idea, just in case I do end up having complications without antibiotics. Great thoughts!
I’m alternating between 800mg Ibuprofen and 500mg acetaminophen every 3 hours
Looks like your dosage is wrong. The NHS website confirms that 800mg ibuprofen is twice the generally recommended dosage and 500mg of paracetamol is half the dosage for adults.
My doctor did say it was OK to go over the recommended dosage for ibuprofen to me in the short term so is that maybe where you’re getting that? 2400mg a day seems like an ass load though.
If I’m in serious pain I alternate them every three hours but always take the ibuprofen with food as it’s harsh on the tummy so my schedule would be, for example:
8am 2 x 200mg Ibuprofen with food
11am 2 x 500mg paracetamol
2pm 2 x 200mg Ibuprofen with food
5pm 2 x 500mg paracetamol
EtcDon’t alternate, take them together and take the maximum dose (on the label) of each. It makes a massive difference.
This is what I mean when I say alternating (just for clarity), devised by oral surgeons, not my vibes:
800mg ibuprofen -> (wait 3 hours) -> 500mg acetominophen -> (wait 3 hours) -> Repeat
This could be all I need for one surgery, or completely useless trash for another… but imo, If you take them both together, you’ll feel more pain overall when they wear off. Overlap reduces that with a leapfrog effect. Or not. Just listen to your professionals
Acetaminophen is supposed to be taken every 4-6 hours while ibuprofen is 6-8 hours. When I’ve really needed serious pain relief I’ve waited maybe 5 hours between acetaminophen doses and 7 hours for ibuprofen. Because they’re staggered there isn’t a period where one of them wasn’t working unless the maximum daily dose is hit. I made sure didn’t happen by waiting longer between doses when I could.
Just listen to your professionals.
I wish. I’ve talked to my doctors dozens of times about sometimes needing something stronger for pain relief and not one of them has mentioned combining these two drugs. Instead I had to find out about them by coming across an article on pain relief.
I hope you feel better fast.
The crazy part is that I’m just following what they wrote in the aftercare instructions. I guess it’s considered fine to go ham for a few days in extenuating circumstances? Thank you for the kind wishes!
Forgot to mention that the important thing to keep in mind is the maximum daily dose - 4,000mg for acetaminophen and 3,200mg for ibuprofen.
Yes! And if you’re anything like me, expect your stomach to feel like raw hell during the 800ibuprofen/500acetominphen onslaught. I’m also on a liquid diet, please pray for me! Lol
I’m not a doctor, but I did have an extraction from an oral surgeon a few years ago. My understanding was the antibiotics are more of a precaution than a necessity. I’d definitely try some of the things other commenters suggest, but you’ll likely be fine if you aren’t able to start them until Monday.
Really appreciate you for sharing your wisdom on that! Thank you for reminding me about that fact. It’s easy to get all kinds of freaked out with this pain and chaos. I didn’t have a pre-existing condition that would make antibiotics necessary. Still, the audacity to take thousands of dollars from me and then… oopsie! Sheesh!
No worries! That does sound frustrating. And recovering from extractions is painful.
As I understand it, the antibiotics are mainly because mouths are full of bacteria. You don’t want bacteria breeding in the extraction site and turning into an infection. If your surgeon gave instructions for rinsing with warm salt water, that can keep bacteria from growing there too. Just make sure to be gentle until it starts to heal more.
If it’s legal in your area, cannabis (get an indica strain that is noted as effective for pain) can help, when you take it with ibuprofen and acetaminophen, plus use ice packs. It’s not nearly as good as proper pain meds but will help a lot, and can help with sleep.
I’m not able to do any kind of smoking, vape or edibles. HOWEVER! There are topical salves out there that help immensely. They’re usually 100% on thc and cbd in an oily little tub. That and my massive pain tolerance are what I’m using currently. Excellent tip!!!
Oof, I really feel for you. I hope you can part ways with this pain as soon as possible!
Thank you! I wish you many deserved joys for having that kind of empathy!
I wouldn’t recommend cannabis as a panacea for pain if the person has no prior experience with it. I have chronic pain and cannabis makes my pain much worse.
That’s a good point, thank you.
Fellow American so I know how much this suggestion sucks but… ER? Do you have insurance?
My insurance is garbage. I feel as though any ER department in my city is basically at its breaking point, so I can’t really justify going unless I’m literally dying. That and the massive life-destroying bill I would incur. Thanks for understanding! It’s never been more important to go vote, and get everybody we know to go do the same
