Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

[Arn]

Great insight on packaging and labeling. I'm working on my Spanish, but doubt I'd be capable of explaining the different "pain" tablets...maybe just chuck'em all and keep up with the vinotinto along the way.
Gracias!
Arn

[MermaidLilli]

I took a box of Emergen-C with me to the Camino. A little extra weight at first, but each day I was one packet lighter. It is called "Emergen-C Joint Health", tangerine flavored. I put it in one of my water bottles and drank 1 each day. The box comes with 36 packets. It has Glucosamine 500mg and Chondroitin 400 mg, along with Vitamin C 1000mg and a bunch of other vitamins and minerals in smaller quantities. This was recommended by Grant Spangler in another site and swore by it. I took it and other than the days where I overdid it on the downhills, I did great, my knees were thankful.
Joyful,
Lillian

[rafferty]

I would love a pound/euro/dollar for every patient I have treated with vinotintos cavalier attitude to prescription drugs."They are necessary,why not,I can take them,I didn't know they were so strong,I never read the packet,I wish I hadn't bothered,why me,somebody told me they were OK",etc,etc---just some of the comments I have heard after the event.
I have been a serious walker since my teens and am now in my 60th year.When I overdo it I still occasionally get aches and pains in my muscles.However I do not see this as unnatural so I do not reach for chemicals as there is no cure required.
In my mid twenties I had a motorbike accident and smashed my knee pretty badly.When it was mended and fully healed I had to rebuild my muscles which took a while.I did then rely on minimum doses of painkiller.I do accept that there is a place for medication but only where necessary.I stopped taking the pills ASAP and I was soon back on my bike,something I still do most everyday on my BMW.
ARN mentioned the use of Glucosamine which has proved to be effective for many people particularly elderly people with stiff joints.
Arn, say hello to your uncle for me.He must have had an interesting time way back then.I started in 1968 and it was seen as quite odd even then for a guy to go into nursing.

[WolverineDG]

The first time I walked the camino, I took 200 mg ibuprofen with me. My body only laughed at that puny dosage. Thinking I needed another kind of pain killer, I went to a pharmacia & was given 600 mg Ibuprofen. That stuff worked! However, I already knew that continual usage at that dosage could cause problems, so I only took it at night, after a meal, once per day. Then every other day, since it was working so well on the pain I had experienced, that I didn't need it every day.

Of course, now I see that I could have simply taken 3 of my 200 mg pills, but that wasn't as much fun as going to a pharmacy & practicing my Spanish.

Kelly

[sillydoll]

John, how do you feel about homeopathic medications such as Traumeel?
I am asthmatic so do not use Ibuprofens. When I was still running, I used to start taking traumeel three days before an ultra-marathon, during the race, and for three days after. Traumeel are anti-inflammatory and analgesic and are supposed to be good for sprains, bruises, post-operative or post-injury swelling, etc., as well as various arthritic conditions. Perhaps they would be a good alternative for those who can't tolerate other drugs?

[vinotinto]

I would love a pound/euro/dollar for every patient I have treated with vinotintos cavalier attitude to prescription drugs

Yeah, I'm kind of naughty that way - I need to be spanked! Good thing we're focusing on over-the-counter stuff here, although as you say, even those can be abused. But since life is 100% fatal, I can't bring myself to get overly anal about stuff like that.

However, at times I caught myself wishing that Amsterdam was on the Camino. Man, that would've been somewhat helpful, especially during the early, painful stages of the Way. Unfortunately, I don't think US customs would've allowed me to bring back a souvenier scallop-adorned bong, though...

[vinotinto]

maybe just chuck'em all and keep up with the vinotinto along the way.

Well, someone on the Way told me that in the olden days, it was the drunkard pilgrims that tended to make it to Santiago - more so than their drier brethren. Guess the vino helped kill the pain and keep the nasties away. It certainly worked for me, especially since I avoided getting falling-down drunk...as the great philosopher Dirty Harry said, "a man's got to know his limitations."

Of course, my Spanish friends were a bit more adventurous than I. One night (I believe it was at Portomarin), we all went out and had a nice dinner. After that, we stopped for drinks here and there, and ended up at the restaurant over my albergue. We nailed some orujo, and since it was getting late I staggered down to bed, as did a couple others in the group. However, five or six of the die-hards (guys and gals) kept hitting the demon liquor until they began to dare each other to start walking that night. Well, you know how daring and booze mix...

They grabbed a bottle of orujo, ran down to their albergue, got their gear, and headed off on the Camino - at around midnight. The idea was to "see the stars" and experience the Milky Way magic. Unfortunately, the stars were obscured by clouds, and it began to rain. They spent the rest of the night drinking and huddling under their ponchos in a grassy area next to the trail. Ah, youth...

[rafferty]

Sillydoll.Yes Traumeel is very effective and with far less chance of having side effects.The way you used it is spot on.
It comes in tablet,gell and ointment forms.For aching muscles as experienced on the Camino though I would prefer the gell or ointment.This can be massaged into the specific area where the discomfort is felt.If you take any tablets remember that the drug will be absorbed into your bloodstream and then will pass through all of your various organs.I consider this to be overkill for an aching calf/thigh muscle.
Some people will be put off Traumeel as it is categorised as homeopathic.It should be seen as alternative perhaps.It is a fairly complex preparation with well tried ingredients such as arnica montana,aconitum and echinacea among others.
When I mentioned prescription drugs previously I meant to include over the counter medications,afterall they come with the manufacturers prescribed dosage as opposed to recreational drugs.
Lastly Vinotintos idea of a glass or two of wine with your evening meal is my idea of self-medication.Possibly explains why I very rarely suffer unduly from aching muscles.

[Arn]

I have never come across Traumeel and must do some research.

Then again, Vintotinto and I join a majority of folks enjoying self medicating with a bit of the grape!

I can understand why Sil is a strong advocate of Traumeel...pass me your glass Sil!

Arn

[Rebekah Scott]

Wish I could get my hands on some Traumeel. The farmacia-ista in Sahagun gave me That Look when I asked her for it. (the look I got everywhere I askfor Tea Tree oil, or vanilla extract, or maple flavoring...)

For non-Rx painkillers in Spain, the dose of choice is Paracetemol. Cheap, easy to find, extremely effective, and I am not allergic to it... and I am allergic to everything!
I think in US it is called Motrin.

Tinto makes a great chaser.
Reb.

[jeff001]

In the US Motrin is a "band name" version of ibuprofen. Unlike paracetemol it also has anti-inflammatory properties.

[kubapigora]

It is called "Emergen-C Joint Health", tangerine flavored. I put it in one of my water bottles and drank 1 each day. The box comes with 36 packets. It has Glucosamine 500mg and Chondroitin 400 mg, along with Vitamin C 1000mg and a bunch of other vitamins and minerals in smaller quantities.

Sounds interesting- I would like to find something similar in Britain. It would be also a great way to have more tasty drink than just water.
Talking of Ibuprofen:
My mother is a nurse in polish national health service. Since I was very young- she stuffed me with drugs of any kind (that's what they used to do back then in our country)- antibiotics, painkillers, tons of vitamins, minerals. I have had some injections as well. I'm 26 now and stuff like Ibuprofen, Paracetamol in quantities you are talking about is just not enough. I would have to take probably some 4-5 500mg Ibuprofens tablets just to feel ANY reaction in my organism. The more you take- the more you need next time, so it is worth considering if you really need a pill for your next headache.
Take care (but not too much:))
Kuba.

[notion900]

The cheapest place to buy Ibuprofen is Pound shops in the UK: 3 packs of 16 for a pound!!! In Spain it seems to come in weird strengths, as several people mention. I only took one each evening to keep a lid on inflammation, and I didn't take it in the daytime ever, becuase I don't believe in masking pain: if your body is hurting it is telling you to take a rest.

[falcon269]

Vitamin I

Ranger Candy

Ibuprofen works. My doctor prescribed 1000 mg two to three times a day for lower back pain, so I guess it is not too toxic in large doses. I did find that at that dose, if I got a nosebleed, it did not like to stop! With dust and allergies on the Camino that could aggravate my nose, I stayed with 400 mg 3 to 4 times per day, and had no problems.

I ran out at Sahagun, and paid more for a couple of dozen pills than I pay in the U.S. for a bottle of several hundred. Since they don't weigh anything to speak of, take all that you could possible need and save a bit of money.