Ketorolac and Burning: What Users Say

• Jes...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 16, 2019

For Pain "I hate taking this. I mean hate taking it. It burns your nose, it usually makes me feel sick for a couple of days. But it helps so much with pain, even instantly. I would rather deal with a burning nose and sore throat than my fibromyalgia pain, so I am grateful for this medication."

• rho...
• March 2, 2013

For Pain "I have severe osteoarthritis in both knees, anti-inflammatories work a little. I was in so much pain I went to the ER. They gave me a shot of Toradol, and it was a miracle. Only downfall was initial burning from the shot, but well worth the relief."

• Anonymous
• April 26, 2012

For Pain "Was getting severe migraines. Tried aspirin and Motrin. Both didn't work at all. I needed something stronger. My doctor then prescribed Sprix nasal spray. She told me to spray to the outer part of my nostrils and to only breathe through my mouth (do not breathe through my nose or sniff, otherwise you will feel a burning sensation like others I've read on here). I did exactly as she instructed and AMAZINGLY the migraine was gone in 5 minutes. And there was no burning sensation at all. I love Sprix. It's now my go-to medicine to relieve my migraine."

• Red...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 2, 2019

For Pain "So my first dose was a quite uncomfortable burning sensation. Second dose was less burning. 3rd and 4th doses for the day barely any burning at all. This has taken my pain from an 8-10 down to a 1-2 on the pain scale. I've used this medicine to treat my chronic low back pain, myofascial pain syndrome, and chronic sciatica. The doctor has given me this to get me through until I can get to pain management. I'm already seeing fantastic results, I might just continue with this medication."

• Med...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 18, 2013

For Pain "I get the shot once in a while in conjunction with a steroid shot in my hips for possible sciatic/back pain. The burning and increased pain afterward is well worth having a day or two of some kind of relief. Doesn't help me all the way and takes a while to fully work for me, but I'll take that over my daily pain any day."

• Sjs...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 15, 2018

For Pain "Please read if you are taking Sprix for the first time: It is VERY important that you do NOT inhale like you would with a typical nasal spray. It will burn like CRAZY and is completely unnecessary. Also, point the tip in the direction of your outer nostril. If you do this, you should get crazy pain relief. This is from someone who's been on 180 max strength percs per month for quite a while after my anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) of C-5 C6."

• Pai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 25, 2020

For Pain "I find Sprix to be helpful for migraine and neck pain. Make sure to read the instructions carefully. Should be sprayed to the side of inside the nostril and not inhaled; breathe through mouth a few minutes, and this reduces the burning. Can use the same bottle up to 24 hours; don't put in the fridge after using. Can apply every 6 to 8 hours. My doc didn't say whether to do one or both nostrils, so I tried one the first time, and it helped. The second migraine episode, the headache was worse, so I tried both nostrils, and it helped. I'm a woman, age 58, height 5'5" and weigh 145 lbs."

• Zar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 7, 2016

For Pain "I've had a chronic migraine issue, but this time was different. The pain and tightness in my brain was unbearable for 5 whole days, so I finally made a trip to the ER after calling to find out my neurologist can't see me for 4 months. I waited 4 hours for a doctor, and they decided to push in the IV: 10 mg dexamethasone, 10 mg prochlorperazine, 50 mg Benadryl, NACL 0.9% 1000 ml @2000 mL/hour, and then the 'satanic drug from hell,' Ketorolac 30 mg, aka Toradol 30 mg. The nurse started pushing Toradol, and omg! My arm was on fire, my body hurt, so uncomfortable, so terrible! And I'm someone who's pulled out their own nail with no pain meds. It numbs your senses and makes you too aware at the same time, couldn't cry, couldn't talk! Terrible! Didn't even manage the pain."

• Taw...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 10, 2019

For Pain "I was given this by my neurologist for migraines. I’m also an epileptic, so taking any new meds can cause my seizures to be worse. So it’s been sitting in my fridge for 3 weeks. 4 days ago, I had a really bad seizure, and with it came the horrible migraine. I took my first dose of Sprix, and I felt like I had just sprayed pepper spray up my nose! Omg!! It was like an instant panic attack from pain! Once the pain in my nose was gone (about 15 min), I noticed my migraine was almost completely gone. I had to talk myself into taking my second dose. But once I made it past the burn, my migraine was completely gone, so yes, the Sprix works great on migraines, it was amazing!! My issue is how healthy is this if it comes with that much pain.....?"

• Anonymous
• October 13, 2011

For Pain "Worked very quickly on relieving menstrual migraine pain. Following the instructions on how to properly use the spray is a must. I didn't the first time and felt a burning sensation that lasted about 3 minutes. The second time, I cleared my nose, looked down, inserted the tip, and angled it away from the center of my nose. That time I didn't feel anything at all."

• aut...
• September 28, 2018

For Pain "I get a Toradol shot when I get a migraine that lasts longer than a day and when naproxen hasn't helped. I have had them help, and sometimes they do not. Got one today, and the pain was gone within an hour. Plus, the nurse did a great job, no burning sensation after the injection. I have been lucky lately, not having a bad burning sensation. I once had a nurse inject it quickly and had the worst burning sensation from it. I think when it is injected slower, it's better. Overall, the Toradol shot is good for me. I also take hydroxyzine (anti-anxiety, antihistamine) at the onset of a migraine too. The NSAID and antihistamine work very well for me."

• Sug...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 9, 2013

For Pain "Severe arthritis in my breastbone, spine, both knees, left ankle, and neck! Went to the ER after almost a week of pains in my chest, was given an injection! It burned at first, but afterwards no pain, but felt a little sick to the stomach later!"

• Ava...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 19, 2018

For Pain "I absolutely wish there was a formulation I could take for more than 5 days. If I could take this every day, I could probably go off of my narcotic pain meds. I will agree with many, the taste and burning can be hard, but it’s definitely worth it. At least for me."

• she...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 28, 2013

For Pain "The injection hurt, was a very big sting and burning sensation. I was hoping for relief sooner and longer, but it did neither. I got the shot about 4 pm, was able to move my arm without pain about 5 pm, and was back to hurting before 6 pm."

• Lov...
• May 14, 2013

For Pain "Got injection at ER for migraine. Worked fast and took the edge off the pain. The worst part was the actual shot, intense pressure and burning for about 15 mins due to it being injected into muscle. I'll probably be sore for a few days. Otherwise, effective, fast-acting medicine."

• Jes...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 26, 2021

For Pain "Went into the ER on Friday, April 23, for chest and left arm pain, was given a Toradol injection in my left arm, burned like anything, kind of like 3 bees stung me. It eased the pain for a little, from about a 10 to a 7 in pain level. It is now Sunday, and I still feel the stinging sensation in my arm, and the pain has gone down all the way to my left rib cage. Now, my chest is just fine, but now I have this damn pain from the injection. I have been placing a cold ice pack, and it helps a little. At night, pain gets worse where I had the injection. I honestly don't recommend Toradol, it hurts like anything."

• Dia...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 18, 2018

For Pain "I have not found that Sprix is very helpful for me. I felt no change in my pain relief. The burning that some have mentioned was not that bad to me. Don't sniff it in. That's not how you are supposed to take it. Make sure to watch the video, and it shows exactly how to do it!"

• gor...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 4, 2020

For Pain "When I used Sprix to treat my migraines, I was quite shocked over the severe burning pain it caused in my nose. The burning was far worse than the migraine, and I could not keep using this without lidocaine nasal gel or spray. At the time I bought Sprix, I did not have any drug coverage from my health insurance. Shockingly, a 1-month prescription cost me over $500.00 U.S. dollars!! When I asked to be switched to generic oral Toral (Ketorolac) tablets, the same month's supply and dosage cost me about $20.00 U.S. dollars. Oral ketorolac worked equally effectively to the Sprix nasal spray in terms of analgesia, drug onset time, and duration. I have gastroparesis (stomach paralysis), which can delay oral meds from reaching my intestine, but found that the 20-40 minute onset helped. My bottom line is to avoid Sprix nasal spray as it is grossly overpriced, and it causes such severe burning pain in the nose that Sprix scares away the migraine."

• Kit...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 9, 2019

For Pain "I was prescribed this medication by my pain management doctor. Unfortunately, the doctor didn't tell me how much to use, so I called my pharmacist and asked him. He said 1 spray per nostril, which is what I did. No pain relief. I did more research this morning and found that the dosage is weight-based. Over 50 kg means that I need 2 sprays per nostril. Yes, it does burn, but not for very long. I'd read all of the prescribing information that came with the medication, so I knew about the nose burn, which will go away after time. I've been dealing with migraine pain, especially after having lidocaine shots over my eyebrows. This knocked down the migraine pain to tolerable. Unfortunately, I can't find out how long this drug will stop my pain after I stop using it. I'm guessing that it must last for a while, or the dosage would be higher. Unfortunately, I started on a Friday night, so I'll have to wait until Monday to call the company to get answers for my questions."

• Anonymous
• February 22, 2020

For Pain "Awful nasal pain and caused a horrible headache. Nose burned so bad that my eyes watered, and my nose wouldn’t stop running. Will never use again. Prefer the Toradol injection much more over this! Didn’t even touch my joint pain."

• Anonymous
• October 20, 2011

For Pain "The inhaler process is very rough on the nose; burning sensation, bad taste, sore throat. But eventually, that goes away, and you are left with an analgesic good for very mild pain. My doctor prescribed it for occasional severe back pain, and it is not working for that."

• Lis...
• December 25, 2017

For Pain "This medication worked so well that I can tolerate the horrid burning of my nose that seemed to penetrate all through my head and into my ears. It is awful but does not compare to the pain of a migraine headache. I was completely shocked by the results, I can actually go about my life as opposed to being confined to my bed and dark room, dry heaving from the pain and light and smell sensitivity. Trust me, 5 minutes of burning brain is welcomed compared to the results of this medication."

• Fri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 1, 2018

For Pain "I had a superior hypogastric plexus block, aka a giant needle guided by x-ray through muscles and spine to numb some nerves for my chronic endometriosis pain. I was given SPRIX to help in my recovery from the injection, and it did nothing but make me nauseous. If it helped with the pain, I couldn't tell. I think Percocet would do better than this NSAID, SPRIX. Note: I've got a tolerance for strong meds, so it takes a lot of anything to help me when I have severe pain. I think it might help others, but isn't strong enough for me. My dosage was 15.75 mg spray in each nostril every 6-8 hours. The burn hurts bad, makes me cry, and sometimes makes me sneeze. After 1 day of usage with no relief, I'm calling my doctor for something else. FYI: On the other hand, this block I get does help my endometriosis pain after the recovery from the injection itself. If you happen to have chronic endo pain, I can recommend this shot."

• Sur...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 1, 2017

For Pain "I had major ankle surgery. This was one of the medications I was given. You have to keep it refrigerated, but when opened, it can be at room temperature. I want you to know my throat hurt so bad after surgery, too. I had a nerve block done also, so I waited till the next day to use this medication. I read about the burning, but didn't realize it was like someone placing burning coals in your nose. I was like, omg, omg, for about 5 minutes. Then all of a sudden, no pain, not even my throat was hurting anymore. After about 6 hours, I did it again, it did hurt, but not as bad as the first time. The only thing was when it was wearing off, I got a bad headache. Other than that, no problems. For someone in moderate to severe pain, I would recommend."

• lan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 18, 2018

For Pain "I used Sprix today for a migraine that’s been going on for about 4 months. I hated it, I tilted my head down and did as it said, but still, my nose burned so bad. And after that, it dripped into my throat, which hurt even worse, I wanted to cry. This lasted for about 20 minutes, and it didn’t even bring me any migraine relief."