Aspirin Alternatives Compared

For Pain: I have been taking aspirin for the last 35 years or so for headache related pain. It is far more effective than Tylenol or ibuprofen. It's pretty safe and very affordable.

For Pain: This would be the second most effective NSAID for me, behind Motrin but well ahead of Aleve or other OTC's of any type - It is my preference for "cold and flu" because it breaks a fever pretty quick. If there is a downside, it's that if I take 2 or 3 a day for more than a week, it definitely causes a ringing in my ears, loud. Short-term or simple pain, the old school aspirin just works.

For Pain: While getting an entire back tattoo, the artist in Thailand have me some tramadol to reduce the pain. As I had to visit him every day to get the tattoo done, so my dosage increased. After a month straight I was taking 500mg per day. Long story short, it was very hard to stop. This was years ago when the drug first came out and there wasn't any info on the Internet about it other than that the manufacturer said..... It's not addictive. Yeah, right!

For Pain: Worked good for pain but caused lots of nausea and blurry vision.

For Anxiety: I've struggled with moderate to severe generalized anxiety for all of my life - mostly related to social and performance situations. I've tried many different drugs and have never been sure that they worked. Then I was prescribed Neurontin, and I can 100% feel the difference. My anxiety has decreased significantly on this drug. It sedates me nicely to the point that I'm still completely alert and myself, but I'm so much more easygoing and relaxed. My physical symptoms related to anxiety are still there but I feel less anxious about them, if that makes sense. It just makes the world much more bearable. There are some negative side effects - such as low sex drive, dizziness (which went away after taking for a few weeks), and sometimes I get extra teary. But it's not much of a price to pay if it helps with the main demon of anxiety! Drugs affect everyone differently, but if you think your life is negatively affected by anxiety, it's definitely worth trying.

For Anxiety: gabapentin works differently for everyone. I took it for anxiety but only temporarily because of concentration issues. I took 100mg every 6 hours and it helped me for a while. Currently, my anxiety is under control, but my mood is down. A combo of an antidepressant and gabapentin is a perfect match, but it doesn't work for everyone. It will either work or won't. The great thing about this medication is that you don't have to wait several weeks for it to work. It usually works immediately but if your anxiety is high then give it at least a week and at the right dosage for it to work. Some people can handle 300mg and some people need 1,800mg to be effective. Give it a chance before quitting.