Pain Management

Pain Management covers painkillers, topical pain relief gels and balms, heat and cold products and supports.

Choosing the Right Approach

• Paracetamol is the first choice for most everyday pain — gentler on the stomach than anti-inflammatories, and safe for most people at the correct dose.

• Anti-inflammatories suit pain with inflammation — joint pain, muscle injury, period pain, dental pain. Take with food, lowest effective dose, shortest time.

• Topical gels and balms are excellent for localised muscle and joint pain, and far less is absorbed into the body than from a tablet — which makes them the safer first choice for a specific sore knee or shoulder.

• Heat for stiffness and old aches; cold for a new injury. Getting these the wrong way round is common — heat on a fresh sprain increases swelling and makes it worse.

The Dose Warnings That Matter

• Never exceed the maximum daily paracetamol dose. It is in a great many combination cold and flu products, and taking those alongside plain paracetamol is how people accidentally overdose. Liver damage may show no symptoms for a day or two.

• Do not combine two anti-inflammatories. The risks multiply and the relief does not.

• Tell your doctor if you have stomach ulcers, kidney disease, heart disease, high blood pressure or asthma, or if you take blood thinners.

• Topical anti-inflammatories still enter the bloodstream — the same cautions apply, in smaller measure.

When Painkillers Are the Wrong Answer

• Painkillers manage a symptom. Taking them most days for more than a week or two is a reason to see a doctor rather than to buy a bigger box — and with headaches there is a specific trap: medication overuse headache, where frequent painkiller use causes the very headaches being treated.

• See a doctor urgently for the worst headache of your life, chest pain, severe abdominal pain, pain after a significant injury, pain with fever, numbness or weakness, or pain that wakes you at night.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, paracetamol or an anti-inflammatory?

Paracetamol for general pain and fever; an anti-inflammatory where there is swelling or inflammation. Anti-inflammatories carry more stomach and kidney risk.

Are topical gels effective?

Genuinely, for localised muscle and joint pain — and with far less absorbed into the body than a tablet. Worth trying first for a specific painful area.

Can I take painkillers every day?

Not without medical advice. Daily use for more than a week or two needs a diagnosis, and with headaches frequent use can itself become the cause.

How do I know the product is genuine?

Check the seal, the batch number and the expiry printed on the pack itself rather than on a sticker over it. Everything we sell is sourced to arrive sealed and within date, and if what you receive does not match the listing we will put it right.

How much shelf life will it have?

We stock to arrive well within date and do not knowingly ship anything close to expiry. If you need a specific minimum for a particular order, ask before placing it and we will check the batch.