Pain is an expectation after any surgery, and the goal is to keep the pain reasonably controlled. We use a combination of Tylenol Arthritis, Aleve and a narcotic to help control pain during this recovery.
- Morning of Surgery: Take Aleve 220 mg and Tylenol Arthritis 650 mg on the morning of surgery, with just a sip of water, prior to leaving for the hospital. If you were also prescribed Gabapentin you should also take this on the morning of surgery. (You should also take your usual medications. Don't worry if you have been told "Don't eat or drink anything after midnight," because medications are an exception. Take your usual medication.)
- Postop: The first step in postoperative pain control is to make sure you are taking the Tylenol and Aleve as written. Narcotics should only be used for breakthrough pain (pain more than a 6/10) not controlled by Tylenol or Aleve.
- Aleve 220 mg – once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once in the evening (every 8 hours). Take for 1 week after surgery; you can stop as early as 2-3 days after surgery if your hand/wrist does not hurt.
- Tylenol Arthritis (also known as Tylenol 8 Hour) 650 mg- every eight hours, with a maximum dose of 4000 mg per day, for about 2-3 days after the surgery. The maximum amount of Tylenol is 4000 mg per day, which is the same as 6 of the 650 mg pills. Remember, don’t substitute any other medication for the Tylenol Arthritis. This is different than regular Tylenol, as the Tylenol arthritis is a long acting version.
- Narcotics (Oxycodone)- should be taken for breakthrough pain
- Narcotics- For any pain not controlled by the combination of Tylenol and Aleve, please take any additional narcotic as needed/ prescribed You should stop taking this narcotic as soon as possible and transition to the Tylenol and Aleve alone once pain is controlled.
