Alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen made a huge difference for me after my extraction, too. I get what you mean about the painkiller “zombie” feeling—when I tried prescription meds, I was so groggy it was almost worse than the pain. With the OTC combo, I just set alarms on my phone to keep track of doses. It’s weird how much better it worked than I expected, especially at night when the throbbing would start up again. Ice packs definitely helped, but honestly, I found warm saltwater rinses soothing too once the bleeding stopped. It’s all about finding that balance where you’re not out of it but still comfortable enough to sleep.
I get what you mean about the “zombie” feeling—
—but honestly, I had the opposite problem. Ibuprofen and Tylenol barely took the edge off for me after my wisdom teeth came out. Maybe my pain tolerance is just pathetic, but I legit couldn’t sleep until I caved and took half a hydrocodone. Sure, I felt a little spacey, but at least I wasn’t up all night counting ceiling tiles.when I tried prescription meds, I was so groggy it was almost worse than the pain
Did anyone else get that weird “rebound pain” when the OTC stuff wore off? It felt like my jaw was throbbing twice as hard for an hour or two. Also, ice packs were hit or miss for me... sometimes made my face ache even more. Saltwater rinses, though, totally agree—so soothing once you’re past the blood phase. Just curious, did you have swelling too? Mine made me look like a chipmunk for days.
Yeah, the swelling was wild for me too—my cheeks puffed up so much I barely recognized myself in the mirror. I totally get what you mean about the rebound pain when OTC meds wore off, it’s like your jaw suddenly remembers to hurt again. Did you have any issues with eating? I found even soft foods were tricky for a few days, and anything too warm just made it throb more. Curious if anyone else had trouble with that or if it was just me being paranoid about dry socket...