30th September 2021

A 50-year-old woman who is well-known to the practice presents to the GP

A 50-year-old woman who is well-known to the practice presents to the GP. She seems to be in obvious pain with her left leg and limps into the consultation room. She tells you she has a burning sensation down the back of her leg, particularly when she is bending at the hip and walking. She tells you she believes the pain is from sciatica as she has had a friend with a similar problem, and that she would like the same medication they were on as it seemed to relieve the pain well, alluding to codeine as the medication. You perform a physical examination, including a stretch test, to which she describes pain towards the end of the test, but seems to then be happy to sit down quickly when you wish to discuss the plan going forward.

Which pain medication would you recommend to her?

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.