[needlifeback]

I had a multiple fusion S1 to L4 in july 08 the fusion never took. currently I am on Norspan 40mgs patches, plus every 3 months I have 3 vials of Botox injections. My back is in constant spasms all over my whole back, the Botox localises the pain to the lower back as it stops the spasms from shooting all over the place, I have tried so many different types of drugs and currently trying 250mg Palexia twice a day, with no success.
only sort of advice I have had is to be tested for minor infection, as it might be trying to reject the foreign body such as the plates and screw, this doctor is not allowed to treat me as he was only giving a medical report to the insurance company as my back is from a work place injury

[tennesseefred]

Originally Posted by needlifeback

I had a multiple fusion S1 to L4 in july 08 the fusion never took. currently I am on Norspan 40mgs patches, plus every 3 months I have 3 vials of Botox injections. My back is in constant spasms all over my whole back, the Botox localises the pain to the lower back as it stops the spasms from shooting all over the place, I have tried so many different types of drugs and currently trying 250mg Palexia twice a day, with no success.
only sort of advice I have had is to be tested for minor infection, as it might be trying to reject the foreign body such as the plates and screw, this doctor is not allowed to treat me as he was only giving a medical report to the insurance company as my back is from a work place injury

Hi,
I dont know if i have the answer for you but i know all about muscle spasms. i had them everyday for the last 3 years as a result of untreated or undertreated or wrongly treated neuralgia from a cervical disk herniation.

First, Buprenorphine or "Norspan" (where do they get these names?) is a drug used to treat drug addicts by binding to the Mu opiate receptors in your brain binding VERY strongly. It does have some value as far as pain relief but very little considering the hell that awaits you when you come off. You will pray for your spasms to return. You see, Docs in the U.S. aren't required to titrate you down and off your meds. I hope yours does! Bupe is a miracle drug for addicts but a MONSTER in disguise. I was on bup tablets 2mg 3x per day for one month as a trial. I did not titrate down properly as insurance was comp and doc was cash only. By doing this I unknowingly set myself up for the worst and longest withdrawals I have ever experienced. SIX MONTHS THEY LASTED WITHOUT LETTING UP! I thought i was going to lose my mind. then came the best part, the PAWS which lasted another six months. I had to start on wellbutrin to break the fog but only after suffering so much i couldnt stand it any longer. Some people are on it for life unable to get off. want to help your back? get off that stuff or really dig deep and find out the truth about it. to use it in pain relief should be considered unethical. Get a real opiate based pain killer such as a Fentynyl patches which last up to 3 days.

Second, your muscles are responding to something. are you sure its not a nerve (or several) being pinched? if you had either lyrica or neurontin you can test this theory. It seems if your body was rejecting something it would cause a fever or some other sign. your just complaining of muscle spasm. I found paying someone $60 and getting a massage is well worth it, traction really helped me alot, slather it down with ben-gay, and live submerged in hot water until you can determine the cost. besides, you had that done 5 years ago. it seems strange your rejecting the graft at this point. as a matter of fact it sounds questionable. in any case you need to isolate WHAT is making your back spasm. in my case it was pinched nerves in my cervical spine.

So i hope i told you someting you didnt know and for the love of god, listen to me about that Buprenorphine patch. It's designed to cover opiate receptors so you dont crave opiates and its a partial opiate agonist like tramadol and nucynta. for pain relief its TOTAL crap and so not worth it!!!!!!!!

I just remembered...for muscle spasm 10mg of valium (diazepam) worked the best for me. better than opiates.

[tennesseefred]

I thought this was true of suboxone which contains naloxone. in any case i hope it piques your curiosity a bit. im so anti bupe for pain control its crazy. why? because i was on it and KNOW. once you get on you do not get off. be prepared. you should also consider getting a medic alert bracelet because emt's and docs need to know you are on that in case you ever get seriously injured. you will require MUCH MUCH higher doeses of pain killers to achieve relief. as i said, i was only on it in a small sdose for a month. ive been off a year but still maintain an incredibly high tolerance to opiates due to the bupe. if you need this type of medication bupe will ruin it for you. docs like it because although you will withdrawl, you lose the desire to use other drugs to get high while on it ensureing he doesnt get sued for an overdose. RESEARCH!!!!!

"The basic issue with analgesia in the buprenorphine-maintained patient is that while buprenorphine has analgesic properties, it is a partial agonist. This means that not only will it block the cravings associated with opioid dependence, but because of the high affinity of buprenorphine for opioid receptors it may also block the analgesic effect of other opioids."

"In a situation requiring additional opioid analgesia, the dose of the full opioid agonist required may be greater than usual. It is known that, depending on the effect measured, using higher doses of a full agonist opioid may overcome the blockade caused by buprenorphine."