Hi Gail,

LDN is not anywhere near commonplace yet. I am not surprised your doctor doesn't prescribe it. My doctor, who gives ketamine and seems progressive, wasn't interested in pursuing it when I asked about a year ago. Stanford is currently doing a study on it and I'm hoping for our sake that a recommendation will come out when they have results.

Until then, gabapentin or something like low dose nortriptyline could make you more comfortable until you see Dr. Chopra. That is not a bad thing. Keeping your pain down is important in fighting this. Titrating the dose of new drugs helps prevent side effects. I usually start at half dose. You could also try gabapentin only at night which is what I did when I took it. And Nortriptyline (was prescribed by neurology but PM was also willing) is a once a day take at night kind of pill. Either can treat pain and also help you rest better.

I felt that mirror therapy was helpful and did it several times a day. DMSO is available online without a prescription. It is often a higher concentration than used for our purpose. I found aloe vera gel to be a good substance to dilute it with. You might also consider PEA Pure or palmotoylethanolamide (which I just saw is also now produced in the US under a different brand name). It attenuates glial activity and is recommended for neuropathic pain.

Hang in there. December is getting closer everyday!