Originally Posted by catra121

It's really hard to answer this because so many of us who have the same or similar symptoms respond differently to different things (and different meds). I don't know all that your friend has tried or if the things listed are just the best of what she's tried. I also don't know what her symptoms are and what her goals are...which can make it difficult.

That said...there are some treatments that are fairly typical for CRPS that it doesn't look like she has had:

Ketamine Infusions
SCS (spinal cord stimulator)

Those are generally considered two of the more advanced treatments for those who have tried just about everything else.

I would not choose to do either myself because they are more invasive than I would want to go (I experienced spread after a "simple" lumbar sympathetic block so that took anything more invasive out of my treatment plan). As with any treatment, there are risks and side effects to be aware of.

Has she been seeing a pain management specialist, neurologist, or physical therapist? Physical therapy was HUGE for me in terms of treatment and getting the function back. Immobilization and ice are two of the worst things for CRPS...so physical therapy is really important.

I also had success with tDCS, a non-invasive relatively inexpensive treatment that you can read about here on the board.

I wish I could offer more but without more information it's hard to really do more than give a couple of things that she could learn more about. There are many, many combinations of meds that people have found effective...and many who have not been able to find relief no matter what they try.

Best advice I can give though is if her current doctor isn't able to help her then she needs to find a new one who specializes in CRPS/RSD.

Good luck to your friend...I hope she is able to find some relief soon.