Like so many of us, I've been dealing with chronic, severe pain for longer than I care to remember and as I get older, it gets worse. I've been to several pain management clinics with little to no satisfaction. I was just referred to yet another pain doc and after discussing ALL the meds I had been on that either didn't work at all, or stopped working after a while, she took me off a high dose of Gabapentin and put me on Lyrica 100mg. twice daily. I've only been on it for one week and I think it has helped me, but I've gained 8 ilbs.....IN ONE WEEK!!! I could not figure out what was happening as I blew up like a balloon until I saw my primary doc today and he noticed right away, then looked at the chart and told me that's what it had to be. Now I'm more discouraged than ever. I'm certainly not going to continue taking something that will have me weighing a ton for just slight pain relief. And the extra weight will cause my back to hurt even more. My pain doc did put me back on Norco 10/325 and that does help but not for any amount of time and I really don't want to go down that road of feeling like I need more and more. Has anyone investigated or tried medical marijuana? I know that it has worked wonders for some people but I'm hesitant to go down that road too. I have nothing against it whatsoever, I just wonder if it would be something I could do on a regular basis and find relief. I'm so tired of all this...like we all are. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated and welcomed...sorry for the rant. Just kinda feelin that way tonight

SJ,
I have not tried medical marijuana. Have tried an assortment of meds, including Lyrica for a few weeks which did not seem to help. Apparently, the only thing that has really helped was when my PM prescribed opioid meds. I am addicted only for the pain relief they bring. I deliberately take less than I am prescribed which makes me feel I have the choice to lessen my pain or continue on a path that will keep increasing the meds. I have been on these meds for several years.

You are far from ranting.


Gerry

Hi SailinJane

Welcome to NeuroTalk .

Recently medicinal cannabis has been approved here by the TGA (similar to the FDA) as a prescription-only drug though some details remain to be worked out.

I don't know if it is legal in Florida but, if so, it is an option which is well worth discussing with your doctors.

Best wishes.

I had monstrous results with Lyrica. Suicidal Thoughts (detached in some weird way), it generally made me feel ill, disrupted my circadian rhythm. It did not reduce my pain or neurapathy. I had trouble getting off of tis drug or the small time I was one it. I can't understand why they prescribe these horrifically expensive drugs, (for your insurance company) when their are other tried and true drugs that work, like Morphine. It's been around 100's of years, but since there is no money to be made with producing Morphine, as it's cheap as dirt, from legit sources, the pharmaceuticals come up with these drugs that are poison like. The an "Opiod" crisis is invented, and people who have pain issues are lumped together with drug addict users. What ever happened to the "Americans with Disabilities Act"? Sorry, my East Coast mentality. I wish you the best.