I just saw this thread and want to warn you to continue to have your
doctor do liver tests for you.

Cymbalta has a warning letter sent to physicians regarding liver toxicity, and
mixed with Depakote. Just to be safe!
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/514768

thanks Mrs. D, yeah I had tried to remind him. But he said i'm fine since I'm taking levocarnitine. For the ammonia, sure.. - even this I'm not 100% sure, to tell you the truth. And as for the liver, I guess it's a matter of time anyway.. with these much medications? When I'm not that young anymore then probably they will consider more aggresive interventions and hopefully they work so my not so OK liver will have a break?

Although my insurance company, Blue Cross/Blue Shield refused to pay for the Lyrica I received a 30 day sample from my Neurosurgeon. Before I began the Lyrica, I was taking 300 mg. of Neurontin 4 x a day.

When I started the Lyrica, I was so drowsy and clumsy. In fact, I fell and messed up my right foot and today I cannot wear a normal shoe. I have to wear houseshoes. Then about a week later, I fell in the bathroom and put a big gash in the back of my head. Needless to say, it was going to cost me $186 a mth and I said no thanks.

I went this past Friday for a cervical and lumbar ESI which hasn't done a darn bit of good and Neurosurgeon mentioned Spinal Cord Stimulator. NS did allow me to try Avinza as my husband had taken it before his 360 lumbar fusion. It did nothing for the nerve pain. So, tomorrow I pick up Rxs' for Lidocaine patches and Tramadol as we leave Sunday for a 7 day cruise to the Virgin Islands.

However, I did receive a phone call from NS's office verifying my address to send info on SCS. O Gawd, I dread having to go to the pyscho office (required by ins co.) having a trial stimulator implanted to see if is would help.

I have Arachnoiditis and 'clumping of the nerve roots at L3-L4' which NS says is inoperable. I've already had Cervical Fusion At C5-C6 on 8/05, Cervical Fusion at C6-C7 with plating over C5-C7 & 6 screws on 11/29/05. On 1/18/06 I had a Lumbar Fusion at L4-L5 (was supposed to be L4-S1, but was autofused at L5-S1).

I'm just not comfortable having the SCS implanted Yet.

Hugs To Ya!
Claudia

Claudia,

Many meds do take 2-4 weeks for your body to become used to, then the drowsy sx tend to be less noticible. I've been on Lyrica since late June and can't say that it does or doesn't make me drowsy, as I am on several meds that have a sedating effect in addition to overall fatigue from full-body RSD. Each of us reacts differently to meds, so I don't know if you would still have unacceptable drowsiness after a longer trial period, but if you can possibly do so, a trial of at least 3 weeks would allow your body to adjust to the med and allow you to better evaluate the drug's effectiveness as it often takes that long for it to build up to maximal level in the body.

I completely understand not wanting to fall again though! The thought terrifies me, what with having osteoporosis and thoracic outlet syndrome as well as RSD. I have plenty of pain already,don't need more or broken bones, and due to the RSD really need to avoid surgery as it can and has made my condition much worse.

Yet Lyrica (and Neurontin previously) helps reduce the burning, shooting nerve pain better than any other med I've tried - and that's quite a few. I tried increasing my dose to 150 mg 2x day at my Dr's suggestion though and soon started seeing the same bladder/urinary sx I experienced w/Neurontin(w/ Neurontin I eventually developed blood in the urine, although it took several weeks and tests to determine this med was the reason). I have gone back down to 100 mg 2x day and the problems vanished, I'll stay at this dose until I see the Dr and find out what he wants me to do. I am definitely concerned that over time perhaps the same effects will occur at the lower dosage, but I don't want to give up this bit of relief if it isn't necessary. So my Catch-22 continues

All any of us can do - ask the Dr, ask the pharmacist, research, weigh the benefits vs. the risks.....then make a decision we can live with and pray it's the right one, while we wait for something better to come along.

I am scheduled to have a SCS surgery Nov 3rd. The psych visit was not a big ordeal except for the written tests. If your arms or wrists bother you at all, try to break this up into 2 days or at least with a lunch break. There were hundreds of questions to be answered by filling in the circle with a #2 pencil - took me hours as it is hard to grasp and press down with a pencil for long. My hand was all red, swollen and very shaky when I finally finished, never again! But the SCS trial was amazing, pain was MUCH lower, slept like a baby 3 nights straight and felt almost myself, had lots of energy, could do so much more! I pray the surgery is a success, as the leads moved the last day, Dr will attempt to place them differently so there is less chance of this happening after implant. PM me if you have any questions, will be glad to answer if I can. Advanced Bionics is the SCS unit I will get, very impressed with the unit and the company rep.

beth

Beth

My neurosurgeon only gave me 40 Tramadols and 10 Liboderm patches. I took a Tramadol when I went to bed last night. Helped me sleep, but still woke up with nerve pain in my left leg. Will be putting on a patch in a few minutes.

I guess my NS is determined for me to try the SCS as I received a packet in the mail today with info and a CD. The information is for a ANS SCS which has a rechargeable battery and should last about 9 years.

I'm not even going to luck at the paperwork until we get back from our cruise. Have to drive to Little Rock airport (85 miles) tomorrow afternoon to pick up hubby's mom as she is going to house and furkid sit while we are gone on our cruise.

Will check back on 11/8 to see how you are doing with your SCS.

Hugs To Ya!
Claudia

actually this is an OT and might sound stupid, but just a note about insurance matters. since i know some people who never thought of it. For some years I had no insurance. And since I didn't have any source of income I was qualified for Free Care, and since it's a big hospital, my hospital covered everything, except any fancy drugs - but if you know my medical expenses, you would understand why i was very satisfied with the ones they do cover. I didn't have to pay a penny for all the expensive procedures. So as my friend put it, if you're sick, Massachusetts is the best place for you.

i'm digressing. When I was without insurance, I always told my doctors (every single one of them) that i was without insurance right in the first visit. Actually one of them was such a jerk, threated me that all the drugs he's going to prescirbe were very expensive. he must just had a bad day, because by the second visit, he was kind and more sensitive to talk about cost, and by the third visits on, he became the sweetest guy I've ever met. He even told me to call the office whenever I finish the samples he gave, and he told the nurse to give me all the samples I needed. Everybody in his office was so glad to help, except one. But if you consider the world today, you must wonder why only one who was not happy with it.

And with all the rest of the doctors, every single time I always surprised with how they reacted. If the drugs are not covered with Free Care and the office had the samples, they gave me as much sample as they could - although they're not suppose to do that. So my point is, don't underestimate your doctor's potential for generosity.

p.s. let us know how it goes. I just had a super painful night.. almost go to ER but after 2 hrs in agony, finally the drugs kicked in. haven't had so much pain for a while - well with all the drugs.. i shouldn't be!

Hi Claudia:

I just wanted to give you thumbs up for the stimulator. I have the intrathecal pump but know of a lot of people who have had great success with the stimulator. I don't know where I would be without my pump. I am on a tiny fraction of the amount of meds I was on before getting it inserted and believe it is a gift from God. I was bed and wheelchair bound and basically had no life.

As far as the weightgain issue with Lyrica, I found out I have heart failure - not from the Lyrica, but because my mitral valve repair caused it. I gained 40pounds in four weeks - not from the Lyrica, but from problems in my valve. My cardiologist who is very good didn't even consider the Lyrica as a cause. So while I may have gained some weight from Lyrica, it isn't 40 pounds that quickly. I learned to control my diet when narcotics caused me to back up so badly it was enemas every few days. I look at every carbohydrate as glue, and weight is not a problem. I think I will do the same with Lyrica and see if I can't control the issue a bit.

Since I began addressing the heart failure, my energy has returned, my figure is returning and I feel like the Lyrica is giving me the pain relief I originally had at 300 mg. So maybe the problem with your weight isn't the Lyrica after all but some other medical problem. Just something to think about. Just from experience, it's worth looking into.
Joanne

I was told this week my liver enzymes are in the 60's per a blood test this week. I was told to come back in 2 wks to have blood rechecked.
Does this mean I need to get of Neurontin generic version?
I was seeking info and was told there are several blood test for the liver. Is one more vital than the other?
I want to get off this med because of the side effects I keep reading about. It has helped my deal with the pain of MP and my stenosis in the back but I do not want to ruin my liver. It also appears to effect your memory or more.
If you can offer any insight or refernce material I would appreciated it.
Thanks

Gabapentin does not affect the liver. It is not metabolized.

What other drugs are you taking? Sometimes a simple viral thing can elevate
liver enzymes. This usually resolves with time.

Are you taking alot of Tylenol ? That will do it too.

Was that 60 for the ALT?

here is an explanation for some of the tests:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver_function_tests

Glad to hear it is not the Gabapentin. I take mostly vits and naturals. I do take Nexium and Refalen could it be those? If you want I can pm you if it is not one of these. (I just bought a book on the interactions of naturals, herbs and meds.) I do not take Tylenol. I do not know which liver test it was for I am going to call the dr. office Monday to find out. (I thought it was one test before I learned there are several)
Thanks for you info. I will look up the site ou listes above.