What can I do for nerve pain?
Lately it's been in my face (left side) and the past few days in my left 2nd toe! (same toe each time) and it can get really painful - which just feels weird.

Can stretches help nerve pain?

I don't want to take painkillers all the time.
Or is this something i just have to 'get used to' like all the other sx?.....

As I have no dx of anything, I'm not on any med's, and I'm in between nuero's - seeing a new one in 2 weeks.

I have found that massages,and stretches help mine. Chiropractor helps as well. Some days nothing helps, but I keep trying.

I am not sure what you mean by nerve pain. Burning/tingling sensation? Or spasticity?

When I had it, it was so bad that I had to go on IV steroids for 5 days, it was an attack with lots of other things going on, I had to result to demerol until I got on steroids, I cannot explain the pain, it is not spasms, burning or tingling, I can't explain it, but hope it never comes back. Hope you get it taken care of soon.

Barb -
It's mild to intense pain (neuralgia?) that can be fleeting or last for 30mins to an hour.
Ever had 'brain freeze' (pain in your head) from eating something really cold too fast like ice-cream?
It's like that. I've had it in my head (minus the ice-cream), and other parts of my body at different times.

I take Neurontin for nerve pain. For me it works well. I do get some breakthrough pain but it is manageable and far better than what things were like before I started the medication.

Another med that I tried that worked extremely well for nerve pain was Cymbalta. I was only on it for 3 days as I ended up having other side effects from it.

May be you can get in to see your PCP while you are in between neuros.

The reason I asked is because I experience a burning sensation on the top of my head as well as one arm from time to time. Mine seems more intense/painful when I am hot. I did take neurontin for about two years, but stopped last summer as I did not want to continue to increase the dose, I was taking a rather high dosage, and it was no longer helping. The doctor described this as neuralgia, so it can manifest itself in different ways.

I think that massages, etc may help with spasticity, but not nerve pain.

I take one of the anti-epileptic medications (Sodium Valproate) for nerve pain.

I don't think this one is available to those in the USA, but other medications in the same group have had good results when treating neuralgias.

Koala,
I'm in Aus too.
Is the anti-epileptic med only available with a prescription?

The Dr's I have seen don't bother offering any meds to help wth the various sx, so i don't know anything about what's available.

You can get Depakote here in the U.S. which is a mix of sodium valproate and something else (can't remember). Neurontin is an anti-convulsive, anti-seizure, anti-epileptic med but chemically different than sodium valproate and works differently with the neurotransmitters. I am not sure if you can get it in Australia or not.

It is really a hit or miss on what will work and what won't work and we are each different. I have found that massages are out of the question for me as they increase the pain and spasticity - one wrong touch and it's over. LOL I do my yoga daily and that seems to help.

I also use a lot of ice. Ice helps those neurotransmitters. People who have trouble swallowing due to a stroke, brain injury, etc. are advised to drink ice water as it helps the nerves and thus makes swallowing easier. I have the constant hug and sometimes, like I mentioned, have breakthrough pain. I have no abdominal reflexes on my left side and the nerve pain shooting through that area can be tough. So I use my ice pack on it and it really, really helps.

Try different things and see what helps relieve the pain while you are waiting to get in to the dr. I find that if I follow my instincts, I do best. In other words, if I feel like I need to put ice on something I do it and it feels better. Other times, I want heat.

Feel better soon!