Lyrica and stupid doctors

braingonebad · 03-24-2008, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myscrewsbeloose

I take lyrica for nerve pain. I do not have fibro. In fact, because I don't have fibro or diabetic neuropathy I had to fight and fight to get the insurance company to pay for it.

It works wonders for me with the nerve pain.

A nerve conduction study may give the answer as to what is causing your pain.

It worked for a while for me too - for SM nerve pain.

I'm not saying you should or should not try it. Just sying you won't know if it helps unless you do. Sometimes you have to try every thing out there to know what's going to be just the ticket, you know? I've tried over 40 meds now...

(I only take topamax every day. I only have RX's for that, 2 muscle relaxers and Flector patches. But it took me almost a decade to get here.)

I did gain about 6 lbs - but it was my own fault. I ate like crazy while on Lyrica.

I did not like that I felt stoned for 12 hrs with each dose - 75mgs to start, then 150mgs as many as 3 a day.

I didn't feel safe to drive. Can't live like that. And my ankles started to swell - that's when I got off it. Plus, the 150's seemed to help less than the 75's.

Then no relief at all.

I think the question here is, what did you want from this doc or any doc?

More cortisone, if I got you right.

And this guy didn't even reply, so you have no idea why he didn't go ahead with that. Probably no reason not to.

When you say spine doc, that can mean a lot of things though. Neuro surgeon, osteo surgeon, chiro, anesthetist, etc.

Regardless, another may have something else to say. Your PCP may go ahead with the cortisone - or tell you who can offer that for you. And you may have to be very direct in asking

"I came to ask about cortison - can you set me up with that for my pain? Or can you send me to somebody who will? My other doctor is not doing it, and it worked well last time."

Good luck with this, and everything...

sugarboo · 03-24-2008, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erin524

Dont tell your regular doctor that you think the other guy is whacko...just say something like you think he's not taking you as seriously as you think he should.

It does seems that the whacko doctor is trying to address the pain that you told him about. He's not trying to treat you for fibro, he's trying to help you with the pain. Lyrica is used as a treatment for nerve pain, and it does sound like he's trying to help you with that. The Lyrica isnt made to specifically help nerve pain in your hands and feet...if you have nerve pain anywhere on your body, it should help whatever nerve pain you have.

I've thought about asking my neuro or my regular doctor for some Lyrica, I have low back pain that is either from a back injury that I got in 1999, or it's caused by MS. If it's caused by MS, it's probably nerve pain, and maybe it would help.

I saw the side effects when I looked it up, and I dont like them either...mostly the whole thing about dependance on the drug. I dont like taking meds that I could potentially become dependant on. Which is why I havent asked for Lyrica yet.

But, whacko doctor has offered you an option (the Lyrica) for your pain. Is it just the potential side effects that are keeping you from trying it, or is it something else that's making you to not want to try it?

Not everyone is going to experience a side effect. It's just a list of things that were reported by people during the trials they did when studying the drug. It's something to watch for, but it's not a guarantee that everyone will experience the side effects.

Its says it makes you fat.............

Erin524 · 03-24-2008, 03:46 PM

Go to a pain specialist. An anesthesiologist (an anesthetist is a nurse that specializes in giving anesthesia...my dad is an anesthetist)

My mom goes to a pain clinic every few months. She gets epidurals in her back for her low back pain (she has spinal stenosis) The epidurals are still helping, but not as much, so now she has a TENS unit. Which is a little electronic device about the size of an iPod. It's connected to wires that are attached to sticky pads that you put on specific places on your back.

When it's turned on, the electricity from the battery powered TENS unit somehow makes it feel like it's vibrating (sorry, not sure of the specifics on how the electricity is conducted)

What it does is disrupt the sensations of pain going from the affected area to the brain. My mom's anesthesiologist told her that it basically distracts the pain signals from reaching your brain, and you instead feel the vibrating sensation instead.

TENS units cost from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars (my mom's unit is in the cheaper category) I'm pretty sure you dont always need a prescription to get one.

Ask your doctor to refer you to a pain specialist. They might be able to help you figure out what's causing the pain, and then they can treat your for it with things like the TENS, or medically with epidurals or spinal blocks or patches that contain medication.

Erin524 · 03-24-2008, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenjeans

Its says it makes you fat.............

I looked it up...it's a potential side effect. It doesnt make everyone fat. Sometimes it's not actual fat, but edema (swelling from fluid buildup)

You might have to adjust your caloric intake, or exercise if you can (everyone needs to exercise anyways if they can)

I know Lyrica somehow causes some people to crave food. (pretty sure Neurontin does it too) But, if you're still doing PT and and do some exercise, you might be able to balance out the exercise and the weight gain so you can try to stay at a specific weight.

I do not have experience with any of these meds personally. Just going off of what I've read and what I've been told by my regular doctor when I asked about Neurontin and Lyrica when I first started to experience numbness 2yrs ago.

There are several other medications that dont have the weight gain side effect. Ask the doctor about those. The fear of the weight gain is a great reason to question the doctor on the medications. Ask him what other medications could you try first instead of the Lyrica.

sugarboo · 03-24-2008, 03:58 PM

Erin, he is a pain specialist......

Others; I guess all I want is to sleep. To wake up without pain at 2am, 4am, 6am...To feel normal. I want to lift things off the floor. I want to do laundry and sweep, and go shopping, without paying for it all night. I hear Julie talk about Lyrica and you too brain, and fat, increasing the dose and ultimately no relief and addicted and going thru withdrawls....

This is no life

So, my mom just called...she is so mean to me

She called "Just to ask why I have no sparkle in my eyes and no color in my cheeks".

Anotherwords, I look like **** and why is that? Well MOTHER, maybe because I have not been sleeping right and I cried over my kitty yesterday before I met up for dinner. She says... OH, and lets not forget if THE DOC CAN'T FIND ANYTHING...there must be nothing wrong with you. WHATS WRONG WITH YOU JEANNIE? I'm sooooo worried.....

She's mean just to be mean to me....she gets off on it...not just today, but all my adult life!

I'm sorry....I have to get off....

But Janie...thanks, your experience helped me feel a bit better....hope of some kind, some day.....maybe.....limbo sucks! You can't see pain....it just is!!

I may try the lyrica for a day, here and there when its so painful I can't take it....

momXseven · 03-24-2008, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erin524

I looked it up...it's a potential side effect. It doesnt make everyone fat. Sometimes it's not actual fat, but edema (swelling from fluid buildup)

Mine was FAT and not edema. 60 pounds of it.

momXseven · 03-24-2008, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenjeans

I may try the lyrica for a day, here and there when its so painful I can't take it....

If you want to try it do it for a week, I didn't feel any help the 1st day but did some by the end of day 2. One week isn't going to make you fat, just watch EVERYTHING you put in you month.

braingonebad · 03-24-2008, 04:06 PM

Erin's right, it does not make everyone fat. Elavil says it makes you gain too. I never gained a pound while on it nor lost a pound when I got off.

I did gain on enderol. For no reason, I packed on 2 pounds per day.

Lyrica just gave me the munchies. no other way to say it. I felt like Otto the bus driver on the Simpson's.

But you might want to try magnesium instead. No weight gain and it helps nerve pain. Plus is cheap.

Erin - (where my brain is today who knows...) anesthesiologist. I had that word in there somewhere. That's what I meant thanks for straightening that out.

I was wondering if TENS is like electro stim they gave me at PT? I loved that. I'd buy a unit if it was similar, because that really felt good. Helped unclench everything.

sugarboo · 03-24-2008, 04:08 PM

I tried the TENS a few years ago...no reaction...no relief....But I DO THANK ALL OF YOU for offering ideas up.

momXseven · 03-24-2008, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by braingonebad

But you might want to try magnesium instead. No weight gain and it helps nerve pain. Plus is cheap.

I didn't know that, I have been taking a lot of magnesium lately for restless leg syndrome and my over all pain is better and I didn't know why. So I guess it's the magnesium helping me.

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