mrsD:

None of those causes happened to me. No injuries, no drugs, no illness, etc, etc, etc. Not one of those things. My hands just started hurting and got worse and worse. A year of doctors and exams brought me to Trileptal. Now my new doctor wants me off of it and starting from scratch, even though Trileptal worked.

Trileptal has serious side effects but how is that different from any other drug? Aren't the side effects from Effexor more extreme? I got regular blood tests to observe my white blood cell count and I was always fine.

According to most websites I've seen, I was on a standard and normal dose for Trileptal. My new doctor was horrified by my dosage, and yet it's "normal" according to every source I can find?

Which exact subforum would be best? Should I just cut and paste all this? My main question is about which doctor I should trust.

Found the PN subforum.


I'm going to post there now...thanks!



-Jordan

There can be metabolic causes for neuropathic pain.

There can be things in your environment, that damage your nerves. You may have inherited a genetic problem called Charcot Marie Tooth...which has many variants, and presents differently in different people.

Your dose of Trileptal was high, IMO. Most dosing scales you see are for patients with seizures. Those will tend to be higher than for other purposes.

You said yourself, that it didn't work that well, but it did work "some".

The side effect profile for Effexor is no where near as serious as Trileptal's.

The serious side effects begin with time passing, and 5 yrs is a long time to be on this drug. Other anti-seizure meds work better on nerve pain, and have far less toxic consequences.
Lyrica, Neurontin, and Topamax to name 3. When you get the toxicity for Trileptal it can be sudden and severe. Hyponatremia strikes quickly.

This is our PN forum. Above it is the informational posts in a Subforum context.
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum20.html

I think your quality of life is important. And if you want to do some homework you may find your cause and treat that. Just taking toxic drugs to cover a symptom, is dangerous and over time will cost you some aspect of your health.

No one here can tell you anything about your doctor. But some of us have experience with pain, and neuropathy, and can help you find the best solutions to it. I do not think your new doctor is untrustworthy. I think he/she is looking out for your future health.