[Tunaboy]

I've read that some people get almost complete relief from their symptoms from these meds and that the usual gabapentin/lyrica didn't work as well. Has anyone had this experience?

[hopeful]

I have not tried either of those but I'm surprised someone would use Adderall for neuropathy. It's a stimulant and seems to me it might make matters worse. However, this could be something I just never heard of.

[Tunaboy]

Originally Posted by hopeful

I have not tried either of those but I'm surprised someone would use Adderall for neuropathy. It's a stimulant and seems to me it might make matters worse. However, this could be something I just never heard of.

Yeah I was too. I was talking to someone with PN on another board and he takes gabapentin and vyvanse which is another ADD med. Apparently, the gaba gave him some relief but the vyvanse took away all the pain. That's what prompted me to do more research.

[mrsD]

Amphetamines are dopamine reuptake inhibitors.

There is a less habituating way to accomplish this = Wellbutrin (which is an antidepressant that affects dopamine). Amphetamines, are hard on adult cardiovascular functions over time, besides.

Benzos are really a poor choice. They work at first, but as they wear off MORE pain comes in, until the next dose. Once a person is habituated to Klonopin (and this is fast and severe) then any wear off or taper down has awful pain occurring, often worse than it was in the beginning.

So I see this combo working short term, but in the long run there is a price to be paid yet.

[Tunaboy]

Originally Posted by mrsD

Amphetamines are dopamine reuptake inhibitors.

There is a less habituating way to accomplish this = Wellbutrin (which is an antidepressant that affects dopamine). Amphetamines, are hard on adult cardiovascular functions over time, besides.

Benzos are really a poor choice. They work at first, but as they wear off MORE pain comes in, until the next dose. Once a person is habituated to Klonopin (and this is fast and severe) then any wear off or taper down has awful pain occurring, often worse than it was in the beginning.

So I see this combo working short term, but in the long run there is a price to be paid yet.

Any reason why the Benzo's would cause more pain? I did read about those going through withdrawals that get PN symptoms.

[mrsD]

Benzos are similar to antiseizure drugs. They dampen signals and
Increase activity of inhibitory impulses. They are gaba agonists.

[Tunaboy]

Originally Posted by mrsD

Benzos are similar to antiseizure drugs. They dampen signals and
Increase activity of inhibitory impulses. They are gaba agonists.

So they work in the same way as gabapentin/lyrica? It seems like any drug for treating nerve pain, can cause it once you try stopping.

[mrsD]

Gabapentin does not affect gaba inspite of the
Misleading name. It is not really understood even now,
But is supposed to affect calcium signaling in the
Spinal cord somehow.

[Susanne C.]

There is a series of books by Robert Cochran, a pain doctor, now retired, who had good results with those drugs in chronic pain patients. I have read his work and as I understand it, chronic pain is different from chronic illness or disease in that the pain is either unrelated or disproportionate to the physical cause. PN is a known cause of severe pain, and so does not fall directly into this category. He further found a link between chronic pain, childhood abuse, and bipolar disorder.

His treatment of such patients with these drugs, he later added opiates, preferring methadone, had often stunning success, but there were really no long term studies to see how these people did after several years. Also, as the doctor retired many of his patients were unable to find doctors willing to continue the therapy.

Mrs. D.'s warnings are quite apt. A careful cost-benefit analysis has to be done by doctor and patient before starting potentially addictive medications, including thinking about what happens if you have to switch doctors due to retirement, death, relocation, or insurance. Anything too unconventional could be difficult to continue.

[Neuroproblem]

Another problem with the OP possible pharm choices, is the addiction issues. Those 2 drugs have been abused by people in the past, and using this for chronic neuropathy, will extend an addiction.