Hi All
Some weeks ago I posted regarding the Bowen Therapy
Remember I had been a member in the Brain Talk for many years and had to re register here under a differant name and I lost my number of postings..
Anyway as far as the Bowen Therapy is concerned, for me it was a waste of time and money.All the time I attended, her remarks were , I see you are getting better ect ect. They work on the pressure points and muscles around the body , pressing certain parts to so call release ones hidden energy, I had 5 visits , and made no differance at all , so I have stopped
My program now is that I heard of a Proffessor of pain , which was about 450 klms from here , so I went to see him, I was so impressed with his attitude , and approach to my problem,even to the point of him taking photos of my feet, which at that point I was having a attack of blue spotches all over the under side of my feet , He said it was the worst P/N he had seen
He put me on to a extra drug called (Lamotrigene) 50mg 3 x per day . I have been to him twice now , and he has introduced me to a physiotherapist to recieve a differant Tens machine , called Neurotrac Tens Verity Medical Ltd. The web site is Sales@Veritymedical.co.uk the machine is so small and easy to use , not like the previous one I had, was like a space shuttle with all the dials and knobs on it , This one has 1 button to turn it on and 1 button to increase the strength, I have the 2 pads at present on the lower half of my back each side on the spine, started of with 3 hours per day increasing to 8 hours. The controls fit in ones pocket.At present I feel good with only light sensations in my feet. So my present regime of meds are
Neurontin 2400mgs per day
Lamotrigine 150mg per day
Amitriptyine 50mg per day at night time
He also advised me to take Thomsons Mens Multi antioxidents
1 tab per day
Plus the Tens machine
As I have tried many more , this is the best combination yet
Ok thats about all , We have winter here in New Zealand , where we live we have just had our first snow fall , the 6 ski fields are open , I wished I could get back to that again , maybe soon ha ha
Cheers from NZ matia
If anyone wishes to contact me over P/N here I am

wanaka84@xtra.co.nz

Hi matia [Rosecottage84], the Bowen therapy would have been disappointing for you, i had the complete opposite result from Bowen therapy, i felt fabulous after each session, my sessions were nearly an hour long and there wasn't anything mentioned about any pressure point releases at all

I am glad you found a good combo of meds that help you, do you only use the
Neurotrac Tens machine when you are at the physiotherapist or do you have one to use at home ?
The website you posted for the Neurotrac T.E.N.S seems to be an email address, but i found this site http://www.sportstek.net/muscle-stimulator.htm
by placing the electrodes on your back, is it helping the burning in your feet ?
all the best,
Brian

I am very concerned about your starting dose of lamtroigine, brand name is Lamictal. It is much too high. Lamictal is known to cause a rash, which in some cases can be extremely serious or even fatal. The incidence of serious rash is much less than just getting a rash, however, it is known that the rash is more probable when a higher initial dose is used. It is also most likely to occur within the first 6 months, although it can occur later. Signs of a more serious adverse reaction include high fever, swollen glands, hives, and painful swelling in the mouth, face, or lips.

I do not want to scare you but you should have been informed of the possibility of this rash and advised to contact your doctor IMMEDIATELY at the first indication. I actually took Lamictal a number of years ago - it was the only non-opioid medication that was effective to some degree without problematic side effects. As it turned out, that initial effectiveness did not last, and I discontinued it.

I think the reaction of most folks upon hearing about this rash is to never want to take this drug. I do understand that, however, I felt that the probability of getting it, given the proper medication routine was non-existent. To the best of my knowledge, there is no case documentation for an adult contracting the rash when on the proper schedule.

In any event, you certainly need to be in the know about all of this. Here are a few links to get you started:

RxList

Encyclopedia of Medicine

I would encourage you to talk to your doctor about this. Frankly, if it were me, I would not agree to take Lamcital as it currently is being prescribed for you.

rafi

I'm glad to hear you've found something that works for your pain. That's *always* a blessing. Most of us are still searching for the right thing or right combo of things.

For me, it seems I get one part of the pain under control and another, different one, pops up. It gets frustrating.

I totally agree with rfinney!!! This med (LAMICTAL) is extremely dangerous and should be started at the lowest dosage levels. It can indeed cause a fatal rash when not administered properly. Since they have started patients on lower dosages the incidence of rash is rare. Problem is, there is no guarantee the rash can be cured once started. The PDR once carried a BLACK BOX WARNING but I don't have a current copy of the PDR so can't confirm that it still does. If you can't reach your doctor immediately then call/see your pharmacist and see what s/he says......just don't take the med until you have talked with your doctor and are totally satisfied with what s/he says.

Because of the BLACK BOX WARNING (this is a warning in large black lettering immediately below the word Lamictal in the PDR), I refused to get the RX filled until I saw my Neuro. I saw the Neuro a few days later and when I told him what I had learned he slammed my chart shut and said: "I do not see patients who do not follow my orders" and stomped out of the room. Needless to say we never saw one another again.

Thank God all physicians are not like this but some are such prima donna SOBs that think the world revolves around them. Most physician's education about medicines extend very little beyond what the pharmaceutical rep tells them so always check before you get the RX filled....could save you a lot of grief. They get very little training in pharmaceuticals during medical school and rarely have or take time for it after graduation.

Good luck matia and I hope things go well for you. Keep us informed.

Not just that...but it seems for most doctors their first course of treatment for *anything* is to throw pills at it. Stupid!

I just looked up Lamictal on the internet. Seems it's also for Bi-polar. And it's an anti-epileptic. I understand how it could be a pain interceptor or something like that, but jeez, something that treats bi-polar, epilepsy, and the poor guys with the really bad PN????

I mean, I remember when Alan was given Celebrex for his arthritic knee. Next thing we knew he was hospitalized for 11 days, (the first 5 days in isolation) because they thought he had Rocky Mountain Spotted fever and the guys came in the Haz Mat Suits and were afraid to go near him. I was in the ER telling them "please, it's an allergic reaction, he just took celebrex and it's been only two days, it must be the celebrex". And they are wearing this protective gear and looking at him like he's from another planet.

They brought in one specialist who was talking about menigitis and well, I have never seen so much incompetence in all my life. Finally they put him in the isolation ward. He had his own air supply. There was a guy who had to come in and take his wastepaper basket and clean it. The guy ran in and ran out. He was scared to death. Alan looked like the creature from the black lagoon, all swollen and with a rash from head to toe. And the blood work. They screwed up that too. They finally came and took blood and told me "we are sending this up to hematology, we do our own blood tests, this last blood work was nonsense, it indicates he has no calcium in his body, if this were a true reading, he would have no bones". I will never forget that conversation. Oh, this was when he was wearing the Fenanyl patch. Do you think someone ventured a guess as to why he had PN?? Of course not, all they cared about was "why is this guy swollen and does he have Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever".

I went every day. When the 8th day came (afer they finally gave him Benedryl) and his body went down to normal, you should have seen their faces. They had no clue that he had an allergic reaction.

11 days of confusion, and desperation. He is allergic to sulfites, and anything like celebrex and vioxx. Never again. So I'm reading about the Lamictal. Can you imagine what kind of rash that would have given him?

Neurontin made him deathly ill and Lyrica did nothing.

Just wanted to share!

Melody