I have to have a brain MRI with and without contrast on Friday. I have heard several people say this causes extreme pain with their neuropathy. It is probably from the metal they inject you with for the contrast. This is bothering me so much I am considering calling it off. Has anyone had experiences with MRIs? Good or bad?

I had an MRI of my brain with and without contrast last week and felt no pain or after effects. My PN is pretty severe with balance and walking problems, numb feet, painful legs but symptoms well controlled with Neurontin and NSAIDS.

BTW: Results of MRI showed "normal" for my age.

Is it the same contrast they give you for a CT scan ?

I have severe SFN and have had to have a CT scan every 3 months for 2 years and just had my first 6th month follow up scan today. I've never had any trouble with the CT contrast effecting my SFN.

Hope this helps.

Debi from Georgia

I also have severe, severe neuropathy - Im on 9 meds to control it and I am still almost bed-ridden. I had a MRI with contrast of my entire spine and brain. The metal injection did not exacerbate the pain at all. Good luck.

I was perusing your old posts and noticed that wellbutrin was on the list. I was taking it years ago to try to quit smoking and after realizing that it was not helping me I quit the wellbutrin. I had heard that suicidal thoughts had occured in teenagers from dropping wellbutrin but I was in my fifties. Anyway my warning to you is taper off the stuff when or if you quit it. Or at least be forewarned. If I hadn't known about the teenager warning, I would have been in trouble. I have never felt so utterly useless before or since. At one point I also was almost bed-ridden and had to use Hydrocodone 10-325 for about 8 months and then was able to got off it. I no longer take any pain meds at all. Three years in. Good Luck, Ken in Texas.

Hi Onebeed,

I had an MRI of my entire spine and brain. We started with brain and with and without gadolinium contrast. I had a terrible allergic reaction, both my eyes went completely red and were immensely itchy as soon as the gadolinium was in me. I kept my cool and let them finish their scan, since I didn't want to mess with that. I was taken to emergency at the same hospital and was given Benadryl and steroids IV to bring down the swelling. It helped immediately and one eye had some more swelling that went down by nighttime. I then went home. That same day or the next (I can't remember now) both my arms from elbow to hand went almost completely numb. It happened suddenly and was not part of the SFN symptoms I had. I went to emergency and they couldn't find anything. The next day the numbness was completely gone. The rest of the scans were done without contrast, given this reaction, even though they were originally to be done with and without.

The brain scan was clean. I would do it again, since they suspected MS. I didn't even know about SFN back then. I read quite a bit on gadolinium before the scan. It's toxic, and there have been cases of renal failure, but mostly in patients with renal issues to begin with. The presumption is that the kidneys will filter it out through the urine, but I read about cases of patients who years later still had elevated serum levels, if I recall correctly. But I believe these reports were anecdotal.

Would I get another one if I really needed it? Likely yes. But considering, I didn't have the worst reaction. It went away in a day or two, though it was intense and scary. It's going to load your body with a toxin, and that's not what we want to be going with SFN, especially if the cause is some sort of toxicity. I would say it's a risk, and no one can tell you what will happen, and that if it were me, I'd likely weigh the options. With nerve issues, some would say a scan of the brain with contrast is necessary, and I'm glad I got one. I hope this helps. And good luck whatever you decide.

The contrast they usually use is gadolinium.

I haven't taken Wellbutrin for a couple of years. I was scared off all antidepressants when my general practitioner at the time said that Paxil can cause the electric-shock sensations I was having.

Thanks for your reply. These are the kinds of things that scare me, mostly because if an allergic reaction happens to me I am not going to let them give me steroids because I have Lyme disease and steroids suppress the immune system. That would let the Lyme take over and I am trying to fight it. They are testing me for MS but I already know I have Lyme so I am weighing the options and wondering if I really need the MRI. Lyme is so often misdiagnosed as MS. I don't even think I would take MS meds anyway because I think they suppress the immune system also. I am not really sure why the neurologist thinks I need the MRI.

If you are having ANY concerns about having an MRI with and without contrast, I think the first thing you need to get answered is the question you stated in your post.

WHY is the test being ordered?

There are various reasons and various degrees of necessity behind a physician ordering any tests.

Is the doctor covering all bases? Is the doctor covering his butt? Does the doctor suspect something in particular and is looking to confirm or refute it? Is the doctor at a loss and is trying to find something?

Is the test essential? Are there other ways to find a proper diagnosis? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the test? The risks?

Some tests are absolutely necessary for a patient, some are not. Some are protocol for presenting with certain symptoms.

If you would feel better knowing the underlying reasons your physician has ordered your testing, do not hesitate to ask. After all, the patient is suppose to be FULLY informed, not just given a statement that you need to have a specific test or procedure.

Some patients WANT as much information as one can obtain from their physician and others prefer not to know. Physicians will not generally go into more detail than the patient requests, so if you want to know, please ask.