I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving !

I think I was going through Celebrex generic withdrawal ? (can't remember the name and don't want to get up and look )

I took my last Celebrex that was in my bottle last Sunday morning. I knew I had called and refilled them on 11.12 because I write it down but could not find the bottle when I went to make my meds for the week on Monday morning.

I figured I just had not picked them up so drove thru the drug store and asked for them. They said I had picked it up on 11.16 ?

Went home and looked everywhere for them. All cars and truck and had everyone else looking also. But I didn't think it would be a big deal as far as my health was concerned for a few days. I take them for a finger I have that has one of those inflamed joints.

It was Thanksgiving week and everyone was running around with their heads cut off and I figured I'd call the pharmacy tomorrow and see if they could refill it.

WELL........during the night Tues/Wed I woke up in pain. My whole body hurt. My head was hurting the worst. I took 2 Tylenol and when that didn't help I took a Tylenol 3. I mean I was moaning, groaning and crying in pain. Reminded me of how I felt before I got pain meds for the SFN. I almost called my daughter to take me to the ER.
I finally slept a little while....felt horrible all day Wed and could not shake it. I would get up a little bit and then have to lay back down. Just felt horrible.

By Thursday at 4:30 pm I was again in moaning, groaning, crying pain again. We were to eat at 6:00 pm at my daughters house 2 houses down. My daughter suggested I take 2 Aleve and I did and went to sleep for 30 minutes. I did feel better when I woke up.....kinda high which is very weird for me.

I was totally off balance and kept listing to the right. Scary but I made it through. (Of course that's the night I was meeting my son's new girlfriend for the first time ).

I came home....tried to clean the cat's potty box and thought I was going to pass straight out.

All during this time I had asked the lady that borrowed my car to look and see if my meds were in there and she could not find them.

Friday morning I was sitting at the table with my head in my hands wondering if it was not taking the Celebrex that was doing this awful thing to my body and I got a text from the lady with my car.....she found them ! She had picked them up for me (which I had forgotten) and the bag had split and they had fallen under the seat.

She brought them to me and I immediately took one and went to bed. I woke up 2 hours later feeling much, much better but my body felt like it had been beaten or hit by a mac truck. I stayed in med all day just resting and thankful I was feeling better.

Woke up yesterday morning and I felt like my 'new' normal self.

What the heck happened ????? Was it not taking the Celebrex for 4 1/2 days ? Does it take the Celebrex along with my morphine and gabapentin to keep this SFN pain halfway under control ?

I know this was a long, long story but I really wanted to get it all out there. I'm telling you....I Wanted To Die !

Ok.....sorry for the book but if anyone can tell me what they think I would really appreciate it.

Y'all are such an awesome group

Debi from Georgia

If you have another interruption in your Celebrex, try taking OTC
Aleve... It is also an NSAID and can quell your inflammation for you until you find or get your refill on the Celebrex. It is not quite as strong, but should help. I use OTC Aleve liquigels and find them very useful for my arthritis flares.

Now if you have mixed up Celebrex with Cymbalta...which many people do incuding doctors and pharmacists because the names are similar, be advised that Cymbalta does have serious withdrawal symptoms when stopped suddenly. Cymbalta is used for PN pain.

Probably inflammation was being kept under control. Its an ugly thing. Glad you are better. For some people celebrex is a miracle.

I'm back to my new normal and am thankful for that.

I'm guessing it takes the Celebrex, morphine and gabapentin to keep me where I am as far as my pain level goes.

Just wish he had not taken me off the small amount of oxycodone I was taking. That made all the difference in the world when I was hurting. The Tylenol 3 doesn't work as well or the Tramadol I tried.

Thanks

Debi

was he worried that you were going to have to increase the dose? How many mg were you taking a day?

He said if I'm on morphine I can't be on oxycodone. When I started on the morphine I was on 10 mg oxy and then 5 mg and then off. I didn't have any withdrawals because I wasn't taking it everyday. But it helped me so much. I didn't realize it until I didn't take it anymore and tried the Tramadol and now Tylenol 3. Just doesn't compare.

I'm on 30 mg ER Morphine every 12 hours. I asked him to increase just by 15 mg a day but he said he can't. Office policy. I really find that hard to believe but he's the only pain mgmt. dr I've been to. I've been seeing him for 2 years now.

Debi

Maybe a higher dose of celebrate and oxycodone 5mg as needed would allow you to get off the morphine? Only you know your pain. I suppose you have tried all the nerve daily meds? Lyrica, neurontin, and the tricyclics or ssri's that are supposed to help with these conditions?
Tramadol made me itch all over and kept me up all night.

Yep I've been through a few meds

I was on the BuTrans patch but had reached the max my dr would allow which was 20 mcg/hr. I wanted to try something else to see if it would help my pain better and I switched to the morphine ER. I'm also on disability and was going on an RX plan. Most of them didn't even cover the patch and the ones that did it was horribly expensive.

I'm on Neurontin (gabapentin) at the highest level 'my' body can take which is 1800 mgs a day. I tried Lyrica and Cymbalta but couldn't take either one. But trying them at least made me realize the gabapentin was working some for me.

The dr says my only other options at this point is switching to methadone (which both my adult kids said absolutely not---my son is a narcotics officer) or the new SCS.

I tried the SCS where you could feel the pulses last Dec and I was sooooo glad when they took that thing out of my back. Didn't help at all even though I tried to talk myself into it during the week of the trial.

I have to have an extended release.....I know that now. If not I'm laying in bed curled up in a fetal position moaning and groaning. Not fun.

Anyhow....guess I'll just keep rocking on like I am for right now. All I've done for 2 years is make changes to my meds and I'm tired......tired and need a break from that.

Thank you so much for the thoughts and suggestions.

.....I am on 40 mg of Paxil a day....to keep me sane ... started that before this monster raised it's ugly head.

Debi

Debi,
As Mrs. D mentioned Aleve helps the inflammation whereas Tylenol helps with treating pain; but not inflammation. Aleve would be the best substitute for the Celebrex since that is treating inflammation which of course getting the inflammation down would also help with the pain.

Glad you finally did find the Celebrex; that had to be so frustrating.


Gerry