Initially I was on neurontin but that did not work for me at all. I then was put on the tryciclic but had to stop it because of extrapyrimidal symptoms I was having such as uncontrollabe jaw contractions, and dytonia in my foot. Scared to death I weaned myself off of it.

For a long time now I have thought I have been being strong because I don't take regular pain meds. But all I have managed to do is cause myself to be in pain all the time now. I think this and the lack of sleep caused my fibro. I don't want to be in pain anymore.

My problem is because of a really bad back, I can't take something that will make me gain weight, as I have fought tooth and nail to take the kilos off.

Now I know there are meds that people take on occasion,and then meds that need to build up in your blood. Can anyone advise me of a pain med that helps neuropathic pain that doesn't cause weight gain or lethargy?

I would greatly appreciate this as I see my neuro very soon.

Thank you

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...7&postcount=13

Billye

I am actually hoping that someone who has tried one of the meds and has had success,or maybe someone knows which ones don't have the side-effect of lethargy and weight gain? Maybe from personal experience?

What has worked... what to stay away from?

Thank you

Hi Aussie, i found the best one for me were Tramadol Slow Release, initialy my doc had me on 1 x 200 mg + 1 x 100 mg taken twice a day [600 mg] as they last for 12hours, apparently here and the US the normal limit is only 200 mg x 2 a day [400 mg] but i guess i was lucky with my doc.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/d...r/a695011.html

Like all drugs there is possible side affects, depends on the individual but I had none of the side affects mentioned above though from Tramadol SR , no brain fog, i was able to still loose weight on them, nothing at all noticeable to me.
I think you can also get them in 50 mg tabs but they only last i think for about 4 hours, if your interested your doc may have some sample packs to try before you buy.
My local doc was getting " government authority " to write out scripts for " 3 packs " for the price of one.
Brian

I have been on neurontin,lyrica,elavil,cymbalta which is current,tramadol not slow release,lidocaine patch,and vicadin but not for months. I have a hard time with meds doing what there suppose to. In the past I have been on many meds for depression,anxiety,and sleep but they never do what intended but give me side effects so I don't know if I am a good example. For me maybe cause I was not on them for extended period I didn't notice weight gain. I know the neurontin and lyrica are known for that. I think Cymbalta is not known for weight gain. When I first started it I was extremly nauses but didn't throw up but some people I have heard do. The elavil I was on for awhile but didn't see very much relief and did not help with sleep. I am still in a lot of pain but am not sure if the progress I have made is from the help of Cymbalta. I'm now up to 20 minute walks and out of bed doing daily activities where as months ago I was in bed for almost all day and crying through vicadin in pain barely able to walk to the bathroom. I know a girl at the clinic I was at was having a hard time with meds and weight gain. They also were going to try her on oh I forgot the name its more for migranes though so don't know if it would help for back. I'm sorry I can't remember someone else may know though. Hang in there.

I don't know exactly where your pain is coming from would give me a better idea of what kind of med. you need. good luck and i will try and look you up again to see if you told us exactly where the pain is origanating.

I have been on neurontin and now on lyrica and haven't put on weight. I wouldn't know if it is due to the product itself or predisposition to weight gain when it comes to medication.

I agree with dagm131, what is-are the cause of your pain would help in giving or sharing our own experience and telling you what has helped us.

Will look back on your post again when you will have given us more details.
Till then, wishing you a good night sleep.

The only thing I take for the PN pain now is a generic form of Ultracet. That is Tramdol with Tylenol. It works wonderfully well for me. I only have to take it at night and can even skip nights when I feel I don't really need it. The only side I've have from it is that it wires me. Makes me feel wide awake if I take it too close to bedtime. So I take it a few hours before bed and that seems to help. I currently take 37.5 mg of Tramdol and I can't remember how many mgs of Tylenol that includes. That dose lasts for about 8 hours for me. Some days I have to take two tablets but those days are few and far between.

I can't remember any other listed sides for this drug so you may want to google it and see what comes up. And talk to your doc about it. This drug has truly been a miracle for my pain. I can say I've not had any problem with weight on this drug and in fact I continue to lose weight since I stopped taking the Effexor. Obviously no lethargy either.

For the record, I couldn't take Neurontin either. It made me suicidal as well as making my pain worse.

Aussie,

You are not crazy, as some patches DO have to be worn over your painful areas. Lidocaine and Capsaisan patches are worn wear it hurts.

Fentanyl, which is a major league pain killer is worn on a muscled area, such as arm or leg, and is not to be heated up such as with a heating pad. Fentanyl is aborbed by your skin and works systemically. Kids and pets can be poisoned by chewing the patches! Like any pill, they must be kept away from kids and pets. I have been on fentanyl. I am not anymore. My choice.

I pm'd you. Autonomic neuropathy makes things more complex.

I've tried tegretol, neurontin, ultracet, and vicodin none of which gave me much relief from my pain. One neuro put me on Lyrica which helped with the shooting and stabbing pains which were like pin pricks up and down my toes, feet, and legs, and sometimes into the back, chest, and head. She also gave me Ultracet but for me though nothing I've ever taken gives me any kind of relief from the constant cold in my feet and now my hands too. In addition, I gained some weight on the Lyrica.

After a 2nd opinion from a new neuro he weaned me off of Lyrica, I lost ~8-10 lbs and he replaced it with nortriptyline and substituted the Ultracet with Ultram - he didn't see a need to take acetaminophen together with tramadol (ultram) chronically if I didn't need to do so. I've read that for some people the Ultracet combo works better than Ultram itself - there can be a synergy between Tylenol and Ultram. In any case the combo of nortriptyline and ultram seems to help me with the shooting and stabbing pains but this neuro and a couple of other I've spoken with told me that the cold pain is very difficult to address - sometimes high doses of mexilitine, an antiarrythrmic can help but I've not followed up on this.

I've got an appointment at Johns Hopkins in ~3 weeks so perhaps they can offer me a cause or some relief.


I hope you find some real relief soon with as few SE's as possible but it's a real "crap shoot" at times to find a good drug or combo - doesn't help that neuropathic pain is about the most difficult to treat.

Alkymst