I was diagnosed in the late 90's with idiopathic peripheral neuropathy. I am on a low dose of opioids for both back pain and pn pain but recently misplaced them for several days. I was surprised that I did not suffer any withdrawal symptoms or pains. I am seeing my neurologist after a long absence and know he will want to retest me. Should I leave off my pain medicine? Do they affect testing? Thanks for any suggestions.

Hi Zayne:
You are very fortunate that you are not having withdrawal symptoms. I don't think not being on pain meds should affect any testing, but others, more knowledgable than I, will come along and give you the correct information.

What kinds of testing will they do on you?

Melody

I expect a EMG and or nerve conduction.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that pain meds have no effect on emg's or nerve conduction tests. I have had both, and so has my husband.

You've had these before, right?

If you are in distress, then take your meds. Who needs to be in neuropathy pain, especially if the meds have been helping you. They have been helping you, have they not?

You've had this since the 90's??? You sound like my husband. I gather you have had the diabetic testing, and spinal taps, am I correct?

Yes I have. But the neurologist kept putting me on more and more seziure meds that wern't doing anything. And stopped doing any tests except checking liver, etc occasionally. So I saw no reason to keep going. But it has been years so I thought perhaps he would know or at least be more interested in testing as it is still progressing.

Yes I've had two of the testings done. The last time I handled it so well that they just kept on sticking me. I know that the guy had just passed his tests and because I was so willing to be polite with it all, he just seemed to drag it all out. Now before I get any more done I wondered IF my being on the pain medicine would have made a difference that last time. Maybe let me allow more of the sticking, etc. And if it altered the results.

In any case, I'm trying to be hopeful once again that there will be something that the doctor will zone in on . I do know about the spreadsheets but expect that I will need to start over since it has been so long.

Yes to the spinal tap and the diabetic testing. I also take B12 and various other vitamins and minerals. Thanks Melody.

Are you asking if the anti-seizure meds that you have been taking, and if you take them again, if they would change the test results?? Is that what you are asking?

I'm no expert, but anti-seizure meds block the pain receptors (or something to that effect).

Now the emg's and nerve conduction, well they are not reading your pain, they are testing OTHER things. They are measuring the length of the signals going from this way to the other. (look it up on google), it explains how these tests work. I really don't think it matters what pain meds you are on, the pain meds work on the brain interruping the signals that let you receive the pain message.

The emgs and the nerve conduction tests, well the person giving you the test is looking at the monitor and she's interpreting what she is seeing. I for one, believe that you could be on a load of morphine, and when they do the emg or nerve conduction, well it would still tell the story. Large fiber neuropathy (it can't interpret small fiber neuropathy, at least that's what I've read from these boards).

But if you have any burning, that's small fiber. Do you have pins and needles, burning, ???? and where do you have this?

And what was your B-12 level? Doesn't matter if the tests say it's normal. The test's results are not what we have learned here on these boards, well we've learned a lot about B-12 deficiency. For example, my B-12 reading is 2000. And it stops my burning. But I got extremely lucky in that department.

I started Methyl B-12 as soon as I found out I had neuropathy. As soon as I started burning. So maybe in my case, I started treatment immediately and it started to heal??? Who knows? I know I won't be without my B-12, that much I can tell you.

Take care,

Melody