Originally Posted by COLBEYMOORE (Post 479257)

Thank you Jaynurse and Augie. I have called and made an appointment with a pain management clinic here in kentucky. I am desperate for a break from the pain I am up until 3 to 4am most nights it is so depressing and causes you to have thoughts you normally would not have.

The hospital where I see my doctors have an online patient access program where you can send emails to your doctor, view your lab results etc...

Here is my email to him at 2:59am
03/06/2009 02:59
help..it is 2:45am and like all the other nights i can't sleep showers foot rubs nothing so I take another pill and another..this is what I am up to..
6am 1200 mg neurontin 100mg tramadol
11am 600 mg neurontin 100mg tramadol
4pm 1200 mg neurontin 100 mg tramadol
9ishpm 1500 mg neurontin 150 tramadol
Now on days where I am exhausted frm not sleeping I dont understand before I selpt now I dont..I will sleep maybe 6 hours but when i wake up it is horrible i have no sensation up to my knees my right leg is worst but yet I feel pain in my feet like needles sharp knife like. When trying to walk my right leg often buckles, I have fallen down in public, it is hard to lift my right leg or left leg to get into a vehicle..I cant remember things misplace things. I wish i Had one normal day pain free
I used to be able to do so much more this is horrible...
Is there anything else i can try i taking tramadol and it still doesnt seem to help wit nights are horrible so i take extra of the neurontin (1500mg) and (150mg)of the tramadol before i try adn go to bed.during the day the pain is not as basd my husband massages my feet with extra icy hot. i have purchased a traedmill for exercise
His response...
03/09/2009 14:12 Mrs. Moore:
You do not have many options at this point. You are presently taking the maximum dose of Neurontin and tramadol. You could increase the amitriptyline to 150 mg per night (3 tabs po qhs), but this is also a very large dose. You could add Advil or Motrin to your pain regimen. You could take 2-3 tabs po 4 times per day as needed for pain.

Is it me? But my thoughts are can we try something else...no other options...??? How frustrating to hear...

I am sorry I am just tired of being like this....sorry had to vent!

Originally Posted by COLBEYMOORE (Post 478506)

Curious to see what pain medication everyone is on. I am having great difficulty managing the pain. My neuropathy is due to diabetes since 1996.
My EMG results were very abnormal and I was told the damage is not reversable due to the length of time I have had uncontrolled diabetes.

I am currently taking about 3400mg of Gabapentin and over 400mg of Tramadol a day followed with 20mg of amitripiline at bedtime.
I have asked my neurologist to try a pain medication and his answer to me was Motrin or Tylenol. I told him Motrin is not an option for me since I am in
3rd stage kidney disease. I am considering calling a Pain Management Facility any advice or is anyone else having or have had a problem getting the appropriate pain medication for neuropathy?

Thanks

Originally Posted by annieqcrowley (Post 937971)

Don't be sorry-you do need to vent. I understand the frustration & the " thoughts you wouldn't normally have". I fantasize about chopping my legs off I'm in so much pain. I can't take any of the drugs you're on b/c my neuropathy is due to a problem w/neurotransmitter and receptors in my brain. I currently take 40mg of oxycodone a day, but still have pain. I've found research that says up to 60mg/day may be needed, but my doc won't increase it. I recently started lidocaine ointment, 5%, 1/2 tsp to each foot/leg 3X's a day. The literature says you can use it 4X's/day, but once again, my doc won't increase it. It does help some, more w/the burning pain than the sharp, electric, jabbing pain, but it's an improvement. It's topical & the absorption rate is minimal, so there are basically no side effects. My feet are numb anyway & it doesn't make them any more numb, which was a concern of my doc. It's not magical, but does help enough so I can sleep for an hour or two. Hope this helps.
Annie

Originally Posted by Suzsthings (Post 961268)

Hello! I'm new and have been reading some of the posts. I've had 2 car accidents and am in pain every single day. The neuro surgeon did back surgery on L5 and S1 back in 2008. A few months after that he sent me to a pain mgmt doctor I've been seeing ever since.

Of course I've done physical therapies for months at a time, tried the stimulator and that made me feel like I was in back labor. I've done and tried everything they have asked me to. I've had the epideral injections many times and even tried the chiropractor for a while. This landed me in the hospital for 4 days back in October, was going numb from waist down and my left side of my face slumped over. So of course I'm never going back to the chiropractor.

Went to the pain mgmt doctor a few weeks ago and he was reading my MRI from October. He said he was sending me back to the neuro surgeon and thought I would benefit from a decompression surgery. Went to the surgeon yesterday and he is sending me for the myelogram to get a better picture. Then he hit me with he thought I had neuropathy and possibly fibermyalgia but really thought I had the neuropathy.

I'm waiting for the appointment date for the spinal tap now. But he started me on Cymbalta 30 mg yesterday. Gave me samples, 30 mg - 1 a day for a week, then 60 mg - 1 a day for 2 weeks.


I've been on percocets for several years, 10/325. Is that a high dose? I'm also given Tanzadine to take but it doesn't seem to do anything so I wasn't taking it. He told me yesterday to take it like prescribed for at least a week to see if it would help.

They have been telling me I have degenerative disc disease, arthritis, 4 pinched nerves, sciatica, scoliosis, 2 buldging discs, 1 ruptured at the top of my back where the chiropractor popped me many times but that doesn't bother me that much, it's the lower back, hips, legs ect... that are the killer. Now he's telling me he doesn't see anything that pops out at him that I need surgery - hopefully he'll see more in the spinal tap. I dunno.

Guess I'm just frustrated as H*ell. Tired of being in pain, having to cancel plans bc of the pain, lower back feels like it's breaking in half, the shooting pains down both legs, burning down the backs of my legs down to my feet, tingling, numbing and having to use a cane so I don't fall. I'm 49 and feel like I'm too young to have my life over with like this. Also, this makes my depression so much worse being like this.

He mentioned a bunch of other meds he might prescribe for the neuropathy but only put me on the Cymbalta yesterday. I'm wondering why I was told about the 4 pinched nerves for all this time and now the neuro surgeon is saying it's not definite on the pinched nerves. HUH?? I've heard of neuropathy before but never researched it till he mentioned it yesterday.

I'm diabetic and he thinks it came from that also. Do the meds help? I remember one of the meds he mentioned yesterday was neurotin. What does that do? Basically from what I've read, if it is neuropathy the nerve damage is already done and it won't heal right? It just slows down the progression?

I've read people saying they have memory loss from some of these meds and other side effects that don't sound very good. Which meds cause that? I'm kinda scared starting new meds if it's going to cause a bunch of weird side effects. Anybody have any advice for me?

I'm also definitely NOT looking forward to the myelogram(spinal tap). I've had 2 of them years ago and it HURT and after I had to lay there for a couple hours and they tried to sit me up. I got the worst migraine immediately!! I have migraines anyway but these I had after the spinal taps were over the TOP.

Sorry to vent to you guys, I'm just so frustrated. Like I said, I'm 49 and my back problems started in my early 20's after my car was totaled. Then a few years ago I had another car accident. Both times kids slammed into me on the side and trashed my back. Thanks for any help you guys can give me.

Susie

Originally Posted by Susanne C. (Post 961283)

10/325 is not a small dose, but it isn't huge either, how many are you taking per day? That is pretty relevant!
I also have arthritis of the spine, but most of my pain is from my hereditary neuropathy. I am on 1800 mg. gabapentin, 15mg. MS contin ( time release morphine) twice a day, and 7.5/325 Percocet twice a day. The MSContin made a huge difference and really gives me more consistent pain relief, allowing me to take fewer percocets. These are relatively small doses, it is working for me, but pain is a very individualized thing. I think that getting a time release pain reliever is very fundamental, and OxyContin is no longer being used very often.