I can relate to your pain(s)
 

Hang on in there. I rub down with Aspercreame. I think it gets better after awhile or we get used to it. I've been where you are for about a year. Taken all kinds of meds, with little or no relief. I turn on my mp3 player to distract myself.

And you are correct. Only those who have experienced the pain and discomfort truly understand. Good luck to you.

I would NOT use OTC pain creams over large areas of the body, or frequently or with heat applied.

A young woman athlete died overusing Ben Gay, last year.

Funny you should mention that. Sometimes I live with my mp3 player on. I have always loved music, everything from R and B soul, to classical. I've always got some kind of music on and it does help distract me with the pain at times. Wishing you the best also....

I tried a cream recently, active ingrediant Benzocaine, and there was a warning on the packet not to use it for more than a week or over large areas of the body. Not that I'm tempted to do so, since alhough it seemed to give some relief for an hour or so, then pain got worse for the rest of the day. Though I'm not saying that the cream was definitely the cause of either; as all with NeP know, cause and effect is to say the least, problematic.

Distraction techniques and minimising exercise are my only real defences - I've tried pretty well all the standard drugs.

My pain doctor wrote me an rx for some anti inflammatory cream today that you rub a small amount of on your area which for me will not be happening but for others I will look at the name and try to repost. My pain doctor and Mrs D may know more and it is very expensive but it is some compund that has neurnotin and some other meds in a creamform that they make up for a person. Have you heard of this? I don't have rx coverage and for me to sensitive to rub cream on my area but he said it could be like 1000 a month if he was correct
As for music I too love it to help me calm down. I watch on the computer music videos. I like watching people dance too to those hip hop songs. Amazing how they move.
To the original poster I like your attitude. I have had baically 2 full nights of lack of sleep from a bad procedure that increased pain but today I finally have slight break but still aka 3:30 am and up. My body is so out of whack but I agree holding to hope and support like on here truly helps

Compounded creams like this often contain various ingredients.
They may have ketamine, clonidine, elavil, ketorlac,
or even gabapentin, in various concentrations and mixtures in a special transdermal gel (this is different from most "creams").

That was what my pain doctor was talking about a cram with neurontin and another mixture. He said some like it better then oral but it is very expensive and for me I can't tolerate rubbing something on me anyhow but for others. The gel he prescribed in addition to oral meds which I am not going to use at this time is diclofenac sodium that you rub on the sore area

I had an oil type compound with neurotin, lidocane and something else made up for me, it was 40.00. I don't know that it worked for me but my husband uses it on his wrists for his rhuematoid, a little bit goes a long way. Running cold water over my feet during a bad flare is still the only "topical" that works for me.

Diclofenac is Voltaren in topical form. It is an NSAID like naproxen and ibuprofen. It is also in a patch called Flector.

Typically the transdermal gels for topical use have either dicolfenac or ketorlac in them because these two NSAIDs are more fat soluble and will cross the skin barrier more easily.
Ketorlac is more potent of the two.