Drugs I've tried that haven't worked...
 

Hello everyone. I am a 28 year old female struggling with right sided back/leg pain. The buttock/hip/thigh area is the most painful. I had a posterior L5/S1 fusion due to spondolysthesis, slipped disc, and 2 fractures on my L5 vertebrae due to a gymnastics injury. I had malunion after the surgery so they had to go back in and do a anterior L5/S1 fusion. That time I fused. It has now been 2 years and 4 months since that surgery. Starting back in February I became physically active again and noticed that I started to get pain radiating from my low back down my right leg. (I was not physically active prior or working because the doctor told me that since I did not fuse the first time and I was very active that this time I should take it easy until I fused) Since then I have had an MRI of back and hip, CT scan, x-rays of my back and hip, CT myelogram, and an EMG. Everything looked great! I am fused. There is no nerve impingement. There is nothing wrong with my hip. Flexion and extension xrays are normal.
So since then I have been to almost a dozen doctors. Orthopedic doctors, neurosurgeons, peripheral nerve surgeon, etc. I have been from Baltimore to Philadelphia. No one has an answer for me.

I have tried:
Neurontin 900mg three times a day
Ibuprofen 800mg three times a day
Naproxen sodium
Ultram (Tramadol) 50mg three times a day
Percocet 7.5mg three times a day
Zonegran 200mg daily

Does anyone have any suggestions for other medications or dosages that I could try??

I have had several pain injections at levels L4 and L5 which were unsuccessful.

Now they are talking about doing a nerve stimulator trial. From what I have researched I am not too excited about it and I don't know if it is the right option for me. Any thoughts?

I am really depressed and anxious. I see someone for my depression and anxiety, but I feel like that only does so much. I don't work because I can't. I used to have a wonderful career and now all I can do is sit around and barely go to the store to get the essentials.

I'm tired of being in pain and I'm tired of being sad. Please help.

CiCi

You can try Lidoderm patches... placed over the surgical site.

They take a while to get going, so expect a slow response.

1. It is easier to keep pain "in the box" than to put it "back in the box". I have chronic pain, so I medicate it regularly, every day.

2. Things that work, may stop working, and may become a problem. I have become reactive to all the opioids and things like Tramadol. I cannot take any codeine product. I became 'reactive' to them very quickly and with little exposure.

3. Drugs that work for one person may be terrible for another person.

4. Aleve (naproxen sodium) works very well for me. I also take 60 mg of Omeprazole (Prilosec) because it is an NAID that is hard on my gastrointestinal system. I take two Aleve in the morning, and two at Aleve at night.

5. Cymbalta is an SSRI that is on label for pain, I take 60 mg of Cymbalta every night.

6. If I have a flare and my pain is much worse, I take Acetaminophen Arthritis Strength, which is stronger and lasts longer than regular doses. This is the generic of Tylenol. This drug should not be taken for prolonged periods of time, so I save it for occasional use.

7. I apply a heated wrap to my neck in order to get to sleep or stay asleep at night. This wrap is filled with beans/seeds and can be heated in the microwave.

8. I practice relaxation and meditation, specifically learned to deal with pain.

9. I exercise as often as possible, in a heated pool, stretching and mild aerobic exercise. I also use variable resistance equipment at the health club. I have found that for some of my pain, this exercise is the best way to control/stop it. Especially Interstitial Cystitis.

I haven't taken Plaquenil, Methotrexate or Prednisone for pain control. But I understand that they can be a great help.

Some people find that there are some foods that increase inflammation and they avoid them.

I have not found that, personally.

I have PN, DDD, CVID, Sjogren's Syndrome, Interstitial Cystitis, Severe Osteoarthritis, Anemia, Blepharitis, Meniere's Syndrome with Tinnitus and some deafness.

Hugs, Elaine

This is an interesting post. I do think if you take that 60mg of Prilosec for any length of time, you need to be aware that it will interfere with absorption of acid requiring nutrients:

magnesium (serious)
calcium
iron
zinc
B12
Folic acid

Naproxen interferes with folic acid.

I wonder if you have ever tried Ice on your arthritis? I find Ice is better for me than heat. Use sparingly for short periods once daily... like 20minutes.
Also you might try the Salonpas patches (original formula with methyl salicylate)...these work well on my joint flares.

Yes, interesting post... :Ponder:
1. Interesting way of putting it!
2. That's the flipside/double edge of #1.

Some who can't tolerate NSAIDs at all may have little/no choice. For those folks who have to take acataminophen/paracetamol/Tylenol longer term, taking N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) daily can help protect the liver against the ravages of acetaminophen.

When you say "heated pool" do you mean like swimming pool temperature (83-86 degrees Fahrenheit/28-30 degrees Celsius) or like hot tub/jacuzzi/spa temperature (100–104 degrees Fahrenheit/38-40 degrees Celsius)?

Doc

@ElaineD:

Here are some medical papers discussing the safety of using proton pump inhibitors with NSAIDs:

http://agajournals.wordpress.com/201...e-from-nsaids/
When this inflammation occurs all sorts of nutrients and minerals will suffer because they can no longer be absorbed by the damaged intestine.

This link is a long paper on Stomach ulcer prevention only:
http://arthritis-research.com/content/15/S3/S5

This article brings up the topic of bone loss doing this treatment.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the...id-and-ppi.htm
This is because acid in the stomach is necessary for proper Vit D absorption of calcium (and also magnesium). I mentioned this nutrient interaction in just above this post.

There is always a price to pay for using complex drugs for long periods of time (as in arthritis therapy). You'll have to decide how much risk you are willing to take, and remain vigilant for any signs of intestinal warning symptoms.

qutenza patch
 

I know this is an old thread, but I cannotfind any n ew info here on the qutenza 8 percent patch. Has anyone now tried it?

We have had discussions about this capsaicin patch on this forum.

You can search for it on the main forum below.

Not many people in recent years have mentioned it, and I think that is because the lidocaine patches, became more popular.

Capsaicin is not really tolerated well by everyone. Some people cannot stand the burning it causes.

Our software does not support a 3rd party sharing links from a search...so I cannot list my search just now on
"capsaisin patch".

But here is an example:
http://www.neurotalk.org/pn-tips-res...apsaicin+patch

This post above is from 2010.
Here is another short discussion:
http://www.neurotalk.org/peripheral-...apsaicin+patch

I found one interesting thing at CafePharma forum for sales reps discussions. In 2014 they discuss the "unavailability" of Qutenza patches and doctors asking why they cannot obtain it. No answers were forthcoming.

Just because we don't have many posts about it, just means people are not using it or asking about it. I found just a few hits on Google, so I don't think it is widely used now. Lidoderm patches seem to be much more popular. And now they are even OTC at 4% (the RX ones are 5%).