muscle relaxers, need help
 

Every four weeks for the past six years I have visited the same pain mgt doctor and have always been in compliance with monthly drug tests. I'm on a low dose of time released morphine and 5/325 norco as needed for breakthrough pain from RSD in my shoulder and arm. The only true relief I get is from heat and use a heating pad about 12 hours a day and a battery operated shoulder brace with heat while working and away from home. I have tried all the blocks, spinal cord stimulator and other treatments with no luck. I wasn't diagnosed for three years after a major fall which resulted in three open shoulder surgeries. I'm too young for a total shoulder replacement which they won't do until I'm in my 60's for fear of wearing it out and you only get one good shot at securing it to your scapula. I want to know if anyone has had any luck with Soma (Carisoprodol), for muscle spasms and cramps. I have tried Flexeril and Baclofen. The Flexeril wiped me out and the Baclofen gave no relief. When I asked my doc about Soma he brushed it aside by saying it was habit forming.....like the opiods I'm on are not? I have an upcoming appointment and am seeking advice on how to persuade him to at least let me give it a try. On med refill days he runs everybody through the clinic as fast as possible because he has a lot of patients. Has anybody out there had any luck with Soma? My shoulder feels like it is in a total cramp all the time which is why heat helps. Thanks

Hi Poppop,

I too found Flexerial to be a nightmare. The side effects were complertely intolerable and hile it was supposed to help me sleep, instead I had awful nightmares all night.

I am currently on both Baclofen and Soma. I only take 20mg of Baclofen a day so that's probably a problem. With a higher dose, maybe I wouldn't need the Soma.

I have been on and off Soma for almost 2 years now and honestly, I don't have a problem with addiction or withdrawl from i. I don't know if people say it's addictive just to scare you off from it or what but as I said, changing doses and going off it for weeks at a time and then back on was never a problem for me since it is treating a true muscular problem, not being used for some sort of "high".

Maybe others react differently, I don't know but I would call your Dr and ask to at least try it?

shoulder replacement
 

hi i have rsd in both shoulders and arms just had a shoulder replacement done in june 2010 i was told to wait but since i had it done my left side is better the best thing they did was find out that thry hook up a block and left it in for 3 days i was getting spreading to my legs and it has comed down a lot it took me a 1 year tell the doctor i could not take anymore and i will have the right done next year if you want to talk let me know but good luck

thanks
 

finally somebody else with RSD in a shoulder! not that I'm glad, it's just that you're the first person close to my diagnosis and you've been through what I'm facing. Did they do a traditional shoulder replacement or the new "reverse" with the ball attached to you scapula and the socket placed at the top your arm? I bet you're like me where you can only sleep flat on your back....never thought how frustrating that would be. Glad you have some relief with your new shoulder. Thanks for sharing your experience. PopPop

Hi Pop,

Have you considered Skelaxin? It is stronger than Soma (which did NOTHING for me - it is really a very mild med - and I am a small woman), but not as mind bending as Flexeril. I take it at bedtime.

I also have RSD of the shoulder - I tore my rotator cuff in Nov of 2006 and had two arthroscopic repairs in the spring of 2007 and a year later in 2008. But my RSD spread beyond my shoulder....

Good luck to you. XOXO Sandy

I should have been more clear. My RSD is in my shoulder tho throughout the left side of my body. My left neck and shoulder are the worst. Soma is very helpful as is Ativan and Toradol. I do constantly use heat, never ice. I do use pain patches such as Durogesic, lidocane and when unable to use those, I use icy-hot patches which I buy off Amazon.com for less.

I do also find my $59 TeNS unit to be quite helpful. Feel free to PM if you have any questions.

Dawn

Shouder RSD
 

My husband's RSD started in his left shoulder and arm after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair in 2009. After 1 interscalene block, it spread to his chest, back, and right shoulder and arm. He cannot lay down at all, or lean back on his back. He sleeps in an office chair sitting forward. Of course, he only gets 1 -2 hours of sleep at a time. They cant do Ketamine because he cannot lay down. he has been on vicodin (10/325) for almost 2 years. We finally saw a PM Dr. today who wants to try a neurostimulator. Any thoughts?:confused:

I have yet to start my outpatient ketamine infusions but I guess I always thought they were given at least partially sitting up. Is that not the case? If there's no other way to do it, I guess I don't see why they can't sedate him long enough to treat him?

My prayers go out to you and your husband. I did go through the neurostimulator trial. I had a Bankart Repair to my left shoulder which is a procedure where they open the shoulder and reattach all the ligaments and tendons that were torn in a fall from a horse. 80% of my pain is in the shoulder region and the rest is down the arm and some what into the hand. The SCS trial was not difficult and the Medtronic rep was easily contacted when I needed to make adjustments on my own at home. I wore it for ten days, maybe two weeks. The problem I had was trying to keep the impulse centered in the shoulder and not the area from the elbow down. I went back to the Dr. and he tried to manually manipulate the leads to attempt to keep the impulse in the shoulder but it was not much help. This was in 2003. The pain mtg. doc I see tells me that there have been some improvements since then but for the cost I don't think I want to try it again. Your husband may find his trial to be a completely different experience and I would encourage him to give it a try if your insurance will cover it...even if you don't have insurance Medtronic has programs to offer the unit at on a sliding scale. What does he have to lose? I can't stress the use of heating pads enough. The shoulder brace from Venture heat with a lithium ion battery has been a life saver for me. Please give him my best regards. PopPop

Sandy, thank you so much for that suggestion. I will look into it. PopPop

Dear Al,

I couldn't lie down on my head either - for months. It was the asbolute pits. I am fairly sure it was because I had a series of trigger point injections in my shoulder, upper back, neck and the back of head just after my diagnosis that caused my RSD to spread. Who knows? Maybe the RSD was going to spread anyway. To sleep I had to position pillows so that I could lay on the side of my face (and of course take tons of meds). At one point I was up to 100 mcgs of Fentanyl, but most of the time I was on 75 mcgs.

Ketamine is administered by most docs in lounge chairs. I would think that something could be arranged....if one doc says he can't work with you NEVER EVER give up. Call someone else. After about 12 ketamine infusions with Dr. Getson in NJ, he did an occipital block which helped enormously. I still have trouble with the back of my head, but it's not nearly as bad as it was before I started the ketamine. I also find that a heating pad and Voltaren gel help.

Neurostimulation is invasive. Perhaps there are other alternatives that you could try first?

I am truly sorry for your husband's pain. Please let me know if I can answer any questions for you.

The best of luck to you...XOXOX Sandy

Hi For the med ? have you tried zanaflex? I tried that and though for me it did not help I thought I would suggest it. Some anxiety meds help relax muscles and why I tried klonopin with my neurologist but have not felt any different either. We are all different though.
Al what other procedures and meds has your husband tried? I remember right when I got dx I was suggested a scs before I tried less invasive treatments. I then later found out one should go through stages from less to more invasive.

soma
 

My PM doc would not give me soma. He said it is not for long term use....I have not found anything that works well for muslce relaxing

Deb

Soma
 

Hi PopPop, So sorry for your shoulder issues. My first sign of RSD was frozen shoulder following breast surgery and another tumor in arm pit. I wasn't diagnosed with RSD, but was sent to physical therapy to get range of motion back. Very painful, taking pain meds before therapy and it took a year of therapy, and I also did massage therapy prior to physical therapy. I did have spasms and was put on neurotin for nerve pain. I also practiced stretching exercises at home every day. One tool was a styrofoam cylinder 6 inches round by 4 ft. would lay on it and move from side to side for stretching between shoulder blades. Also used those thin rubber bands about4 inches wide to do stretching.
About 6 months into physical therapy and massagae therapy, my Rehab Dr. sent me to Orthopedic Surgeon, who wanted to operate and break things open to speed things along-I said no thank you and after another 6 months, had nearly full range and was in 'remission' (Didn't know I had RSD for 4 years)
The therapist told me it might go over to the other shoulder. Had remission for a year plus, then it did go into opposite shoulder. More therapy and another remission. While water skiing my hand nerves pulled and was misdiagnosed, then diagnosed with RSD -therapy, but only got 50% usage of hand. Now have full body and internal, but mobile except partial one hand. I still stretch every day and exercise and hope my mobility continues.
I have not had Soma so can't comment on it. Something that helped me besides heating pad, was those bean sacks that you put in microwave and heat up.
It's been 15 years now and I use vicodin and lorazepam. Lorazepam is an anti-anxiety med and it relaxes me and rarely have spasms. Also use 2 high blood pressure meds, seroquel xr for sleep and cymbalta for anti-depressant and nerve pain.
Have you ever used the machine that warms up wax and is used for hands and feet. Could you use it on shoulder and arm. When it cools, it peels of easily.
I still love massage therapy,even use it on myself during a sinus infection to release the swollen sinus and swollen lymph glands.
Hope this helps a little. I did take 3200 mg of neurotin when I was having electric shocks, jerks, spasms. It did stop the symptoms. Didn't like the weight gain and sleepiness, and gradually went off. For the most part, don't have the symptoms any longer.
Take care, loretta:grouphug:

I don't have any personal experience with Soma but I have a friend you was on it for years for back spasms. He had a back surgery done with great success and did not need it anymore and it was a huge problem for him to get off. In all fairness he was on other meds. but the doctor who helped him get off everything and he remains off everything to this day which now it must be 4 years, said it was the soma that gave him such a problem and he was on that god awful Fentenyl patch and they still said it was the soma. Again, who knows I also remember him saying it was the only thing that worked for the spasms so I do know it works. I would just be careful.

Gabbycakes

Muscle relaxers..
 

I am new to this group.. My pain management Doc has tried me on all manner of medication..We finally came up with Tizanadine as the best muscle relaxer for me..Taken at bed time....one or two seem to help with the spasms and still allow me to function when I have to get up in the night.
Good luck!!:D

How frustrating for you when you know what works and are unable to have it prescribed. Unfortunately Texas is one of a handfull of states that won't allow internet sales of Soma (there are many online US pharmacies that provide this service with an online consult for certain classes of drugs, muscle relaxers included). This may be why the doc's in Texas are tough on Soma. Good luck and keep searching because sooner or later you will find a compassionate doctor.