XANAX for electrical zaps
 

I have a new symptom of electrical shocks and zaps for which my neuro gave me XANAX to try. It worked after two doses and but has had no effect on burning hands, feet and torso. Any experiences out there to relate?

I have terrible unbearable polyneuropathy with both burning everywhere and electrical vibrations down spine and in torso. Sometimes it keeps me up all night. I take Lyrica for the neuropathy, and that helps for the burning and the vibration. Sometimes I take Xanax also, and it helps settle everything.

What do you use for the burning pain? I've tried tramadol and percocet but they help only a little.

Hi Synnove
I also have terrible unbearable vibration , pins and needles and buzzing in my legs, arms and tinglin in my hands and fingers,, burning in my feet and torso. I have small fiber neuropathy. :mad:. I take lyrica 100, 50 2 x day and it doesnt do anything for any of my symptoms. I am trying slowly to get to the next dose because of side effects. But so far no weight gain, just drunk like feelings , dizziness and dry mouth. How much lyrica do you take? I take xanax at night for sleeping. ( I hate that I am becoming dependant on it for sleeping) Too bad the lyrica does not make me drowsy like most pple reported.

I take percoset along with lyrica , it doesnt help with my pain, pins & needles, buzzing and burning, in my legs, arms, hands and feet. This small fiber neuropathy is horrible and driving me crazy. The worst part is it is idopathic, no known cause,I am otherwise healthy! Does anyone else have this problem..pl help..sorry if I hijacked this thread..

Hi Leondas
I do not think Percocet or Tramadol will help for burning neuropathy pain. Lyrica helps better for the nerve pain. Perhaps you could talk to your doctor about increasing the dose.
I do not think that Xanax exactly helps for the pain eighter, but it helps you relax. That has helped me at bed time, it has helped me sleep. Because the neuropathy pain has often kept me up all night.

Hi Marie 33
I take Lyrica 100 mg in the morning, 100 mg at 2 pm, and 200 mg at bed time. Lately, this not completely control my pain. So the doctor has told me yesterday I can increase the dose with another 100 mg in afternoon. I have not tried that yet, that is a very high dose. The maximum dose, the doctor said, is 600 mg daily, but that is very high, usually it is 400 mg a day.
I have recently seen a neurologist that is a teaching professor in neurpathy. He has sceduled some tests. I hope this doctor can help me find the cause for this terrible neuropathy. The most scary and disturbing, is the same as you also have, the vibratin buzzy feeling that I feel coming down my back and vibrating in torso. This new doctor told me that this symptom is also neuropathy. I also have leucocytoclastic vasculitis, and have a rheumotologist that is treating me and so far, we really have not found any other autoimmune disorder, other that I do have hypothyroidism. And I do have old herniated cervical disc.
Yes, I find the Xanax helps me at bed time. I have had many, many sleepless nights due to vibrating and buzzing in body, and burning all over.

How are your symptoms with the vibrations in torso? Do you have an autoimmune disease? Do you have any muscular disease? What testing did you have?

[QUOTE=Synnove;966561]Hi Marie 33
I take Lyrica 100 mg in the morning, 100 mg at 2 pm, and 200 mg at bed time. Lately, this not completely control my pain. So the doctor has told me yesterday I can increase the dose with another 100 mg in afternoon. I have not tried that yet, that is a very high dose. The maximum dose, the doctor said, is 600 mg daily, but that is very high, usually it is 400 mg a day.
I have recently seen a neurologist that is a teaching professor in neurpathy. He has sceduled some tests. I hope this doctor can help me find the cause for this terrible neuropathy. The most scary and disturbing, is the same as you also have, the vibratin buzzy feeling that I feel coming down my back and vibrating in torso. This new doctor told me that this symptom is also neuropathy. I also have leucocytoclastic vasculitis, and have a rheumotologist that is treating me and so far, we really have not found any other autoimmune disorder, other that I do have hypothyroidism. And I do have old herniated cervical disc.
Yes, I find the Xanax helps me at bed time. I have had many, many sleepless nights due to vibrating and buzzing in body, and burning all over.

How are your symptoms with the vibrations in torso? Do you have an autoimmune disease? Do you have any muscular disease? What testing did you have?

Hi Synnove
Sorry you are suffern with this horribe "disease". :hug: You are on a high dose of lyrica, with not much relief. I thought 400 was the max. Do you have any side effects? I can not get past 100 day! My neuro/doc wants me to start amytryptiline (elavil) start at 10mgs. Have you tryed Elavil this yet? maybe you should consider tryn elavil instead of increasing your Lyrica, seems you are already "maxed" out and its not helping you too much. They say elavil can help you sleep too..
I get terrible painful pins & needles in my legs mostly. Sometimes the pins & needles feel so "tight" , it gets so painful. I also get buzzing and tinglin in my legs ,its not in my torso, but I feel buzzing up and down both legs and sometimes it feels like vibratory feelings in my legs..uugh! I also get Painful pins & needles in my fingers & toes, burning under my feet, even burning patch-like feelings on my back and on my stomach. Im startn to feel tinglin on right side of face and around my lips amd inside my mouth. Im a mess..Its not everyday but its constant and sypmtoms move around!

I had many, many tests (since 2011) so much bloodwork in the last 2 yrs and more tests done recently, (except for the Athena Lab bloodwork-which is supposed to help find hereditary markers).Everything comes back NORMAL. I do not have any autoimmune disease, no muscular disease, twice I had EMG & NCS, both times a yr apart were normal. I feel well , I have strenght but have all this pain , this is ruining my life! Finally in Oct 2012 my Neuro did punch skin biopsy, that showed My SFN!! normal range is 5.6 and above, my test showed 4.70. No other signs of any diseases or disoders. I guess I am fortunate in that way, but I am suffern with so many symptoms and still have no cause!! I live in pain and fear from day to day not knowing where this Beast will progress too. So far no autonomic sypmtoms, but lately I have been feeling little bouts of feeling warm & sweaty even when its not warm in the room, guess its startn to mes with my sweat glands(?)..hmmm.:eek:

Hope your doing better today, How do you like your "teaching professor?" I have been to 6 Neurologist , I Live in Long Island NY, I have been to the South Shore and now im seeing a "teaching" Neurologist on the North Shore at Stony Brook Univ. I have an appt for 3/20 with a Neurologist at Cornell/Weil Mediical Ctr in NYC., Im actually contemplating if I should go! Where do you live? Can you relate to any of this crap!! No ryhme or reason..just suffern that has taking away my quality of life :( sorry this is so long....

I understand the need for some relief. And Benzos like Xanax, etc do work in the short run.

But in the long run the pain, zaps, and whatever will increase, and you will have breakthrough events until the next pill. Basically they are affecting and enhancing inhibitory neurons and have some anti-seizure effects. Valium is given for post-icthal seizure stabilizing when people have grand mal seizures. This is to prevent slipping back into another grand mal.

The benzos have different 1/2 lives, and wear off differently.

Xanax is the fastest acting, not meant for long term use for pain.
Ativan is moderately acting...
Valium is long acting.
Klonopin is the longest acting, and will have the least breakthrough. But it is the most addictive.
As people age, they cannot clear these drugs properly and so
warnings for the elderly are up for the whole Benzo family today.

All of them are discouraged today, because of the rapid habituation to them. Getting off these drugs is very painful and takes weeks to months.

I am going to add this drug family to our Medications post in the subforum, soon. But I have been too ill to do it until about now.
Maybe this week or next.

So they do give some relief in the beginning, and seem wonderful. That effect does change with time however.

MrsD, Thanks for the Info. Im sorry to hear you were not feeling well, Hope you are feeling better!

I have been taking xanax for over 20 yrs (gulp) for anxiety disorder. I know now it was a big mistake taking it for so long. I wish my doctor would have warned me back then. I am also on the same low dose all these years!. I feel I will be on it for the rest of my life. The withdrawal Ive read about scares me! Since I starting having neuropathy pain my anxiety has increased and I can not sleep. I didnt increase my dose (tho I am so tempted) I just startd taking my first morning dose earlier, 2:00am instead of 8:00am to help me sleep. It helps for now ,but as you said it has a short life. I do not want to start taking sleeping pills, I already refused Ambien.

My Doc/Psych wants to switch me from xanax to Klonopin so I could be on a longer lasting med. I am nervous about this switch because I feel I will get xanax withdrawal sypmtoms. The Doc says I shouldnt have any withdrawal because I will be switching from one Benzo to another, but this still scares me for I have been taking xanax for a long time. I do not have to worry about an "addiction or dependency" unfort for me this has already happened. :( What are your thoughts on this..Thanks....