sorry didn't get back to you sooner...but yes they are the same thing..sometimes i remember to say lidoderm and other times lidocaine comes peace to mind...HA HA like i still have any mind left..... great news...today was the first day that i didn't have to look at my hidden piece of paper that has my password on it....i think playing the word game on chronic pain site is paying off and some of my memory is coming back.. old info remembered---recent memory shot...

I I guess I must be living in denial.
I did a really bad experiment - I tried to see how long I could go without a lidocaine-ketamine patch (for arms, not feet, because I have to walk). I've worn them for 5 years. I wear 4 at a time even though orders are for two/day.
After 5 years I thought the sensitivity and burning might be gone ???
I don't know why I thought that because even when I wear them I continue to break through with burning and sensitivity.
Normally I can feel someone walk by with 6 layers on my arms.

Well, I only lasted 1 1/2 days.

Last night 12 am I woke up & was silently screaming so as not to wake my husband. It felt like someone had again poured acid onto open wounds
I got those patches out and put one on my right arm and it started working in 15 minutes. Even though my left arm was hurting 1 level below the right side, I tried to bear with it and go back to sleep. I woke up at 3 am the same way, tears in my eyes, trying not to breathe. So I put the patch on the other side and went back to sleep. I put 2 more on this morning
I wear the plain lidoderm patches for my feet. They used to sweat so bad, but now they are dry as the desert. I will not try that experiment ever again.

I was wondering.........
Does anyone else ever stop breathing when they are in so much pain or when you get an electrical shooting pain?

So, I'd say the patches work very well for me , even though I still feel a burn, it is much less than when I go without.
Every once in awhile I go through this denial period when i say, OK, this must be gone by now. I'll try a cut back on meds but it just makes things worse. I'll never do this again either.

WARNING : DO NOT TRY THIS - danger of burns !!!

{{hugs}}
Hope

I love my lidoderm patches! Ive only been using them since the end of november, but they really help me a lot. They dont cut down on the deep levels of pain, but they make it a lot easier for me to wear a sock, shoe, etc.

I use 3 patches on my left foot 24 hours a day. I know that the box says 12 hours on 12 hours off, but my doctor told me to always leave them on. I never had any side effects, which was very nice because usually if there is a side effect to the medicine ill get it. They can be a pain to get off because of the sensitivity of my foot, but usually i just leave them on in the shower and they kinda fall off.

It took about 2 weeks before i felt the full effects of them, so if they dont work right away just give it some time. And sometimes the one that i put on the bottom of my foot will slide around in my shoe and end up in an annoying little bundle on the side of my foot, but i just deal with it or take it off.

Good Luck!

Hey Hope

That sounds terrible! (though I have done it before too.. the worst is when you decide that your meds aren't working any more and so you stop them all at once - and discover you did need them after all). Have you got residual pain left over from it? We all have days like that!

I also get the breathing/ pain thing... In flare ups I faint etc from pain which can be annoying.

I really hope that you feel a bit better soon!!!!

Love
Froggaxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

My daughter started to use the patches this past month. I actually used them a year ago and just thought they might help her. She loves to cut them to the exact size she needs and puts them right where she needs them. She has found they really help her sleep better at night, and then they come off in the shower in the morning (just watch so they don't clog the drain! ooops!).

my dear friend..i too have stopped taking meds for one reason or another..and totally understand what you are going thru..yes i too scream,,moan,,have a hard time breathing and most of the time i do pass out and wake up with either cold sweats or burning hot sweats..you can ring out my clothes and my hair from the amount of sweat.... ..the lidoderm patches are the least of all the meds i take..don't think i would ever cut myself off from their valuble help...so happy my friend reccommended them to me yrs ago... wishing you a peaceful night..moonstar

I have found the lidoderm patches extremely helpful for Alloydina.. After I had my port removed I had severe alloydina on my chest- I had to cut all my clothes so that they would not touch a 6" area around the port site. The pain was excrutiating. The patches helped and eventually resolved the issue. I gradually introduced different materials to the site to desensitize the area starting with cotton balls and moving up to clothing. Hope this helps. sorry about my spellilng!

Thank you so much for the replies!

The lidoderm patches are helping me. I am now using them on both of my feet/ legs... my RSD just spread to both legs/ feet! They help relieve some of the burning pain.

Okay, mine don't want to stay on... they'll stick really good at first, and then they slip around my foot! Any ideas??! TIA!

I really have no advice, if you find something good you should send it my way!!! lol

ive experimented with different ways of application, putting it on lengthwise, widthwise, having it over lap other patches a bit, having it not overlap, and i havent found anything that really truly seems to work better than the other. It kinda stinks cuz they really help the bottom of my foot when they manage to stay on. I walk on the left side of my foot, mostly because i walked funny for almost a year before i was diagnosed to help it not hurt as much and now my leg just automatically goes to that position. i have this feeling that thats what is making the patches slide more.

Sorry i cant really be of any help, but if i ever figure something out ill for sure make sure to let you know!!! Gotta help each other out!!

anna