Originally Posted by catra121

I have never gotten much relief from meds either. I actually ended up with Seratonin syndrome from the meds and ended up going off of everything...then was put on a small dose of amitriptyline to help me sleep (I would get 3 hours with amitriptyline). Then I tried tDCS therapy and was able to get off even the amitriptyline and was getting a full 6-8 hours of sleep a night. The tDCS never helped me with the pain...but the sleep really improved my quality of life. Getting sleep is so important. Unfortunately...since I fell off a ladder back in October my pain has increased and my sleep is back to nothing so my new pain dr has me on Tizanidine and Lyrica and Meloxicam. I haven't noticed any improvement except in my sleeping 5-6 hours a night with the Tizanidine.

Anyway...I got a little off topic there. My point was...I WAS off of all medications and I was much happier for it because I was not getting much relief at all from the meds and the side effects were awful. I think everyone needs to make decisions based on their own situation and what works for them. If you want to go off everything...then that's your choice. Not all doctors will be happy with this though...so just be prepared for that possibility.

What worked for me was desensitization therapy, lots of at home physical therapy (about 6 months worth...slow and steady),tDCS treatments, a TENS unit, ultrasound heat therapy, hot baths with Epsom salts (sometimes twice a day), and using a walker (which helps with my balance, took weight off my left leg (reducing pain), and also allowed me to carry stuff with the walker instead of in my arms...which meant less pain in my RSD arms). I was able to get back to work full time and did this for several years on no meds until I fell off the ladder last October. In December I bought a Quell unit for pain relief and it doesn't make a HUGE difference in the pain...but it does help when used daily.

All that to say that there are other options. Most of this except for the Rx for the tDCS unit and the physical therapy was done on my own (walker was suggested by Physical Therapist but I worked on my own to figure out the best ways to use it to help me be as functional as possible). It IS possible to get better without meds. I can't wait to get off of what I am currently on...just need to figure out what is going on with my shoulder so I can get back to all my previous treatments.