I was just reading up on it, and it says the relief only lasts one or two hours. Can I ask, what's the point of taking it if you only get a couple hours relief otu of it, and can't take it every 2 hours anyway? And is anyone getting the hallucinations they claim you get on the Ketamine???

I'm on the fentanyl patch and percocet for breakthru. What do you think is the next step in manageing my pain/

Hugs
LisaM

Hey Lisa

firstly oral ketamine - this is the best thing I have ever tried to help manage my pain - i get almost no side effects (apart from visual - but that could be RSD anyway). Before going onto the ketamine I had been on MST (380mg?)/ methadone/ fentanyl (250mg + MST and not controlled)/ oramorph/ various DF118s/ diazipam/ gabapentin/ lyrica/ capascin/ clonidine/ permidronate/baclofen/ carba/amytrip/ nortrip - there is nothing me and my drs havent tried!!gosh knows what else so with me it was last chance saloon really.

I find that to strat with the ketamine only works for a while or so and made me very groggy and tired for the first week- BUT for me I've found that when the ketamine is working I can actually concentrate on getting tasks done - instead of before when I was in too much pain to do anything all the time I found that I was able to more or less do stuff for an hour or 2 (admittedly, ws diificult as I can't use/ move my arms/ legs etc but I was able to concentrate on work etc). I have now been on oral ketamine more than a year and I find that it is working longer as the amount builds up in my body. Also we have only had to increase the dose like 3 times - wheras with my MST we were increasing it pretty much weekly to try and get the pain "under control".

However, I have learnt one thing. in the end no matter how many meds I take my pain is always going to be out of control - meds will only take abit away - and even at my best I haven't had a pain level lower than 10 since I got this... so I try to pace myself etc as well as using meds to balance the pain out...

oh - and ketamine is very useful for things like getting dressed - i get my morning dose before I am got up / dressed in the morning because then it doesn't hurt as much... also before physio/ spints time and going to bed.

eugh - so the conclusion is - for me, ketamine has really helped me - I can stand more stuff being done to me and it does help for gettingi nto the first hour of sleep at night. I have few side effects with it. However, not everyone finds it as good. But if you have an option to try it then give it a go. any more qs?

LOL. you can tell I had a lecture this morning!

hope you're feeling better

Rosie xxxx

my experience with the ketamine is different... i'm up to 3 cc's and i take it every two hours as needed. sometimes i feel as if i'm drunk, depending on if i first take it in the morning, or if i haven't had any during the day. but as it builds up in my body over the day the results last longer, the pain might not go away but its definately lessend. i won't drive while on but if i take it continuously at night then when i wake up i don't have such intense pains.

hey

i mix it with alot of other drugs though - diazipam, dihydrocodeine, paracetemol, ibuprofen, baclofen, benzhexol and something else (mind has just gone blank).... so it might work differently..

i have driven on it since i started it and have always been fine.. (my cars specially adapted so can drive with wheelchair/ shoulders (the only bit i can move)

rosie xxxxx

Can you guys tell me how many mgs you take- I am going to start taking it but I am going to start with a very low dose-like 2-3mgs and work my way up- I have capsules. I still work and have to drive so I have to start slowly

Thanks for any info

Debbie

IM A NEWBIE, I TAKE ORAL KETAMINE 2 25 MG CAPS 2 xs DAILY ALONG WITH FLEXERIL 25 METHADONE 2 10mg 2xs DAILY LYRICA 300 MG 2 xs DAILY. I DONT GET GROGGY JUST HAVE HARD TIME WITH GETTING WHAT IS IN MY HEAD TO COME OUT OF MY MOUTH CORRECTLY.I HAVE HAD RSD FOR 6 YRS AND THIS COMBO OF MEDS HAS GIVEN ME THE BEST PAIN MGNT.MY RSD IS IN BOTH LEGS NECK & UPPER BACK & RIGHT ARM. I LIVE IN JERSEY BUT MY KETHMINE IS SHIPPED TO ME FROM LAS VEGAS, ANY ONE KNOW OF A DIFFERENT PLACE TO GET IT? ANGELBABES YOU CAN CONTACT ME AT POST THANKS

Hi -- was reading the posts and wondering whether oral ketamine is prescribed in the US or is it only in the UK?

I've been diagnosed with "causalgia" before anyone knew what RSD was or is, back in 1988, being told then at the U. of Iowa Hospitals, "I was rewriting the medical text books." It took me nearly 10 years of uncontrollable, constant burning pain, before I could find a Dr. willing to prescribe opiods for my pain. Am now taking morphine er, 200 mg's twice a day, hydromorphone, 8 mg's up to 4x's a day as need for breakthrough pain & klonopin, 1 mg, 4x's a day. I've reached a point where the meds just don't cut it anymore. I've tried every non-narcotic med in the book, anti-depressants, none of them help, so I quit taking them. My Dr. is reluctant to up my pain meds, although I was once taking 600 mg's of morphine er daily. I'd love to try ketamine, but know of no Dr. here in Iowa who'd be willing to prescribe it. Any suggestions ??

In pain in Iowa,

Tony

Hello,what part of jersey are you in? I live in egg harbor twp .ur meds are a lot like mine except I take nasal ketamine now, been doing it for 6 weeks I'm doing like 200 mgs aday ,but should be on about 400 really.thats what the starting dose is bye a rsd dr that started this in sandiego.she puts her patients on 100 mgs x 4 aday .50 mgs per spray.but my dr has me on 10 mg spray x4 twice a day.had to beg her to put me on it . But thankfully she finally gave in.she is a very nice dr too.just alittle nervous to try new stuff.any way her name is dr Perkins in northfield nj on tilting rd.i think she has an office in Vineland too.she prescribes mee methodone 80 mgs aday and oxycodone 30 mgs x4 .good luck and soft huggs

I take nassal and take 100mg each spray so 200 each time every 3 hours.
I tried oral and it really didnt help at all but maybe for you it will be different.