I am really in a pickle and thought I would ask advice from this group. I have RSD/CRPS in my right arm do to an injury at work three years ago so my medical is being paid by Workers Comp Insurance. I just went to pick up my supply of Neurontin last night and I was told that the Workers Comp Insurance rejected the payment. I have been on 3600mg of Neurontin for three years now and I will be completely out of medication tomorrow.

I am terrified that something is going to happen while going through withdrawal tomorrow. Can anyone tell me what to expect and is there anything I can do to protect myself against harm or stroke?

Thanks in advance
Kathy

oh kathy i am so sorry you have to deal with workman's comp...i have been abused by them for the last 13 years...sorry i have no answers to your question..your dr should send them your diagnosis again and insist that you get the right medication that he is prescribing for you... they pulled the same stuff with me many, many times... a few times i paid for my meds(not cheap ones either) and then after my dr either wrote to them( and a few times had to call them) i was then reimbursed .... good luck..the key is to keep on fighting them and not giving in.....linda

Kathy,

I was on the same dosage of Neurontin that you are on several years ago and it made me unable to function properly. I had gone to my Dr for a routine hormone shot and my PCP was out so I had to be seen by another Dr who had a fit when he read my chart and saw the dosage of Neurontin I was on. I told him I didn't put myself on it, that I was put on it by my pain dr and then my PCP just kept my scripts wrote for me so I didn't have to travel to my pain management clinic. I did take myself off of them after that after he explained what Neurontin was doing to my brain, and I didn't have any side effects, but everyone reacts differently. Most meds don't work on me like they do normal people anyway.

I would call your Dr's office in the a.m. just to let them know what is going on to see what they suggest you do. I am sorry to hear how WC is treating you and I think it is so sad that they have the right to just not refill a patients script if they don't want to... Do you have an attorney? If so contact him/her as well.

Keep us posted and know that we are here if you need us. I also want to say Welcome to our RSD Family. You will find some of the greatest folks on earth here and if you need answers I'm sure some one here will be able to help or if you just need to vent we're here to listen.

Hugs,
Janet

I was on that much in 2001. I just could not think right --my boss was on me for performance problems and then I forgot where I was going one day driving to work. I called the doctor and said if I don't get off this, I am going to be fired from my job. There were other problems with it too...

I came off it over 4 days under Dr's supervision.

I felt like I had a TERRIBLE case of flu. Except no vomiting or diarheah (sorry I can never spell that!) That was all. I felt bad, but the neuro said it would be ok. The achy body, headache, flu-like feelings lasted a few days, then all was ok.

I felt so much better after that stuff left my body - but it did take a couple months for my head to clear.

They switched me to Topomax, and I've never looked back. It's been much better for me!!

Good luck with this.

Jules

You really need to talk to your dr and even see if they have samples and or can prescribe a generic for your insurance etc. Neurontin is a drug that you need to wean yourself off of slowly, just as you slowly increase it when going on it.
My daughter has had to be on it two different times and both times it was stressed to us that we had to follow the schedule for weaning on and off.

Thank you all for posting to my thread. With the few pills I had left, I went from 3600mg a day of Neurontin, to 1800mg on Wednesday, 1200mg on Thursday and yesterday was a full day with no meds at all. Last night was the worse, I don't think I slept much at all. I was in such pain along with the chills and sweats.

Linda,
I would have called my doctor but because of the holidays, he's out of town until January 2nd, 2007. That's also the day I'm suppose to go in for another Stellate Ganglion nerve block. I can only assume that if the Worker's Comp rejected my meds, that they're not going to pay for anymore treatment either. And yes, they have pulled this on me before too.

Janet,
I guess I should have done more research on Neurontin, but you just figure you can trust your doctor. What exactly does Neurontin do to your brain? I also think that Worker's Comp should at least give you a 30 to 60 day notice to get off of your meds if they don't want to pay for them anymore. It sure doesn't seem fair to the poor patient. I do have an attorney and I faxed him a letter last week but he's obviously on vacation too. And thank you for the nice welcome.

Jules,
Oh my goodness, I've had the same thing happen to me. Several times while out driving I had to pull over because I completely forgot where the heck I was going. And here all this time I thought it was caused by my depression meds, which I'm also not getting anymore. I feel like you did, like I have a terrible case of the flu. I can't wait to feel better again. Did Topomax take the place of your Neurontin? I've never heard of that drug before.

RSD Mom,
Yes, several of my doctors told me never to just stop taking Neurontin but I had no choice in the matter. $250.00 bucks is a lot of money when you're on a fixed income.

Thanks again to all of you for your support. I'm not out of the woods yet, but I feel so much better knowing that I made it through the night.

Hugs
Kathy

Hi, I'm having a terrable time with the w/d. It's the cloudy head that is scary. Any advice? Thanks

colindine can help with the withdrawl SX also it a takes a while to get over them depending what you are coming off of and how much you were taking and how you have come off of the meds..

welcome to the group jump in anytime ask away!!!

carrie

Tell your doc what is happening and see if they have any samples to get you through. Also talk to the pharmacy, some have plans for certain meds that are only 4 dollars. Next maybe your regular insurance could help. CALL WORKERS COMP....maybe there is a glitch. Do you have a case manager...call him/her. As for the symptoms to expect, dizziness, sweating, feeling hot/cold, feeling like you have the flu. But this is VERY IMPORTANT....COMING OFF THIS WITH NO WEANING CAN CAUSE SEIZURES AND SWELLING IN YOUR BRAIN...DO NOT LET THIS GO....FIND A WAY TO GET SOME EVEN CALL EVERY ONE YOU CAN TO HELP EVEN FAMILY MEMBERS TO GET A LITTLE MONEY FROM EACH. IT IS DANGEROUS....TALK TO YOUR PHARMACIST AND LET THEM KNOW HOW LONG YOU HAVE BEEN ON IT AND THE WILL KNOW HOW SERIOUS THIS IS. THEY MAY WORK OUT A DEAL WITH YOU BUT GET IT IF YOU CAN. CALL YOUR DOC, IF THEY DON'T HAVE SAMPLES ASK IF THEY CAN CALL OTHERS (LIKE NEURO PLACES) AND SEE IF THEY DO. YOU CAN'T GO OFF COLD TURKEY IT IS DANGEROUS TO THE EXTREME!
I don't want to scare you but I don't want you to become injured or worse because of workers comp crap. Tell them at worker's comp that it is life threatening and let them know you need it asap...
hope this helps,
Jennelle