Chronic Pain Support Group
Physicians and professionalsdefine pain as chronic if it lasts longer than three to six months and is persistent. It's distinct from acute pain that is a direct result of injury or trauma. This support group is dedicated to those suffering from chronic pain. Discuss treatments that have worked for you, find advice for your specific experience, and find support. You're not...
So I wrote out a long post this morning, but the internet goblins ate it. Probably for the best. Anything written at 2am probably should not be read.
I am sure most of you have heard/read that I have been switching from opiates to gabapatin (not sure that is spelled right). Other than having just about every textbook side effect listed, sigh, I have been loving my time on this new med. I have gone from being able to be active from 20 minutes a day to four to six HOURS a day. Today I have taken, two, just two of my vocoden!!! My pain levels have not been this low in years.
But there have been some odd side effects that I can understand, but I did not expect. My crushed spine is my most painful injury, but far from the only one. Now that the pain from my spine seems to be getting under control (thank you God!), I am getting painful reminders of other chronic injuries.
I was up at 2am this morning, not because my back hurt, but because my ruined knees that got me a medical discharge from the Army, the hip I fractured in Basic Training, the throat surgery for my cancer, and most recent my torn rotator cuff were all screaming. The two vicoden hubby woke up to fetch me at midnight did not do enough to let me sleep.
I have never had my back not be part of the pain that wakes me up before. At least not in the last nine years.
Hubby is thinking that my pain in these areas and my anxiety I have been having (breaking into tears several times a day) are due at least in part to my mind being so used to all the pain input from my back that it is grasping at anything to get back to the 'normal' level of stimulation. That taking my anti-panic meds chills both the anxiety and the pain levels seems to give this theory some serious credit.
I just feel so weird lately. I can't be sure of anything that I see, hear, or feel. Misha, who prefers to sleep on the cool file floor of the bathroom, has been sleeping on the bed with her head and sometimes her torso on me. She is spending a lot of time leaning against me, barking her warning as if she can chase away what is making my mind such a fog.
Does this sound real? Or am I just grasping at straws while I wait and hope the side effects go away or at least lessen?
yadlim the fuzzy headed
(and no, I don't drive so don't worry about that)
I am sure most of you have heard/read that I have been switching from opiates to gabapatin (not sure that is spelled right). Other than having just about every textbook side effect listed, sigh, I have been loving my time on this new med. I have gone from being able to be active from 20 minutes a day to four to six HOURS a day. Today I have taken, two, just two of my vocoden!!! My pain levels have not been this low in years.
But there have been some odd side effects that I can understand, but I did not expect. My crushed spine is my most painful injury, but far from the only one. Now that the pain from my spine seems to be getting under control (thank you God!), I am getting painful reminders of other chronic injuries.
I was up at 2am this morning, not because my back hurt, but because my ruined knees that got me a medical discharge from the Army, the hip I fractured in Basic Training, the throat surgery for my cancer, and most recent my torn rotator cuff were all screaming. The two vicoden hubby woke up to fetch me at midnight did not do enough to let me sleep.
I have never had my back not be part of the pain that wakes me up before. At least not in the last nine years.
Hubby is thinking that my pain in these areas and my anxiety I have been having (breaking into tears several times a day) are due at least in part to my mind being so used to all the pain input from my back that it is grasping at anything to get back to the 'normal' level of stimulation. That taking my anti-panic meds chills both the anxiety and the pain levels seems to give this theory some serious credit.
I just feel so weird lately. I can't be sure of anything that I see, hear, or feel. Misha, who prefers to sleep on the cool file floor of the bathroom, has been sleeping on the bed with her head and sometimes her torso on me. She is spending a lot of time leaning against me, barking her warning as if she can chase away what is making my mind such a fog.
Does this sound real? Or am I just grasping at straws while I wait and hope the side effects go away or at least lessen?
yadlim the fuzzy headed
(and no, I don't drive so don't worry about that)
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I invited Bill to have dinner with me last Sunday. He wasn't willing to drive 7 hours to mid Michigan and teased me with his beautiful ribs!!! So, of course I ate alone and had cedar salmon
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check out that smoke ring. It tasted really good. I smothered it with Maulls BBQ sauce which is Local to St. Louis and one of the best I ever had.....
I tried gabapentin at least 5 times 1 - 4 months of use each time and as far as doing strange things to my body - every time i had some strange effects it continued for week or more until all leveled out.
Opiates definitely give me better rest at night and take all the pain away, no doubt about that . Gabapentin just took the edge off a little.
It is soooo fab to hear your finding relief from the Gabapentin, I took it for approx two years for peripheral neuropathy and, for, on-going nerve damage. (Necrotic Vasculitis n Lupus).
My experience was similar to yours, whilst, building to and finding that, "balanced and comfortable" dose.
I managed too get to 2400mg per day, pain relief was really good, the strange "drunk'y" side effects slowly diminished whilst getting used to A> the compound and, B> it did take a couple of weeks with each additional dosage increase to re-balance,
I found that balance @ 2400mg, side effects 'vs' pain relief were ok'ish, and, on the somewhat balanced side,. But, unfortunately, I experienced a heightened sense to my depression.. which we think, was a concurrent clash with my anti-depression medication..
I now take a very similar compound, Gabapentin's ""sister drug"" called Lyrica,.. Ummm, it works on a similar pain pathway?? one for our experts,.. , and, for,... "Me" has and produced way less side-effects..
Hopes n Wishes Up,.. you can find a good balance and combination with the Gabapentin,... Thinking of you...
Gentle (((Hugs))) x
I'm in a pretty similar condition and my advice is to hang in there and give the Gabapentin (Neurontin) time to work and your body time to adjust. The emotions are normal and you will get that with the Lyricas/cymbaltas/trileptals alternatives. If this is working this well I'd try hanging in. Figure on giving it 6 months minimum.
At the same time you should talk to your doctor about adding the muscle relaxers which will stop the muscle spasms. I used to be on Skelaxin but now I'm moved to Roboxin which is supposed to be stronger. You can also talk to your doctor about doing some trigger point injections for your back and shoulder. Also ask about steroid injections for your knees and hips.
What you are experiencing is noticing pain that was in the background before. The gaba is doing it's job so now the other stuff is noticable. You just need to find the best way to treat those problems.
I am up to 900mg of gaba a day. Today is my second day at this dose. So my mind might escape me here soon as it is time to take my next dose.
I have, and just took, muscle relaxants. I just don't usually take them because they had not been doing anything. But then again, my other pains have been background noise and might now respond to the muscle relaxant.
The hip fracture was a stress induced hairline - I am betting that as I am gettign older, and live in a cold climate, it is hitting me with arthritis.
I have had steroid injections and surgeries on my knees. It only made them worse. Right now both knees are swollen to twice their normal size. It is my knees that got me a 50% disability rating and here I 'forgot' about them for the last four or five years.
I have every intention of having the gaba work for my back. I just have to get used to it.
One of the listed symptoms is weight gain, but through all this neasua I am pretty sure I don't have to worry about that!
Thank you all again for the support. I don't like the feelinng of being 'drunk' or 'stoned' and it upsets me - like I am taking the meds for the wrong reasons. I can't imagine anyone wanting to feel like thhis... Yup, all the red in what I am typing says the dose I just took has hit my bloodstream.
hugs and love, Misha says she needs a break - after sleeping ON me during our nap, she is now letting Buky lay on my feet while she sits next to the door on the cooll tile.
yadlim and critters
The thing to remember is that meds like Gabapentin, (anti-epileptics) work totally different on the brain and pain signals. Your getting relief for the Nerve pain, but it does nothing for physical pain, such as your knees, hip, etc.
As your body adjusts to the change and you reach your Therapeutic level, your other injuries will probably "settle" as to pain amounts. Since the Gabapentin type meds don't work on physical pain, you may have to adjust your narcotic meds in order to get the other pain under control. With knees and hips Ibuprofen can be a very big help, if you can take it. Some people have trouble with NSAIDS.
Hopefully things will level out soon and you'll get your body back under control.
Hang in there,
Kat