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Posted 1/2/2009 3:49 AM (GMT 0)
I am currently seeing a family practioner and have beed on norco for 3 yrs due to an injury should i be seeing a pm dr instead i am in a lot of pain all the time my meds dont seem to be working like they used to i cant stand for long periods of time due to my lower back pain. i have stenosis in my upper back does that affect the lower back aswell?  i am not sure what to do i used to handle my pain ok now i am very frustrated and feel like i cant handle it anymore - sorry i guess i am just rambling now - i guess i just need to vent.

thanks for allowing me to post this/ 

Posted 1/2/2009 4:07 AM (GMT 0)
Have you tried a pain clinic or a physisitrists> I;m starting therepy at th re gym so i can lea=rn how to erxersixe thats the onlyway unless you want to take drugs which fidnt work out for e i dont sleep good but nap during th e day to catch up i can sleeo about 4 hours a t a time cause i wake uo in painl Hopefully i can sdtart exercizing in a wek or to zgood luck to u hone
Posted 1/2/2009 4:20 AM (GMT 0)
i work so its hard to get in to the therepist i wish i didnt have to take the pain meds because of they way i get looked at by the pharmicist she actually asked me if i thought about taking antidepresants i am not in depression i am in pain i am going to talk to me dr because i have been in more pain now and i feel maybe message therepy might help a bit. i just want to stop taking the medication i take it controls my life i cant go out of town without making sure i have enough meds i feel like they control my life but i am in soo much pain 24-7 i dont know what else to do.
Posted 1/2/2009 5:04 AM (GMT 0)
Oraca,
Vent all you want anytime! We all do it and that's one of the great things about this site. I think most of us wish we didn't have to take the meds we're on and the control issue is also one that's a huge challenge. Stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal and since the spine is all connected I'm guessing stenosis in the upper back can affect the lower back, but I'm not a doctor. I would suggest talking to your doctor about the status of your spine and whether you should go to a pain management clinic, or whether he/she can make adjustments in your treatment plan that will help. Some people on this forum have great PCP's who are probably better than a pm doc, but then the reverse is also true. Probably wouldn't hurt to get a consult with a pm doc, and see if there's anything else they'd recommend.

A lot of us here also take anti-depressants (myself included) because chronic pain can bring on depression from physical as well as emotional standpoints. Some anti-depressants like cymbalta can help with certain type of pain, so I'd encourage you not to close the door on that as one possible part of your treatment. For most of us it's in addition to pain meds.

I'm kind of foggy tonight, so I hope I'm making sense. I do want you to know you're not alone in how you feel.

PaLady
Posted 1/2/2009 5:17 AM (GMT 0)
An Arthritis doctor told me that Norco was more for Anxiety than for Pain. I don't really
know. You might want to google it.
Pamela
Posted 1/2/2009 6:53 AM (GMT 0)
io have googled it i take 10/325 2 q4hrs and i have breakthrough pain all the time i am already dependent on this one i am scared of being dependant on drugs i have never been interested in any drugs now i am dependant on them - i use to be ok about tating them until the treatment fron the pharmacist- they look at me like i am taking these drugs and the pharmicist believes in different types of med to help, my dr has offered oxy but that makes ne feel loopy and i have a 7yr old and a 3yr old to take care of and try to look ok to them so they think thier mommy is fine,
Posted 1/2/2009 7:24 AM (GMT 0)
O-
Some of the older anti-depressants are commonly used for pain management. Even though they're only on-label for depression, they're actually (from what I've been told) more commonly prescribed for nerve pain b/c psychiatrists prefer the newer a-d meds for treating depression. A few I've tried were amitriptylene & nortriptylene (not sure on the spellings).
They're worked pretty well for me in the past, but now I'm on Lyrica & have found that has fewer side effects. In any case, I've never heard of anyone getting loopy off anti-depressants or anti-convulsants so maybe one of those would be an option.
Posted 1/2/2009 12:05 PM (GMT 0)
Not sure if it helps, but when I had lower back pain, it turned out my ribs were out of alignment. Have you tried finding a DO that stays current and practices in their chiropractoring? DO is a family practioner and chiropractor in one. Thats how I was treated. After weekly adjustments, and improvement I was weened to monthly adjustments. An easy way to find out if chiropractor will help is if you can make yourself adjust and if the pain goes away..heh you found out. Doing stretches helps too. After my car accident I grew VERY fond of medical massages (hurts like h*** at first but then gets better) and accupuncture along with the chiropractor. If you cant stand needles for accupuncture, they have a thing called accupressure as well. I do both with my accupuncturist. I can only stand a couple needles, so he does the pressure too. Its just medical beads they tape to your ear. Lots of nerves are found in your ears. Hope it helps.
Posted 1/2/2009 5:44 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Orca,

Welcome to hw. As you've already discovered, this is a great place to come & vent & you will get a lot of support from everyone here. As to seeing a PM vs. your pcp, it really depends on how far your pcp is willing to go in terms of prescribing for you. I used to see a PM, but now I just see my pcp & I love him to death. The good thing about PM's is that most of them do procedures (some only do procedures & don't give out meds). The do never blocks & injections which are helpful to many people. Like others have said, there are alternatives to pain meds. Some antidepressants (like cymbalta & elavil) & nerve mediciation (like neurontin & lyrica) works for some people, it's something you many want to talk to you doctor about. Unfortunately, my pain wasn't helped by either procedures or antidepressants/nerve meds, so yes I do take pain medication. But like PAlady said, I absolutely hate taking the stuff & wish everyday that I didn't have to take it. But unfortunately, it is the reality of things. Sometimes we have to do things that we don't like. In terms of side effects, everyone reacts differently to different meds, so maybe you and your doctor can work together to find the med that works best for you & has the least amount of side effects, so you can still play with your little ones. Good luck!

Skeye
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