Nerve Pain Meds and Muscle Relaxer Question

Good evening folks.  I have had a couple of posts over that last couple of months - and I have learned a lot from this fourm, thank you very much. This group has helped me more than I ever expected.  I have a question for a couple of the "regulars" and "moderators" regarding Nerve medications that you have mentioned in some of your replies to various posts.

Nuerontin, Cymbalta, Lyrica - I keep hearing good things but I had such a bad experience with Neurontin that I am very scared and hesitant to try anything in that family of meds.  Do any of you that take these have advice or thoughts on giving these another try?  Have any of you taken one versus another and had a negative "mental" experience with one of them.

Nuerontin was very bad for me - sleep talking, driving etc.  Yes, sleep driving - so much so that I was pulled over and put into Protective Custody.  Thank goodness, I would be devistated if I had hurt anyone. However this was pre surgery number 2 on my ulnar nerve and I, at that point was not seeing a pain physcologist and was not part of a pain management program.  Years later, although my pain is more intense - my mental attitude is in a different place.  I now take 100 mg of Nortryptilene daily, Fentanyl Patches 37 Micro, Tramadol 300 mg, Ambien mg, Ritolin 30 mg. I think I have accepted this pain as part of my life.  Sounds so simple, but that has taken me quite some time to realize.

Do any of you think that this difference in my state of being would allow any of these medications to be more effective.  I think this is a question for "us" as patients versus the many pain management doctors I have met with - doctors that I swear have never experienced pain as we have.

 

As you can see, this experience makes me nervous - but I am womdering if anyone can explain better how these meds have helped them and perhaps maybe being several years later and having a better understanding of my pain might benefit from these Nerve Pain Meds.

Thanks again - I look forward to your feedback.

Thanks Tina for the reply tonight. I needed that - today was my last day of my employment with a company that I have worked with for 20 years. I grew up at this place. While out on leave - short term leave my role was eliminated and I was asked to review the website for other opportunies they had open. Long story - short term is 12 weeks, I needed more lidocaine treatments so the office called me in week 12 to advise they extended my leave 3 more weeks. I was happy and it took some stress away knowing I had 3 more weeks of leave. Last week, in week 13 the same person called me to tell me that my job was eliminated. As a business person - I do understand that they have to keep moving regardless of my pain issues - I never, never expected to hear that my role, within such a short time was eliminated.

So - yes, this has been one of those weeks that I wanted my old self back and wished the pain was not real. Sadly it is real and I cannot have the career that I had. Was it a slap in the face to have them handle it this way - YES!

Pain was always a private issue that I handled on my own...now, with this work issue and filing a second disability claim it has quickly become a public issue in the family and with friends, more than I want it to be.

The last two weeks have been the hardest, realizing that no I cannot return to work, that I have to make some changes in my lifestyle. On the up side, when I went to PT today (12 months in at 2 x week) my PT who is more like my shrink said - "You look great today - what is different?" He had no idea what had conspired within the last few days. I told him - I lost my job, my role was eliminated and I made the decision to file for long term disability. His reply was - ...."losing your job looks good on you - you should have done this a long time ago."

Tomorrow is day 1, for the first time in 20 years that I am not actually employeed. Very weird, hopefully good and hopefully allows me to get to a point in which the pain and the stress is lessened. Keep your fingers crossed!

Hi again...it's been a very long time since we "spoke".  I am sorry about the way you "lost" your job, but I understand!!  I was on short term disability under the Family Medical Leave Act (12 weeks) and the DAY the leave ended I received a notice that I was on contingency leave (basically if I didn't return within 30 days and/or there was not a position available..ie they had not filled mine, I was let go).  Turns out, however, that I had outsmarted them and had a lot of leave on the books and went back into pay status on sick leave and annual leave.  You can't be on contingency leave and in pay status, so they had to drop the contingency leave.  Also, you could not file for medical retirement while on contingency leave....a simple way to prevent someone from getting the retirement due to them. That was the very reason I had to do my leave the way I did.   Thank GOD I had smarts when I filled out my paperwork to use my leave last and my short term disability first.  I actually ended up getting both at that point because they couldn't stop me from collecting and had put me into such a position.  It worked out great because I was able to get the medical retirement and had money to live on while I was being denied for ssd.....which I did finally get at the hearing.

I mention all of this because I understand what a blow it is to you when you get "slammed" by people you have worked with for 20 years.  Is there a way to file for some sort of medical retirement with your company?   If there was such a system, you may have to get another agency involved now....something like the EEOC or something like that.  I don't know the particulars for everywhere, but I was working for a state agency at the time.

I also understand that being "retired" has been very good for my mental health.  I never even realized how much emotional damage I was undergoing in such a high stress job.  My career was literally killing me slowly.

I don't have any answers about the meds because I can't take any of those, but I just wanted to let you know I understand how you must feel right now and all the emotions that you will undergo after this time.  It is hard, but my psych was a GodSend!!  I wish you all the best in this time of transition and I know you will be better off without this particular employer involved in your life.

All my best!

I was on Cymbalta for years and never had any issues except I had to take it in the evening as I would get a burst of energy from it about 8-10 hours later and when I first started taking it in the am...I couldn't get to sleep.

And then I made the mistake of stopping the med abruptly after my surgery and it caused some weird sensations...but that is easily avoided by tirating down slowly.

My only concern for you is that now that you list all the other medications you are on with the Nortriptline, Ritalin, and the Tramadol....you need to be careful as there is something called Serotonin Syndrome which has happened to some people on Cymbalta and Tramadol. I was on them together and didn't have an issue but it's best to be aware and speak to your Dr. and Pharmacist.

I'm not sure when was the last time you actually had a medication review with all your Drs. to make sure you need to be on every single one of those but that may be something you can discuss before adding another medication to the mix.

If you don't have severe ADHD/ADD then maybe going off the Ritalin would be good. I've seen it where Drs. prescribed that only to counteract the effects of fatigue or the Ambien off label.

Or if you have gotten to a better place now emotionally, whether the antidepressant was a short term or long term medication for you.

Obviously I'm not a medical professional and I'm just suggesting you speak with your Drs. as it's always good every few years to see if there is any you can go off.

Obviously the pain meds are necessary but as we've said in other posts and in this one, adding in a muscle relaxer and/or a nerve pain med helps us not have to keep going up in strength with the opiates.

I definitely agree with others in that there were medications I had issues with in the past that I didn't have trying them again. And as Tina said...I have never heard of that happening with Neurontin....that is more what I hear about Ambien...

I'm sorry to hear about your job situation but maybe it will turn out for the best to help your stress and pain levels....

Keep us posted on everything..

Snowbunny I saw your post re: the ritalin and wanted to ask also about that. I was not clear on whether the ritalin was for a problem or was PP2 on it to combat the the lethargy from the other meds. I am seeing more and more of this, Doc prescribing those types of meds to combat the lethargy of higher and stronger doses of meds for CPers.

I have not got the problem going on now but have had some in the past when I had to increase my base med post -op,could not keep my eyes open and literally fell asleep at the sink a time of 2 washing dishes!

Anyway PP2 if you would let me know if that is why your prescribed the ritalin and I also noticed the Fent dose and assumed maybe it was a typo.

I was on Neurontin (gabapentin) and it really helped with my pain. I had to stop taking it because it shot my blood sugar way up.

Everyone is different. A wonder drug for one of us could do nothing or make things worse for another. Unfortunately there's no way to know how you'll react until you try.