Frustration with doctor and meds rant

I seem to only be around to complain, but trust me, I read it all.

I posted a week or two ago about having heart palpitations and being on gabapentin. A poster pointed out that is one of its possible side effects, along with increasing anxiousness and other goodies.

A couple days after these events, I had a fabulous couple of days. Plenty of energy, no pain, I felt like my old delf then some. Because of that, I didn't raise my dose like my POS current Rheumy suggested, I stayed at 300mg 2x a day.
After those good days passed, I was back to being somewhat tired but my pain level was manageable - still worth the med.
Now the last couple of weeks, the heart palps are coming at least once a day with the anxiousness. My blood pressure & pulse rate are raised, headaches, uncomfortableness, it feels like a weight is on my chest and I feel short of breath.
I called my rheum to report this. He is out on vacay but another doc calls me back. She tells me these are not side effects of gaba. She tells me she is looking at the side effects right now and no, gaba is not to blame here. Have I had anxiety issues before? Your chart says you were on an SSRI previously? I explain I had anxiety attacks and depression 4 years ago, I have been off meds & have not had any anxiety/depression issues for a very long time now until this fibro/whatever hit me in August. Even then it was one attack in the beginning, then nothing until this last month... and I wouldn't classify these as panic attacks. I'm anxious during these episodes, but nothing like I used to have.
She's still adement that gaba is not the culprit here. Pretty much if you don't have a rash, it just cannot be the gaba. The whole time she is talking to me, she is talking over me, telling me I am wrong, not listening to what I have to say and not even really letting me answer the questions she is asking me. Basically, it came down to telling me to call my reg doc & see about getting my thyroid checked.

So so so glad I am changing rheumys. First appointment with her is Friday, I really hope she lives up to her reputation because if I get one more who interrupts me, doesn't at least pretend to listen or talks over me, I may just explode. I was hoping to ride this issue out until that appointment, but today has just been too intense. Every one of these episodes seems to get worse & last longer. Thank goodness for klonopin in the meantime.

So right now I am waiting to hear back from my reg doctor. My thyroid was a little low the last time so perhaps that is becoming an issue now, who knows. If it is, it's some pretty coincidental timing. But don't tell me there is NO WAY it can be the gaba when that is the only thing that has changed in the last three months.

I totally understand and get it. I get in to see spec. rheumy (sick 1 yr and desperate) and all she can do is try and make my symptoms fit her questionaire. Doesnt call back when I leave vm about bad side effects from lyrica. I had to call office manager. I see her Thurs (2nd time). I am determined for her to do her job. I will have my own darn questionaire for her.

Got a question about klonapin. how does it help you and how bad is the drowsieness? should I work up to dose? How many mg helps with your pain and what pain does it help and what doesnt it help?

My dr said I need a muscle relaxer, but fatigue has me looking around some before I start one. Muscles need big help and body needs little side effects. I tried xanax. Now I have lorazepam, but that is sleepy. Will Klonpn make me drowsy like lorazepam?

 

I wish doctors were better at listening. It is upsetting when they don't hear their patients. But, in all fairness, their job is to understand conditions and ailments, illnesses and treatments, not be stellar communicators. It is frustrating, sometimes, when they appear to be not paying attention to their patient. But we see them when we are ill and tired and scared, and want them to take charge and reassure us.

Fibro is so little understood, as well. That makes their job, and our responses to them, harder.

I am in the process of trying to find a new PCP. I am finally beginning to realize she does not believe in fibro. The thing I get most frustrated about is the lack of a clearinghouse other than myself, a central location for all ailments/meds. Between the gastro and the rhuemie, the gynocologist and others, I feel that sometimes the ball gets dropped without a good and knowledgable PCP.

The lorazepam helped me alot with any stress or anxiety (better than xanax-surprise). It didnt help my muscle tension or spasms tho.

I hope that your appmnt Friday goes well.

SimplyUs,
When I have anxious moments, and moments of BP and pulse rising, I can typically take two .5mg klonopin and still be able to function at work. It takes the edge off my anxiousness and it helped me wind down at night if needed. It's always been an "as needed" drug for me, which, for a while was not often. Lately though, it has been needed quite a bit more which is alarming to me. Also, let me add that I tend to have a greater tolerance to these meds.

In my case, I found klonopin worked much better for me than flexeril does. As its sedation creeps in, I found it helped with the muscle twitches I was getting in the beginning of this ordeal and helped me get to sleep. Eventually, the gaba (or just plain time as the flare passed) reduced the twitches/spasms, but now here I am with anxiety, heartburn, tightness in chest, short of breath, vision issues, elevating blood pressure and high pulse rates. The 2 I took earlier haven't worked for me today and it's time to take another, which will probably send me to sleepy-town (if I'm lucky & it relieves this anxiety so I an relax).

Specifically for pain, I can't say it helps relieve it per-say, but it helps bring the calm sedation you may need to get to sleep despite the pain, if that makes sense. I have never taken it and been knocked on my butt or stupid-high, it's always been a peaceful ease, except for today so far, heh.

Oops... somehow started a new thread instead of reply.

I'm usually pretty steady at 120/80.
Yesterday I was everywhere between 140/88 - 155/95, pulse rate between 100-118.
Not dangerously high, but definitely not my norm and at times I could feel my heart beating out of my chest, and that was after klonopin which I figured would at least slow my rate down and help me relax.

I'm still running a little high today at 135/89, rate 108. Severe ringing in my ears and feeling a bit unsteady & disconnected.
I didn't take my gabapentin last night, and wondering if I should take it this morning. I need to research a bit more about coming off this drug. Hopefully my regular doc will have some insight when I see him this afternoon.

I studied your initial post carefully. It makes sense to me that since you had those good days when you said you felt like your old self. Usually when you have a reaction to a med. its every time you take it, not just some times. I have taken Gabapintin for 4 years, and I take 1200 mgs 3 times a day, total 3600 hundred mgs a day. I have severe nerve pain from neuropathy in feet, legs and hands. I take lorezapam, very low dose twice a day. I have very bad anxiety, caused by nonstop pain. Without the meds I could not function at all. The one that has helped was to change my antidepressent to Elavil, I can take 300 mgs. a day. Normally I just take 200 mgs at nite. It makes me sleep great, and it helps both my depression and my pain.

The symptoms that you list seem to be on and off, some days not at all and more on some days. From years of experience with antianxiety meds, it would be best to take them regularly. Some meds need time to build up. You mentioned flexaril, its a great muscle relaxer, but not something to work on anxiety. What is your main pain med? What is your main anxiety med? Do you take them all the time. Do you take something for depression? I hope you can get some answers soon. It is so frustrating when you need help and feels like a doctor isnt listening. I have found tho that my being aware of my symptoms, my meds, all the ways that I feel on some days and not on others is a very good reason to keep a journal. That in itself can help how you feel. It kind of makes more sense somehow when you have it in black and white, and then you can answer the doctors questions with more certainity.

Hang in there, you will find the right doctor, who can get you set in the best direction for you. Good luck........Cathy

I have learned that when in doubt about a medication.........go to the pharmacy and have a chat with the pharmacist. It has saved me a lot of grief over the years when doctors would tell me I could not possibly be having the reaction I was having and yet when the pharmacist pulled it up.........it was there.

I don't fully believe doctors. Everyone is different in how they react to meds. I listen to my body and that's what works for me.

Good luck to you.

The gabapentin was taken daily as prescribed, not sporadically. I spoke with my general practioner before stopping it. The meds I took off & on we're the "as needed" drugs, klonopin & flexeril.

I had my appt this morning with my new rheumatologist and she is great. She was surprised labs on my vitamin levels were never done, nor X-rays, so all that is being done no on top of all the regular stuff.... lots of blood! For now, we are trying a small dose of Lyrica in the mean time. I was a little hesitant, but she really put me at ease and, for the first time, I am confident in my specialist.
I hurt, but I I walked out feeling good and not defeated.

I'm supposed to start lyrica in January when my insurance kicks in. It worries me too.