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Pain clinic anyone? Or neurontin??

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Fibromyalgia
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Posted 2/26/2013 2:10 AM (GMT 0)
Is anyone here under the care of a pain clinic? Just curious if life changed for the better for you after seeking treatment. I had my records and referral submitted today. I'm gonna make an appt as soon as I can. After visiting their website, I've got to admit I've got a new little glimmer of hope for relief. I've been on every medication approved for fibro except neurontin. He brought that up today. Any good/ bad words for neurontin?

Norco and oxy have started making me a little sick to my stomach. Not to mention too many days I even feel the need to take it. I hate the way it makes me feel!! So tired of those pain killers. But.. Some days I just can't function w/o!!
Posted 2/26/2013 3:08 AM (GMT 0)
I have fairly good luck with Neurontin, though I hate taking any meds! But I find that it's especially helpful for nerve pain. A maximum dose of 300 mg a day is what I strive for, unless I'm in a major painful flare and need to take another (I think some people take a higher dosage--more pills throughout the day; check with your doc, of course). Really dislike that I feel a little sleepy taking it, but I keep pushing through the 'fog.'

Hope this helps a little! Feel better. :)
Posted 2/26/2013 3:15 AM (GMT 0)
Hmmmm... Thanks luczminis! Any side effect of weight gain? That was the culprit with lyrica. 30lbs in a year. Otherwise it worked for my pain.
Posted 2/26/2013 4:00 AM (GMT 0)
Hi,
I do go to a pain clinic. I take baclofen and oxycodone. I can't tolerate many of the medicines that do work for fibro patients. Lyrica made my face swell, Nurontin made my depression spiral out of control and I did take a tryciclic for about 6 months along with my depression med but the tryciclic did nothing to help. The pain doctors were very reluctant to get me started on narcotics and muscle relaxers, they were wanting me to change depression meds but my shrink had documented all the troubles I had with all SSRI's, SNRI's and tryciclics. Finally I feel some relief but I know this is a disorder is difficult to treat. I also tried acupuncture, chiropractors. One thing I do love and found helps is a good light massage. Good luck to you,
Izzy
Posted 2/26/2013 4:41 AM (GMT 0)
I take the generic version of it (gabapentin). It works pretty good for me. I take it only at bedtime (300mg) and I notice less pain in general.
Posted 2/26/2013 6:42 AM (GMT 0)
I also take the generic, Gabapentin. I take 900 mg in the evening, and it helps my nerve pain a lot. Started it after my ruptured disc last year, along with Hydrocodone....never thought I'd be taking such strong meds for so long, but well - never say never. My doctor says we'll stop the Gabapentin last.

I hope you can get an appt. soon at the clinic. You have to have some quality of life.

Debbie
Posted 2/26/2013 9:22 AM (GMT 0)
I've had good and bad from gabapentin. I do find that it does reduce the portion of the pain that is purely nerve pain, and this is a portion that opioids don't seem to work very well on until they are at a very high dose. It doesn't do a lot for somatic type pain, nor arthritic type pains. I continue to use it when the restless legs gets out of control, and it has a place for minimizing the symptoms from opioid withdrawal (should you ever have need). The problem for me is the side effects, and that prevents me from using it around the clock for pain. The main side effects for me are that I feel like it lowers my IQ 20-30 points when I'm on it, its quite impairing at higher doses for me -- making it dangerous to drive, has some sexual side effects that pretty much make it impossible for me to orgasm (at the same time, driven to think about sex more), and it does have a hangover effect the next day.

I have some speculation that it might have some antidepressant type effects. It seems to reduce anxiety a bit.

I've been told that the impairment does lessen some once you have been on it for awhile. However, I can't speak to that, and my experience was that it did not improve in any substantial way. I've tried it twice over the years, the first time for about 4 months where I didn't get to ramp it up to a high enough dose to truly get the pain relief I was seeking. This time I've only been taking it since beginning of Jan, and have gone from around the clock dosing back down to nighttime only for RLS when needed. The doc writes it so I can take 1800mg a day if I want, but I generally use 600-900mg at night when the RLS is bad, and avoid it unless the nerve pain gets in a flare. I haven't found a way to win there yet. It was not the panacea for pain I had hoped. I'm actually considering switching to mirapex for RLS, and hoping it might provide a bit of fatigue relief.

All of that being said, its certainly worth a try. It does have a place for RLS treatment if you have that as a concurrent issue. I've known several people who have had substantial pain reductions for it, and unless you are trying to say get into medical school (where I am at) the cognitive impairment may be worth it for the pain reduction it offers. If I could have the latter without the former I would gladly take it around the clock.
Posted 2/26/2013 11:30 AM (GMT 0)
Regarding the weight gain: Since I take such a low dose, I haven't noticed much as far as weight gain. I've gained a few pounds these past years, but also am dealing with menopause, so it's hard to say where those pounds actually came from.
Posted 2/26/2013 2:23 PM (GMT 0)
All reassuring info. I'm going to call today to see if I can get an appt at the pain clinic. I'm kinda hoping they want to Investigate more as opposed to start writing more scripts.
Posted 2/26/2013 4:11 PM (GMT 0)
I do not. My rheumie and psychiatrist manages most of my meds. I try to take a minimal approach to pain meds, as little as I need to maintain. Pain is individual as well as affected by tons of different things. Most often, we are looking at a balance. Pain, at least for me, is one partof the whole shebang.

I thought about a PM at one point, when my prescribing doctor was not doing her job. However, I am happy (mostly) with the levels of medications I am taking. My gastro and rheumie are urging humira for the IBDs and resulting arhtirtis. I am still debating the side effects.

Effexor for depression
Ambien for sleep
Tramadol during the day
A half dose of the lowest hydrocodone at night

What I will say is that it take some time to figure all this out. Eating, diet, sleep patterns, and daily activity and stress levels all play significant parts.
Posted 2/26/2013 8:51 PM (GMT 0)
I am going to a pain clinic soon as well..My bigger concern is that I am allergic to hydrocodone/tramadol/oxycodone/percocet and codeine..so what does that leave for pain meds??? Currently I am on 4 mgs. dilaudid every 4 hours, but she only gave me 2 days worth :(
Posted 2/26/2013 8:54 PM (GMT 0)
I take 900mg/day gabapentin I don't want to take it anymore. It has made my fog thicker and I'm still in a lot of pain most of the time.
Posted 2/28/2013 2:21 AM (GMT 0)
For me the fog was awful. I couldn't function
Posted 2/28/2013 6:58 PM (GMT 0)
It worked for me for about a week and then it started making me even more foggier in the head, sleepy and then I ended up swelling in certain areas of my body, so it was discontinued.
Posted 2/28/2013 7:10 PM (GMT 0)
I was 900 mg, but think it's what caused me to gain weight, so I went off of it and feel more pain but sharper.

 

Posted 3/1/2013 6:05 PM (GMT 0)
Well, I have increased my savella. So far so good. And I have an appt on march 12 at the pain center. It's not that my Drs now aren't doing a good job at prescribing. My neuro is a God send! It's that I'm hoping to find better options, perhaps answers, and maybe more "good days". A pain management clinic is a lot more than writing scripts and sending you on your way. They have different testing available. And from what I gather from their website, they get involved with biofeedback, massage, physical therapy, yoga. Kinda a whole pain package. I want to know if theres something else I can do besides what I'm doing now.
Posted 3/1/2013 10:38 PM (GMT 0)
i see a pain management doctor. when i was first diagnosed i took gabapentin but after a while it stopped working for me. i take lyrica which is helpful for the little stuff but after a while my doctors didn't know what else to do with me so they told me to see a pain management doctor. i've seen a couple before, for headaches, and had really bad experiences with both. i was hesitant to try again but the doctor i see is amazing. i took nucytna extended release for a few months until my work benefits ran out and i was waiting to be approved for cobra. nucynta without insurance is over $300 which i can't afford right now. i saw my p.m. doctor last week and asked him if i could take something that comes in a generic form for right now and he said the only thing even remotely similar is morphine. so i take 15mg of extended release morphine twice a day and it barely works. i'm sure a higher does would help more but i just want back on nucynta! i'll be going back on it ASAP.

my p.m. doctor also did a medial branch block in my thoracic spine to stop the transmission of pain from my degenerated discs. i have no pain there now at all. it won't last forever but i would definitely do it again. it's hard to find a pain management doctor who is willing to work with you on prescriptions and also procedures, most of them are either needle happy or pill mills. i hope that you are able to find one in between like i did.
Posted 3/2/2013 12:37 AM (GMT 0)
I would really like to try nucynta. I've heard great things about it. But I can't take it while I am on Savella. There's a risk of seritonin syndrome.

I work at a cancer center (when I am able to work) and several patients have recommended this clinic to me, saying they worked wonders for them. So, here's hoping!! :-)!  If they don't work out, I can always resort back to my neurologist. I don't have a problem getting perscriptions filled. I'm just hoping for some non-medicinal options. Plus they do additional testing. Wouldn't it be great if someone accidentally figured out why this happened after my sinus surgery? I swear I was left with a brain injury. But no one has "looked". I know fibro can result from a traumatic event like surgery. But what if it was fixable??  I know I know...  I'm dreaming :-)!

Posted 3/2/2013 1:03 AM (GMT 0)
have you ever tried lyrica? you can take lyrica and nucynta together. so far it's been the best combination for me but it definitely doesn't relieve the pain 100%.

that's interesting that this happened after your sinus surgery. i had sinus surgery last year (as well as a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, septoplasty, and turbinate reduction) but i already had fibromyalgia. it didn't make it worse though! haha! i believe mine was caused by 2 bad car accidents i was in in my teens and then reared its ugly head after working in a busy retail pharmacy for 2 years. the stress of that job was like nothing i've ever dealt with before and my body hasn't felt the same since.
Posted 3/2/2013 1:17 AM (GMT 0)
I was already on Lyrica. I was at max dose, gained 30lbs, and it stopped working. Then the weight gain caused problems with knees, back, etc. Was also on cymbalta and topamax then to. Im off all that. Just on savella, soma, and bcp. I have norco, oxy, tramadol to use as needed. I switch them up with "days off" in between to keep them from losing affectiveness. So, pretty much, I have 50% of a decent life. My "days off" are sometimes pure torture. I'll use a tens unit, epsom salt baths, sauna, exercise to fight through my "days off."  I became addicted to vicodin before/after surgery, not knowing I was on it too long as they kept prescribing it because of the massive sinus infection I had (hense the surgery).  After the surgery (when I should have been just about healed) I'd get withdrawl symptoms when I started to cut the vicodin down. DON'T want to do that again!! :-)
Posted 3/3/2013 1:42 AM (GMT 0)
I have been on Nuerontin (gabapentin) for 6 years with no bad side effects and it doe help the pain.
I had rathwr take it and keep the pain meds at a low a dose as possible.
Posted 3/3/2013 2:31 AM (GMT 0)
So far gabapentin is doing better for me than anything I've ever been on. I rarely have to reach for my tramadol.
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