Alternative To Opiates For Chronic Nerve Pain?
Dec 28, 2015
I live in the U.S. so the drug names may be different. I have been taking hydrocodone (norco) 2 x 7.5 a day for over 2 years. I had neck surgery in 2012 and within 6 mos the pain in my neck and left arm returned, along with the nerve pain in my arm. After ruining my digestive system with ibuprofen ( I was taking at least 8 to 12, 200 mg each, a day) I gave up and went to pain management for help. I had successful injections for low back pain a year or so before that, so I thought that is what they would want to do for this. But the doctor said that it would not help, probably because of my surgery, I'm not sure now because its a distant foggy memory. Anyway, the result was pills. At first it was only 5 mg 2x a day. Then he upped it within 2 mos to 7.5 mg. 2x a day. Since then I have read a lot about opiates and know that it is very addictive. I take it as prescribed but that means that I am just addicted to the prescribed dose. I had surgery in September for my digestive problem that all started with the ibuprofen. After the surgery they gave me Oxycodone. Within 3 doses I started sweating and having a headache soon before my next dose was due. I recognised this right away as a symptom of withdrawal. I immediately stopped taking that and just suffered through the surgery pain with my "usual' med, hydrocodone. Within a month, I started to realize that I have the same symptoms to a lesser degree with this med. This can only mean that I am addicted to it. When I went to my doctor for my usual appointment and med refill, I asked if there were any alternatives to Opiates. I said I was uncomfortable taking this and wanted to find something else. He said "Tylenol?, that's your only choice." I was floored. Well, I know tylenol can ruin your liver, so that wasn't even an option. He then said, "the holidays are coming up, why don't WE wait until after that and rethink this". Wow. I was truly speechless. So I took my scripts and left. I did NOT make another appointment. All that to ask this question. Does anyone know if there is ANY option to opiates for chronic pain and permanent nerve pain? If I do not take the med, my pain comes back, but the Nerve pain is the one that drives me back to take the pills. Now it's in both arms and when the med starts to wear off they start to ache, then burning and tingling. I have tried reducing the dose by taking half a pill, but all that does is make me count the hours to the next half pill. ugh. I want off this stuff and I know it can be done! I have read several success stories right here. Other symptoms I have are anxiety, depression, anger, constant waking up at night with the sweats. I need support, answers, and a way to do this without losing my job,all my friends and my mind!!
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This is my first time to post here, so please bare with me. I am 73, have severe back pain due to degenerative disc disease. I also have spondylolisthesis, and sciatica pain. I have seen a chiropractor for many years and have gotten steroid shots every 4 months for the past 2 years for the pain. None of this helps anymore. I have tried lots of herbal and alternative pain medications, none have helped. I got bronchitis last week and had to go to the Dr. She prescribed and antibiotic and Prednisone 10 Mg. for 6 days with a tapering off on the 6th day. I have not felt this good in a very long time. Very little pain. I felt like wonder woman. So I began searching for a natural steroid. I found that Dong Quai is noted for this. So I began it yesterday and am taking 4 pills per day at 250 mg./pill. I am also taking Curcumin2K and Dr. Al Sears Krill, 1 per day. How long do you think it will take before I know that this is working? I just cannot go back to the intense pain that I was in before the Prednisone.
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My 24 year old son is on day 4 in rehab for prescription drug abuse (Opiates). He detoxed himself last fall only to relapse 2 months later. Right now he is in a 28 day program but I am very scared that is not long enough. I feel so doomed, everything I read about addiction is so negative about recovery. Right now, all he talks about is how hard this is and that all he thinks about is his next dose of detox meds. He talks about how good the meds he was abusing made him feel. His talk just makes me feel like he will never be able to beat this. Before his addiction he was the sweetest, most sensitive, loving guy you would ever meet. Everyone is drawn to him. I still can't believe these drugs got a hold of him. His brain has been hijacked, literally.
Is there anything anyone can tell me that will give me just a little tiny bit of hope?
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Does anyone that has back problems have sharp nerve pain in their groin private area? I have had back problems for years and sometimes would get a sharp pain up my vagina. After a bad muscle strain in my back and using the elliptical machine I've had twitching and burning all over but also in my private area. Like around my **** it will twitch or vibrate, and then I will get the sharp shooting pain up my vagina and around my butt. I notice it more if I bend over that's why I thought it might be my back. I remember when the stabbing pain started I thought it was a female problem and my OBGYN said everything looked normal with my cervix and my paps have always been normal so she didn't know. She seems clueless.
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I am now been abstinence from substance-abuse. For 2 years, I was mixing opiates/opioids and alcohol together, and sometimes I mixed other substances with those-including cocaine. Plus, I already have depression and anxiety. I have been to a treatment/health care center twice. First time of abstinence, for 2 weeks I couldn't speak right. I'd think of a sentence. I'd start to say the first few words-with a stutter-and then forget the sentence. I would have to start my think process over again a couple of times.
I continued using/mixing-if not more-and became dependent on opiates/opioids, and I had already been diagnosed an alcoholic. I became abstinence, and still am. It's been about over 2 months of no substance abuse. I developed unnecessary stops in my sentences while I speak. Like my brain can't catch up to my speech while I talk, causing me to have to stop for a very short time before continuing me sentences-this can happen a few times in one sentence. I still have to restart my thinking process over again because my mind goes blank while trying to speak. When there are things that distract me or someone speaks a little bit while I'm talking, I have to restart my thinking process all over again.
Some other things that are going on with me is that I often feel microscopic bugs crawling on me and biting me. I also sometimes become frightened because I sometimes see shadows in the corner of my eyes or behind me. While staying still, my leg or arm will sometimes randomly jerk-I'm not doing it, my body is doing it by itself. I also forget to breath, and I have to remind myself to breath by myself.
I want feedback of what you'd think these are symptoms would be of, and/or if this is more of a severe or minor thing. Drug-induced brain damage?
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My 50 year old husband has been a Type 1 diabetic since he was 21. It was a late presenting of juvenile diabetes or so they said then. He has always done well managing his diabetes, wearing a pump for the past 15 or so years. In the past week or so, he has begun to have severe pain/tingling in his feet/ankles - mainly at night when he is trying to go to sleep. He usually has to get up and walk several times before he can finally sleep - he is only getting about four hours of sleep per night. He has an appointment with his dr - but not until the week after New Years.
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i can't cope anymore with the pain! All my nerves hurt neck scapula biceps pain all the way down arm forearm aching hand aching does anyone else have the forearm hand aching pain.
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I have had diabetes for several years now. I have nerve pain in my feet that is usually not too bad and comes and goes. Lately, my left ankle feels like there is a hair being dragged across causing a tickling feeling. Tonight, my right ankle has this sharp stabbing pain in it that has almost caused me to fall while walking. I have medicine for the nerve pain but don't like the side effects so I quit taking it. Could the stuff going on with my ankles be due to diabetes?
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I don't know what happened. I have been doing great the last 2 weeks, and then all of a sudden this morning was bad. I woke up in a panic attack. I really want to know what is going on. I am still seeing a counselor, doctor, and going to na meetings. Being over 120 days clean, would this still be some sort of PAWS. I am still struggling with how all this started while i was using. I don't really feel depressed, but this anxiety does make me feel down. Can you have anxiety this deep into withdrawal. Again, i used normal opiates for over 2 years, and switched to loperamide the last year. The lope was about 20 to 30 a day. A big part of me still thinks that after even 12000 dollars of testing, the doctors have still missed something. Is all this still normal? I mean I felt great the last 2 weeks, and then all of a sudden. Please respond anyone who has experience with this. I really think it's something else. I am scared of something not seen. I know this is a contrast from last post, but what is going on. I am trying to not take any of the xanax they gave me, but today i had to take 2 of the smallest doses.
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I had DeNovo surgery on my ankle 4 months ago - lesion was 11 x 13. Surgery went well. I was NWB for 6 weeks, then in boot for 4-6 more weeks with PWB. Started PT at 10 weeks and was out of boot at 12 weeks. No problem with recovery or PT until that point. After I was fully weight bearing I had much more pain. On sides and bottom of foot as well as at surgery site. Still have lots of pain and sensitivity if I walk barefoot. PT was successful as far as ROM and strengthening but he doesn't want to push me any further because of pain.
OS says too early to say it did or didn't work, but I think it didn't and he won't do MRI until 6 months. He'll give me pain meds, but I don't like them and don't react well to them. The foot pain is bad! Could it be nerve pain?
I knew this was a long recovery, but I wasn't prepared for this! I ran for 30 years, which could have contributed to this problem, but now I'm wondering if I will ever walk pain-free again?!
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I just started reading about this and it really sounds like I may have this but I'm not sure. I have headaches sometimes that are awful and seem to start from my neck and back of my head. I see a chiropractor once a month and my x rays showed problems in c5 and c6 in my neck. I also have notalgia paresthetica which itches me too death sometimes in my right back shoulder. We figure it's caused from the c5 and c6 in my neck. I never sleep all through the night, always tossing and turning. And I feel fatigued ALL the time no matter how much rest I get. I had a blood test and my vitamin D is low. I can find "knots" on my back, usually I can find about 5 or 6 of them, even on my sides. I work a very physical and mentally stressful job and this causes me a lot of pain. When I am working usually mid day I will get a horrible sharp pain somewhere in my back and it just stops me. It's like someone taking a hot knife and stabbing me with it. It's hard for me to straighten myself up. My pain is in my mid and upper back, rarely ever in my lower back. I do get dizzy sometimes also and feel off balanced.
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I have recently been diagnosed with EBV. I didn't present with the "normal" symptoms. I first experienced joint pain, then muscle pain, followed by extreme fatigue and muscle weakness. That lasted for about a month, then I developed sharp electric pains in my nerves and associated muscle weakness and numbness that comes and goes in my arms and legs. The nerve sensations have lasted for about 2 months. I seem to be healing
As I haven't experienced as many sharp electric pains, just numbness and tingling. I have been to a neurologist and have had an MRI of the head and neck which came back normal. Has anyone ever experienced anything of this sort of nature? I've been experiencing symptoms from EBV for 3 months now.
It's also important to note I was tested for Lyme and other blood work was done. Everything was normal except the ebv (which showed I had either contracted ebv in the last 6 months or it was.
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I've been having issue with my arm for 6 months now, tingling, numbness, burning in my forearm, hand and up to my shoulder. I also have a stiff neck. It all started with pain in my hand,thumb and wrist while using the mouse (I am a computer IT analyst) and slowly started to affect the whole arm, shoulder and neck.
I have had an ultrasound to check for tendonitis, Nerve studies to check for Carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel and they didn't find anything. I had an MRI of my neck and it's normal apart from some cysts adjacent the nerve roots.
One doctor wants me to see an orthopedic surgeon to have them checked and another thinks they are asymptomatic and aren't the cause of my problem.
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I have been dealing with pain in my feet for several years which has gotten progressively worse. The past 6 months or so have been so bad that 3 months ago my doctor prescribed Gabapentin which helped significantly for a brief few weeks, but I am at the highest levels now and there is a new pain in my right ankle that will just not go away. I am weaning off of the Gabapentin so that I can try Lyrica. I am being scheduled for a nerve conduction test to try and determine what is wrong exactly. I am not diabetic. I believe it is from too many years of standing/walking on concrete (I'm a caterer/chef) without proper foot support. My doctor seems to support this opinion, she does not seem to have any answers. Just had blood work done, I am in excellent health otherwise! Am so worried that I'll be unable to continue working. Pain is relentless. Cannot live on pain pills, just do not want to go down that road! Anyone out there have experience with this sort of problem? How about Lyrica?
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I have been taking Fluoxetine (Prozac) for nearly 7 years and will shortly be taking Gabapentin capsules (opened cos i cannot swallow capsules) for 2 weeks at 300 mg (once a day), then 2 weeks at 600mg (twice a day) and then 900 mg (3 times a day). My nervous system is shot meaning that my body produces too many chemicals making the slightest nerve pain excruciating. Also have a trapped nerve in my foot which means exercise is limited. Is it best to start taking these in the morning? By week 5 i will be taking them 3 times a day. Is it advisable to take them at roughly the same time of day?
I don't work fortunately so if i get any bad reactions i can deal with them at home.
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Has anyone tried methadone for nerve pain? I've just started a low dose and wondered if you had any side effects and how long they lasted? Most important, any relief?
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I am interested in how you have recovered and how your nerve pain is.
i just had an alif L5=S1 on oct 22 and i think things are going ok. I only have slight discomfort around my spine, have slight nerve aches in my left leg but my feet ache like i have been standing all day. My surgeon told me to expect nerve pain for up to 4 months but i cant help worrying when i get pain where i never had it before I don't get pain walking or sitting, only the foot pain when standing and nerve pains when lying down.
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For a few years my problem has been creeping up on me. Recently, it has become hard to remain standing much less walking. So I finally broke down and went to my doctor. I've had an xray and a MRI, with nothing coming up. I've seen two doctors and my current one gave me a shot in my back that gave me a decent amount of relief for a few weeks. So he set me up for physical therapy. I did that for about three weeks. The basic pattern was that when I usually left for about a good hour or so, I'd feel great. Then the pain and tightness would return and cripple me. So now I'm scheduled for a Radio Frequency Ablation. Which my doctor said will give me significant pain relief for up to 18 months or longer. So now I'm just waiting for my insurance to approve the procedure.
About a month ago my doctor wrote a long letter to my employer allowing me to work from home. I do have medication. Tramadol but if I take two it halves the pain but I still can't walk in a few minutes and on top of that the medication slows me down. If I take three, It puts me to sleep. Then out of nowhere last week, I got a new job. Clearly I haven't told them about my back problems. My start date is three weeks from now and I fear that I might not get insurance approval before then. So I'm debating trying to hit the gym and lose some weight. My doctor said that may or may not help. I am a bit overweight now due to depression and other reasons.
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I've been just prescribed Nortriptyline for IC, generalized nerve pain & Insomnia. My GP says it's a more recent form of Amitriptyline & better for nerve pain. she's started me off on 10 mgs x1 week, 2 x 2 weeks, & 3 x one month if necessary.
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In pain after botched bunion surgeries by podiatrist, underwent reconstructive surgeries with OS. Still in pain, now was diagnosed by OS with RSD. 3 phase bone scan showed "increased blood flow and soft tissue uptake in the right ankle and foot. There is intense increased uptake in the right first metatarsophalangeal joint likely represent reactive postoperative change and consistent with postsurgical changes and reflex sympathetic dystrophy in the right lower extremely". Pain management said that as I DO NOT have swelling, change in color and temperature, it is not RSD and sent me back to OS, who already told me that there is nothing else he can do surgically. So I have terrible burning and stabbing pain and muscle spasms. I just want to understand if RSD is a nerve pain or is the result of some abnormal process in bones as was indicated in my test?
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For the last 3 months one of my odd symptoms before the migraine start is nerve pulsing pain in the arch of my foot. Then my inner thigh on same leg get nerve pains. Then it hits the temple on the same side. And then the head pain and nausea starts. Am I crazy? Anyone else get this? Should I start my pain med when the foot nerve starts...or when the head pain finally hits. Since I also have fibromyalgia, I think oh it will just be a stretching out issue.
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