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ORIGINAL: DerangedUnit

Reminds me of a time I tried to tell one of the doctors around me "no morphine" and I was told after I woke up that they thought I said more morphine... was loopy for a week... no experience with a painkiller I've ever liked though so not helpful on that end.

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ORIGINAL: Ladytisha

I can relate. I was on those and didn't like to take them because they made me feel loopy. Have you tried pain management? Have you discussed a nerve block?

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ORIGINAL: MariaB

A few weeks ago I was put on Gabapentin. The silly young doctor put me on the highest dose you can take but told me he was starting me on a low dose.

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ORIGINAL: MariaB

A few weeks ago I was put on Gabapentin. The silly young doctor put me on the highest dose you can take but told me he was starting me on a low dose. Although this drug has rid me of pain, I now find myself walking around in a fog. This morning I had an argument with a friend because she was insisting it was spring time and I thought it was autumn (fall). I'm honestly losing the plot and so I've asked a different doctor (who was shocked at the dose) to take me off them. The bad news is, I can't just come off this drug without risk of a seizure. I have to reduce the dose gradually.

Has/does anyone here suffer neuropathic nerve pain and if so what do you find helps you?

I am highly allergic to all opiate based drugs so things like codeine are out. I've tried Pregabalin, Nefopram as well as all the over the counter unsubscribed meds. I have been offered cortisone injections but have refused them because cortisone into the spine causes massive hair loss.

There has to be a decent drug out their that works without making me ill. I just haven't found it yet and neither has my doctor. Any suggestions will be gratefully received.

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ORIGINAL: shiftyw

I didn't read the whole thread- but I was put on this after my accident.

My kidneys shut down on it. I couldn't pee. I was hazy- grumpy, and generally felt terrible on it. They lowered my dose to kick my kidneys back into motion.

But I have depression anyways and it made it a thousand times worse.

I hate that drug I was on two a day for nerve pain. They wanted me on it past six month mark but I would have rather dealt with the pain so I didn't let them.

Be careful- it's a serious drug and they almost had to teach me to cath myself at home because of the kidney problem.

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ORIGINAL: FelineRanger

Doesn't this qualify as some sort of malpractice or, at least, deceptive practice of medicine? After all, if you're not given accurate information by the prescribing doctor, how can you make an informed decision?

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ORIGINAL: sexyred1

I had some chemo induced neuropathic nerve pain and other pains and was given gabapentin. It worked, but like you, it made loopy.
I don't like pain killers either so I take vitamins for this. The B vitamins and glutamine have helped some I know.

If you are worried about hair loss from cortisone, I had lots of those and it caused no hair loss.

I cannot say the same about Cancer. I am on a med that is keeping the Cancer down, but awful side effects, including hair.

Sometimes the cures are worse than the health issues.

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ORIGINAL: MariaB

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ORIGINAL: shiftyw

I didn't read the whole thread- but I was put on this after my accident.

My kidneys shut down on it. I couldn't pee. I was hazy- grumpy, and generally felt terrible on it. They lowered my dose to kick my kidneys back into motion.

But I have depression anyways and it made it a thousand times worse.

I hate that drug I was on two a day for nerve pain. They wanted me on it past six month mark but I would have rather dealt with the pain so I didn't let them.

Be careful- it's a serious drug and they almost had to teach me to cath myself at home because of the kidney problem.

Bloody hell shifty, I wish I'd looked into this more before starting on it. Do you know how high a milligram of tablet you were taking?
I missed one tablet yesterday and all though the night I was writhing in pain and awake with really negative thoughts. Even after such a short time on the drug this doctor says I can only reduce it by 100mg a day which is going to take ages.

Like you, I would rather deal with the pain than have something f-cuk with my head like this. I've never known anything like it

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ORIGINAL: shiftyw

I can't really remember the dosing- it took a month and change to wean off it.

See...I got rear ended by a tractor trailer truck hauling an overweight load of steel beams.
Car got totalled- they THOUGHT I had herniated discs in both cervical and lumbar, but fortunately- just lumbar.

I did this whole song and dance with PT, Steriod Injections, for a year and a half I went through just...so much bullshit. FINALLY I got approved for surgery.
I had a microdisectomy and when I woke up I was in the most horrible pain ever. They said it was because all the pain I was in before was masking some hip bursitis problems, but fortunately that pain was short lived and my back feels way better today despite some lingering effects and occasional nerve pain in my feet (this winter is also really REALLY wearing on my back).

During recovery I was on...perocet as needed every three hours, gabapentin before bed and upon rising, and flexoril (which I had been on a really long time anyways) every 4 hours- supplement with tylenol as needed.

I was a horror show. I have terrible reactions to pain meds- but at that point I pretty much could walk for 10 minutes then needed to rest a half an hour. I spent all day asleep or watching hulu because reading required too much thinking. Everytime a drug would wear off- I'd get crazy mean and nasty. boyfriend started calling it "ShiftyHulk! SHIFTY SMASH!" because I was so angry and bitchy. I was so happy when they took me off all that shit- the gabapentin being the worst of them- and the one I was on the longest- I'm sure they'd prescribe it now...but I'll never go on it again.

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ORIGINAL: MariaB

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ORIGINAL: sexyred1

I had some chemo induced neuropathic nerve pain and other pains and was given gabapentin. It worked, but like you, it made loopy.
I don't like pain killers either so I take vitamins for this. The B vitamins and glutamine have helped some I know.

If you are worried about hair loss from cortisone, I had lots of those and it caused no hair loss.

I cannot say the same about Cancer. I am on a med that is keeping the Cancer down, but awful side effects, including hair.

Sometimes the cures are worse than the health issues.

You've really been though the sticks Red. It sounds like your dealing with this really well though. Here's sending you lots of positive thoughts x

Did you have cortisone into the cervical spine? I have had cortisone in my shoulder before and that certainly didn't cause hair loss. I'm told that its cortisone into the cervical spine that often causes people to lose the hair on the top of the head.

All of us who have been in a lot of constant pain know how it disrupts our life. In the short time I've been on Gabapentin, Steve has commented about how pleasant I've been . He said I've turned from this bear with a sore head into this dappy silly cow!. He also recognizes that I'm so chilled I'm virtually horizontal and that's no good for either of us either; especially as he's the one who has to do everything from house work to cooking.

I'm going to go out and buy some Glutomine powder and B vitamins. Do you take a specific B vitamin ?