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.
View 1 RepliesJust been given nortriptyline for a pain in my leg ?
i thought these were for depression ...
I know we're all different but due to neck/shoulder/arm/face pain with radiating pain to my arms at times I was previously prescribed pregabalin, that gave me heart palps and rls, now tried gabapentin and I think I had some sort of adverse reaction to it as my side effects were quite severe so I'm wondering where to go from here re meds. I've tried amitriptyline but not for long however the short time I took it it did nothing. Was thinking of trying nortriptyline as an alternative as read side effects not so bad.
Does anyone have any experience with Any of these 4 drugs or an alternative and if you've tried nortriptyline how well it did work vs it's side effects.
Or if anyone has found a miracle drug please let me know. I think key for me is muscle relaxation and nerve burning reduction.
I have suspected Piriformis Syndrome & SI Joint Dysfunction also causing sciatica, have also had some nerve pain in the back of my thigh, occasional calf cramps, foot cramps, and foot pain. Since my last Cortisol injection into my SI joint it has made everything horribly worse, I cannot sit now for very long without severe left foot pain that makes me feel nauseous it's so horrible. I have informed the consultant of this and am on a waiting list to go back and see him, this is the 2nd time the injections have caused me extra pain so have now lost faith in these and want to try alternatives.
My consultant previously wanted to put me on Amitriptyline but I have been on this before and was taken off it due to serious sedative side effects (even fell asleep eating in a restaurant) was on a small dose and still didn't improve with time. So I've read that Nortriptyline is an alternative with less side effects, can anyone advise if they have had less sedative side effects with this than Amitriptyline please?
Was referred to a neurosurgeon to see a physiatrist which then referred me to 2 other drs - a neurotherapist and a neuropsychologist. also prescribed nortriptyline. i guess i shouldn't have said i was a little depressed. but man isn't feeling that way probably normal after a car accident, then chiari diagnosis, then possibly brain surgery, and finally after being told i may never again get to play the sport i love which is hockey because of all this? been to 3 neurosurgeons - 1st two say surgery is an option and come back when you're ready basically. 3rd one referred me to physiatrist and said basically surgery will be an option down the road. 26mm herniation with a CSF blockage (i had a cine study with 2nd neurosurgeon). jw if anybody else has been down this road. feels like im taking steps backward instead of forward...
View 4 RepliesI'm 21 years old with a 2 year old daughter for starters. And I have been dealing with anxiety and depression totally unmedicated for about 3 years. It recently has gotten so bad that I don't even want to get out of bed, I can't make it through an 8 hour shift where I work (at a plastic factory) without wanting to breakdown. I'm trying really hard to do it myself by drinking green tea, positive thinking, taking vitamins, and small meditation breathing counting techniques. But I fear that it's not helping as much as I need it to and I feel like it is really taking a toll on every aspect of my life.
My mom really encourages me to speak to a therapist and get on medication, but I can't stop seeing that as the easy way out and I just don't like the feeling of having someone listening to my problems knowing that they have their life together enough it makes me feel really weak and vulnerable. But things are looking pretty bleak and I don't know if I have the energy or strength to keep going like this, something's gotta give.
So I was also just wondering
1 what a therapist would do for me, what a visit would be like
2 are there any medications that will uplift my mood but without any negative side effects such as insomnia, numb feeling, worsening my depression.
I was already apprehensive or should I say anxious about my GP appointment today. I had a panic attack while I was there and just couldn't seem to calm down. He gave me a script for Ativan and said I need to relax. My anxiety this week has been through the roof. I've never had issues with anxiety but since all my other symptoms started I have been on edge. I can't focus on my health because i'm always thinking that something is going to happen to me. I know the numerous tests tell me I'm ok but I can't shake the doom and gloom feelings. They just come out of nowhere. Does anyone else ever feel like the doom and gloom and is this normal? I am starting to think I have generalized anxiety disorder where i'm just out of sorts all the time.
View 48 RepliesDoes 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.
View 11 RepliesMy 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.
View 2 Repliesi 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.
View 50 RepliesI 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?
View 1 RepliesI 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?!
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.
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.
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?
View 2 RepliesI 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.
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?
View 1 RepliesI 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.
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.
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?
View 5 RepliesI 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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