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Alternate Pain Reliever
by Shea, Sep 05, 2001 12:00AM
As I was going through my detox (and totally freaking out) my Dr. gave me a medicine called Neurontin also know as Gabapentin. This is an anticonvulsant (epilepsy) med. But it has A LOT of "off- label" use. It is generally a safe drug to take. No high, no addiction. I have been taking it for a couple weeks. I did stop for 2 days but started again because I found I felt worse without it. The bad thing is it can make you have a little vertigo or stagger. But they claim this subsides in a couple weeks. PLEASE check out this site. Especially some of you with chronic pain WW Broken Bones and any other suffering. See what you think and talk to your Dr. Actually I approached my Dr. as I found out about this drug doing research. And he thought it would be a great idea. Although he didn't think to suggest it. Here is the site. http://web.tampabay.rr.com/lymecfs/neurontin01.htm
You can go to several different pages talking about the benefits and off label use of this drug. I just know like many of you I suffer with chronic pain. But I can't manage my meds. "When 1 would do I take 2" and so forth. So this hopefully will be of great interest to you. It is also suppose to help with withdrawls which I found to be true. I didn't realize how much it helps until I stopped taking it for a couple days. Another drug which can only be used occasionally and during extreme flare ups is METHYLPRED PAK (generic for MEDROL) This is an cortizone/steriod pak. You start the first day with 6, second day 5 and down to 1. It is GREAT if your pain is out of control due to inflammation.Good Luck
Shea
You can go to several different pages talking about the benefits and off label use of this drug. I just know like many of you I suffer with chronic pain. But I can't manage my meds. "When 1 would do I take 2" and so forth. So this hopefully will be of great interest to you. It is also suppose to help with withdrawls which I found to be true. I didn't realize how much it helps until I stopped taking it for a couple days. Another drug which can only be used occasionally and during extreme flare ups is METHYLPRED PAK (generic for MEDROL) This is an cortizone/steriod pak. You start the first day with 6, second day 5 and down to 1. It is GREAT if your pain is out of control due to inflammation.Good Luck
Shea
3 times a day. the vertigo was so bad, i stoped taking after the
first week. the second time, i was put on 100 mgs, three times
a day. the smaller dose minimised the vertigo, but after being
on it for a week i had a severe allergic reaction to it. my
wind pipe swelled shut. i'm allergic to wasp and bee stings, so
i had several epipens i used to get me to the hospital ER. the
ER doc told me that aqllergic reactions to this drug are quite
common and i was damm lucky i had access to the epipen as it
probably saved my life. this same pain doc then put me on a "new
drug" called called trileptol. samething. after the first dose
i had a severe allergic reaction. out came the epipen again. i
changed pain docs, after the second visit to ER. the new pain-
doc i now have uses more traditional treatment. i now take 40mgs
of oxy-contin 3 times a day. even though oxy-c is addictive, i'll
will take it any time over an anaphylactic shock from these "non-
addictive, safe" drugs.
even though i haven't been posting lately, i have had time to
look at the forum ever other day or so. the past 3 weeks i've
been real busy at the university i work at. once i get thru the
start of fall semester, i hope to post more often.
hey witchy-woman: your one of the few who were posting when i was
real active last summer. after reading your recent posts it would
seem you've put a little bit of space between yourself and the
dragon- good job!
Skipper!! Nice to see you posting. I missed you and I was going to post a "Where is Kip" message if you didn't pop up soon. :-)
Thanks for the encouragement....even though I do have pain still, it is not as bad as the emotional pain I was in due to the addiction. So far the Dragon whispering to use again has been minimal, and when it comes, I take Wiz's advice and laugh in its face, then read the forum to gain strength. Without you guys, I'd still be popping 15 vics a day and be rationalizing and justifying my reasons for doing so. Here's hoping for the ability to stay on this path.
love,
WW
Skipper, I totally aggree. We are on the exact same dose of Oxy. I was worried about going to the 40s, but my doc assured me the medication goes way up there. So we're really on minimal dosages in comparison to most. I believe Francoise is on this amount too.
W.W.....you go girl!....Got a post for ya down below. LOL
Yes, i do get a lot of vertigo and light headed. But I feel enegetic and in a better mood. your experience Skipper sounds terrible. Today i took it and had some heart palpatations. thank goodness i didn't read this post first or i would have been sure it was an reaction. I do appreciate you sharing your experience. I am on the fence. It helps in a lot of way but disables to i.e. can't drive and stagger. katie r I am waiting to hear a reply on your post as I wonder the same thing.
also, DOES ANYONE EVER HAVE POST ACUTE WITHDRAWLS. TODAY IS 1 MONTH FOR ME WITHOUT VICODEN. But, i still crave it. the worst is out of the blue, usually at night i start to get that restless, skin crawling feeling. Anyone experience this after a few weeks??? For me it is also constant nausea STILL!
Detoxing sucks but you did it! You should be real proud of yourself, I can tell you we are.
I've taken neurontin and had the same effects as Durty, what I was told is that neurontin at low level dosis, is not very effective as a pain or nerve damage relief med. They start you low to get your body used to the possible side effects, and then raise the dose accordingly. This ment that you had to go up into the 2000mgs or higher, to really get the effects, but then your brain dead.
My sister who has MS was also on this, and had the same effects. We dumped it! Be careful! and as usual there are people who swear by it!
Glass half empty or half full.
WW hope your pain mgmt went smoothly, Iv'e read some of your posts, I'm so busy with the new buisness and school, that I haven't told you that I'm thinking of ya and sending out all my thoughts and prayers to you, so You to can get through this soon!
All my thoughts to all for a strong day !!
peace
mickytim
Only thing I can chime in on with that , is when I decided to get off oxy's and Percs, I spoke with three Dr's, all 3 said the best way was a meth program, which I replied You f---ing got me hooked on junk, sorry got carried away there.
But the out come was now your on meth, and from my friends who were addicts on H, they say meth is harder to get of than the H, go fiqure, once again glass half empty or half full!
I called 5 or 6 different clinics and was told, that besides the ones who use meth, there are ones that use Darvon or something simalar, and then wayne you off that.
I chose to sit home and be as frigin miserable as hell and go cold turkey!
Call as many places and get as many different choices as possible and then really look at what you think is best, I say why create another problem when I'm trying to get off this, but who am I, Dr's think they know better!! No offense Dr. Steve!!
Power and strength to get through the day
peace mickytim
My first exposure to this drug was in the late 60's and early
70's. at that time there were many fedseral funded "clinics"
that dispenced methadone to individuals to replace heroin with
methadone. at that time many M.D. had misconceptions about meth-
adone. the most significant misconception was that the more meth=
adone they could put an addict on, the beter! there is some blocking action with methadone, in other words it prevents other
narcotics from affect on the user. this blocking action is not
predictable among all addicts. in other words the blocking action
isn't equally demonstrated among all addicts. what may provide as
a blocking dose in one addict, will not be a blocking dose in an-
other addict. many addicts can also shoot thru a blocking dose
with massive amounts of narcotics.
why not methadone?:
clinics today are not the big goverment funded party they were in
60's & 70's. new regulations have tighted up access and services.
the only similaritys between then and now are the level of comp-
etence of the individuals whom staff methodone clinics. Because
of underfunding, clinics are usually staffed by incompettent,
sadistic people who take delight in degrading the clientel they
are supposed to serve. ongoing constant harresmant by clinic
personel who treat addicts like naughty children first, and sick<