Questions posted in the Neurology and Neurosurgery Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Subject: Re: Leg Pain
Forum: The Neurology and Neurosurgery Forum
Topic Area: Pain
Posted by CCF Neurology MD - AY on October 31, 1998 at 10:44:06:
In Reply to: Leg Pain posted by Pat on October 30, 1998 at 08:03:31:


For the past month or so I have been having terrible pain in my legs - from the knee down. It is not in the same spot all the time - different spots and differnt leg all the time. I can have the pain one minute and it might last all day and other times it might leave fairly quickly. I've been to the dr and he did blood work to check for nutrition, etc. which all came out fine and also went to a scan and that checked out okay. I have been taking Prozac for depression for about six months and even tho I haven't had the leg pain till recently the dr wants me to stop the Prozac - thinking this is the problem. I am so reluctant to stop being it has helped me so much. Has anyone else had any experience with this kind of pain? BTW, I am 58 and work on my feet all the time.


Thanks for your question. It is difficult to determine the exact cause of
your leg pain without a better description of its characteristics. Several
different possibilities should be evaluated/investigated. Muscular causes
would most likely involve the calf muscles, may or may not be triggered by
physical activity, and frequently are noticebly worsened by palpation to
the muscle mass. Vascular causes would also be triggered by physical activity,
although patients usually also complain about coldness in the extremities
(if the arterial supply is impaired), or changed in the skin color (if a
venous stasis is the actual problem). Neurological causes can be derived
from a peripheral polyneuropathy or it could be due to more proximal
problems (such as nerve compression higher up in the thigh region or at
the spine). One certainly should not ignore possible medication-related
causes. A careful physical examination is necessary for the proper
evaluation of all these different possibilities. A survey of the clinical
literature over the last 15 years did not reveal any reports of Prozac-induced
neuropathy or myopathy.

I hope this information is helpful. Best of luck.

This information is provided for general medical education purposes only.
Please consult your doctor regarding diagnostic and treatment options.

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