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Meds for Chronic Pain and Anxiety
by BusyGrl, Oct 11, 2008 10:02PM
Is this a problem with my doctors, or what? I had lumbar fusion in May and was on narcotics for 3 months. When my doctor saw me, he said he wanted me off of them immediately, so I quit the clorazepate and the oxycodone without looking back, but I had to continue 15 mg of vicodin a day for residual leg pain. The day after I quit the narcotics, I developed a debilitating case of anxiety that I thought was drug withdrawal, but it kept on for weeks. Xanax didn't touch it until I started taking 37.5 mg of Effexor each day.
I have a physical therapist, a doctor, a psychiatrist, and psychologist all trying to help me. The psychiatrist gave me Xanax 0.5 3x daily and wanted me to take Effexor 3x daily, but when I increased my dosage, I immediately went back to wanting to check into the psych ward at the hospital, so I backed off with her blessing. She also gave me Ambien to sleep.
I feel like a walking drug cabinet and still not getting what I need in spite of all the doctor visits every few weeks. My doctor and psychiatrist keep insisting that my pain is caused by my anxiety. Hello, I've been anxious all my life and had major surgery 5 months ago. I don't know what to do. I stay active, do my physical therapy exercises, take Ultram twice a day for pain, Xanax 1-3 times a day, Effexor in the morning, and Robaxin and Ambien at night to sleep and let my muscles rest. Today my doctor insisted that I take more Effexor, so I took a second dose this afternoon and was cleaning house like Samantha Stevens when she casts a hurry-up spell on herself. I still have lots of spasms and pain that is worse when I am feeling "normal" and better when I am whacked out on too much Effexor, just because I'm so distracted by the anxiety. Because of the inability to progress, I've recently quit working with the physical therapist. Just last week my surgeon told me I should be taking muscle relaxers, and my doctor was being stingy with them. I am not feeling cared for at all.
I am going to talk to my psychiatrst again next week, but I feel like they have it in their heads that I'm just an anxious person. The fact that they are messing me up is actually feeding my anxiety. I have a really good life that I would very much like to get back to.
I'm just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience and how it turned out. I don't see a light at the end of the tunnel, but all I can do is keep trying.
I have a physical therapist, a doctor, a psychiatrist, and psychologist all trying to help me. The psychiatrist gave me Xanax 0.5 3x daily and wanted me to take Effexor 3x daily, but when I increased my dosage, I immediately went back to wanting to check into the psych ward at the hospital, so I backed off with her blessing. She also gave me Ambien to sleep.
I feel like a walking drug cabinet and still not getting what I need in spite of all the doctor visits every few weeks. My doctor and psychiatrist keep insisting that my pain is caused by my anxiety. Hello, I've been anxious all my life and had major surgery 5 months ago. I don't know what to do. I stay active, do my physical therapy exercises, take Ultram twice a day for pain, Xanax 1-3 times a day, Effexor in the morning, and Robaxin and Ambien at night to sleep and let my muscles rest. Today my doctor insisted that I take more Effexor, so I took a second dose this afternoon and was cleaning house like Samantha Stevens when she casts a hurry-up spell on herself. I still have lots of spasms and pain that is worse when I am feeling "normal" and better when I am whacked out on too much Effexor, just because I'm so distracted by the anxiety. Because of the inability to progress, I've recently quit working with the physical therapist. Just last week my surgeon told me I should be taking muscle relaxers, and my doctor was being stingy with them. I am not feeling cared for at all.
I am going to talk to my psychiatrst again next week, but I feel like they have it in their heads that I'm just an anxious person. The fact that they are messing me up is actually feeding my anxiety. I have a really good life that I would very much like to get back to.
I'm just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience and how it turned out. I don't see a light at the end of the tunnel, but all I can do is keep trying.
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^quote
It likely WAS drug withdrawal...from the Tranxene (Clorazepate Dipotassium), which is a Benzodiazepine very similar to Valium (but much weaker). What was the dosage, and what was the duration of use?
Given your other conditions, my recommendation would be Valium, 10 mg, q.i.d. Valium is a more effective muscle relaxant than is Robaxin. If there is any residual Clorazepate withdrawal remaining, the Desmethyldiazepam component of Valium would resolve it as well. The Valium can be augmented with Elavil, 25 mg, t.i.d. (which is beneficial for chronic pain - both of psychosomatic and organic origin). Starting dose for Elavil is 25 mg nightly. This is a Tricyclic antidepressant.
The Xanax possesses no appreciable skeletal muscle relaxant properties, and the Effexor is comparable to speed. It also magnifies anxiety x100 unless there is a concomitant depressive component.
Speak with the psychiatrist about the Valium and Elavil. Get off of the Ambien, Effexor, Ultram and Xanax - because it's a recipe for disaster. And, of course, a second opinion is always a good idea.
~Ryan
Good Luck.....hope we both make out OK with the future.....Nana
I just got up and had my first of doses of 1 Ultram, 0.25 Xanax, and 1 Effexor and I can hardly type because of the nerves. I don't think I can take any SSRIs as I've tried just about every one you could name, and the doctors just get frustrated with me.
My psychiatrist talked about anti-psychotic drugs. Maybe that's the ticket. She seems a little more reasonable than the doctor, but she's doping me up with addictive substances, too.
The surgeon prescribed Tranxene 7.5 mg to be taken every 6-8 hours for spasm. I took them randomly, once or twice a day but skipped days I didn't think I need them over a period of 3 months. I took 15mg oxycodone at bedtime. It could have been either, I suppose, but I am beginning to feel similar to how I felt when I stopped them on 75 mg of Effexor. If I don't get some help next week, I'll have to start clear over. Who knows about this stuff? Pain managers? I am appalled at how doctors throw drugs at us and say get better, and when we don't, they throw more and don't seem to want to hear it when we complain.
Aren't there any antidepressants/anti-anxiety drugs that are safe non-stimulants? I've tried them all, starting with Paxil and Prozac, but something changed after I had babies and they are overstimulating or they take away my sexuality.
Nana, if you had my doctor, you would get a lecture about always having had anxiety and you have to deal with whatever is causing that. I loved hearing that after 25 year of hard work in counseling. Maybe it's the same for you.