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Gabapentin Question & L'Hermitte's Sign
I am a bit confused about whether I am still in a flare up or not. My first noticable attack was parasthesia in my right arm. It got to a point of almost total disability and then reversed to just daily numbness. I still have little flare ups now and then but they are related to heat or stress and they go away within an hour or so. I assume that period was a remission. Then about 2 weeks after my arm got back to usable again, I developed L'Hermittes sign. I was taking 100mg Gabapentin at the time.
The L'Hermittes has gotten progressively worse and is there all the time. I have upped my Gabapentin to 2700mg and there is NO change in either my arm or my L'Hermitte's sensation.
I am wondering if I should try a different nerve med or if the hope of feeling relief is a dream. My other thought is that maybe the Gabapentin is working and I am just still in a relapse and the L'Hermitte's has gotten worse and that is why the meds seem to have no effect.
Has anyone had L'Hermitte's sign on a constant basis then had is disappear completely? Should I be getting some relief from the shocking if I go into a remission?
I am soo confused.
D
The L'Hermittes has gotten progressively worse and is there all the time. I have upped my Gabapentin to 2700mg and there is NO change in either my arm or my L'Hermitte's sensation.
I am wondering if I should try a different nerve med or if the hope of feeling relief is a dream. My other thought is that maybe the Gabapentin is working and I am just still in a relapse and the L'Hermitte's has gotten worse and that is why the meds seem to have no effect.
Has anyone had L'Hermitte's sign on a constant basis then had is disappear completely? Should I be getting some relief from the shocking if I go into a remission?
I am soo confused.
D
I'm another one with variable Lhermitte's. (I'm not diagnosed with anything.)
When I get it, it sticks around for anywhere from a day to many weeks or even months.
I've had it for 9 years. Sometimes it would go away completely for months, except it would usually reappear briefly following exercise. Over the past 9 years, I've probably had it more often than not.
Have hope that it will go away eventually. It seems to for most people. Good luck!
Nancy
When I get it, it sticks around for anywhere from a day to many weeks or even months.
I've had it for 9 years. Sometimes it would go away completely for months, except it would usually reappear briefly following exercise. Over the past 9 years, I've probably had it more often than not.
Have hope that it will go away eventually. It seems to for most people. Good luck!
Nancy
Hi there D,
I have it always. It is worse sometimes than others. I get it upon bending my neck and have the buzzing in my tailbone, or, my legs (both of them) get tingly and numb. Once I pull my head back up, it stops.
Since it's constant, I avoid putting my head down. I use my eyes a lot 1st. Thankfully, mine is not painful.
My Dr. did prescribe Lyrica for some other parathesias I had in my back. I did not fill it, and waited it out, and it took about 5 months to subside some. Maybe the Dr. would be willing to try that out on you - since the Gab is not working.
ttys,
shell
I have it always. It is worse sometimes than others. I get it upon bending my neck and have the buzzing in my tailbone, or, my legs (both of them) get tingly and numb. Once I pull my head back up, it stops.
Since it's constant, I avoid putting my head down. I use my eyes a lot 1st. Thankfully, mine is not painful.
My Dr. did prescribe Lyrica for some other parathesias I had in my back. I did not fill it, and waited it out, and it took about 5 months to subside some. Maybe the Dr. would be willing to try that out on you - since the Gab is not working.
ttys,
shell
I don't think the Gabapentin has helped with my arm much.
Basically the story goes...I woke up Dec 7, 2008 with tingling in my right thumb and forefinger (right handed yes) and this progressed over a couple of weeks to a feeling of atrophy in my hand. It would sort of freeze in a curled in position and I would have to really concentrate to open it up. It felt completely swollen and totally numb even though the color and size were fairly normal. I could not hold anything, tie my shoes, start my car, feel things in my pocket etc. When I was driving I would feel like my fingers were straight and/or crossed even though they were firmly gripping the steering wheel. I had three bands around my arm at my forearm, bicep, and shoulder that felt like they were cutting off my circulation. These symptoms led to a cervical MRI which led to my dx in Feb.
Around the middle of January I noticed I was getting relief. Over the course of about 2 weeks I started getting feeling and the ability to use my arm back. Today it is back to a point where it is constantly a pins and needles sensation which of course gets more or less intense depending on my activities.
I started raising my Gabapentin after this relief came about and since I have gone all the way up to 2700mg the tingling in my hand and arm are no more or less than when I was taking 100mg.
The Lhermittes started Feb 1 and has increased in intensity since. I am having constant tingling in my feet now. I have become over sensitive to heat and quite fatigued after short periods of exertion.
I go back to my PCP on april 8 I am going to make a list of what is up and see if he can recommend a good Neuro (since mine is less than helpful)
D
Basically the story goes...I woke up Dec 7, 2008 with tingling in my right thumb and forefinger (right handed yes) and this progressed over a couple of weeks to a feeling of atrophy in my hand. It would sort of freeze in a curled in position and I would have to really concentrate to open it up. It felt completely swollen and totally numb even though the color and size were fairly normal. I could not hold anything, tie my shoes, start my car, feel things in my pocket etc. When I was driving I would feel like my fingers were straight and/or crossed even though they were firmly gripping the steering wheel. I had three bands around my arm at my forearm, bicep, and shoulder that felt like they were cutting off my circulation. These symptoms led to a cervical MRI which led to my dx in Feb.
Around the middle of January I noticed I was getting relief. Over the course of about 2 weeks I started getting feeling and the ability to use my arm back. Today it is back to a point where it is constantly a pins and needles sensation which of course gets more or less intense depending on my activities.
I started raising my Gabapentin after this relief came about and since I have gone all the way up to 2700mg the tingling in my hand and arm are no more or less than when I was taking 100mg.
The Lhermittes started Feb 1 and has increased in intensity since. I am having constant tingling in my feet now. I have become over sensitive to heat and quite fatigued after short periods of exertion.
I go back to my PCP on april 8 I am going to make a list of what is up and see if he can recommend a good Neuro (since mine is less than helpful)
D
Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between new relapses or the continuation/ evolution of the same one.
My first symptom of MS, and my only one until over a year later, was Lhermitte's. The first time I had it continuously for 3 or 4 months; then, it would come and go; sometimes during/after exercise, but sometimes it seems to occur spontaneously, regardless of body temp.
I think that once the initial damage is done to the affected part of the cervical spine, it can re-occur at any time upon neck flexion, as the stretching of the neck triggers nerve signals that go wonky because of the demyelinated areas. Heat is often, but not always, what triggers this symptom for me.
The funny thing is that my Lhermitte's did not flare up during any of the three subsequent relapses I had in 2008, if I remember correctly. It just comes and goes whenever. I have been on the max daily dose (3600mg per day) of gabapentin for several months, and it doesn't seem to affect the occasional tingling down the spine. But then again, who knows, maybe if I wasn't taking the gabapentin (and 100mg/day amitriptyline) for neuropathic pain in my left hand and arm, perhaps my Lhermitte's would be worse?
Do you think the gabapentin has helped with your arm pain? When you say you were almost to the point of total disability with that symptom, can you describe what you meant? Did you have paralysis, or was the pain bad enough that you had to avoid moving your arm? How much did this affect your overall functioning? If you are right handed, I would imagine quite a lot.
The pain and numbness in my hand has not remitted for a year. I've had it so long now that I don't expect to ever have 100% relief from this, either from symptom remission or medication. Neuropathic pain is hard to treat; I am on such high doses of the above two meds, and get maybe 50% relief at best. Sometimes it's like how I imagine the drip drip drip of so-called Chinese water torture to be: continuous, relentless, almost unbearable. At time my skin feels almost raw. At those times I have to get my mind on something else; the pain, discomfort, and numbness never ever leaves me but at times I can push it to the background by focusing on other things. Sometimes soaking in a warm (not hot!) bath or wrapping my hand in an Ace bandage helps for a while, I think just having somewhat of an altered sensation is what helps. Did you discover anything outside of medication that gave you some relief?
My first symptom of MS, and my only one until over a year later, was Lhermitte's. The first time I had it continuously for 3 or 4 months; then, it would come and go; sometimes during/after exercise, but sometimes it seems to occur spontaneously, regardless of body temp.
I think that once the initial damage is done to the affected part of the cervical spine, it can re-occur at any time upon neck flexion, as the stretching of the neck triggers nerve signals that go wonky because of the demyelinated areas. Heat is often, but not always, what triggers this symptom for me.
The funny thing is that my Lhermitte's did not flare up during any of the three subsequent relapses I had in 2008, if I remember correctly. It just comes and goes whenever. I have been on the max daily dose (3600mg per day) of gabapentin for several months, and it doesn't seem to affect the occasional tingling down the spine. But then again, who knows, maybe if I wasn't taking the gabapentin (and 100mg/day amitriptyline) for neuropathic pain in my left hand and arm, perhaps my Lhermitte's would be worse?
Do you think the gabapentin has helped with your arm pain? When you say you were almost to the point of total disability with that symptom, can you describe what you meant? Did you have paralysis, or was the pain bad enough that you had to avoid moving your arm? How much did this affect your overall functioning? If you are right handed, I would imagine quite a lot.
The pain and numbness in my hand has not remitted for a year. I've had it so long now that I don't expect to ever have 100% relief from this, either from symptom remission or medication. Neuropathic pain is hard to treat; I am on such high doses of the above two meds, and get maybe 50% relief at best. Sometimes it's like how I imagine the drip drip drip of so-called Chinese water torture to be: continuous, relentless, almost unbearable. At time my skin feels almost raw. At those times I have to get my mind on something else; the pain, discomfort, and numbness never ever leaves me but at times I can push it to the background by focusing on other things. Sometimes soaking in a warm (not hot!) bath or wrapping my hand in an Ace bandage helps for a while, I think just having somewhat of an altered sensation is what helps. Did you discover anything outside of medication that gave you some relief?
I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be any help either. I have Lhermitte's, but it comes and goes and is never constant--unless it's hot and I'm outside. Also, I don't really have relapses or remissions, so can't relate it to that.
Sorry I can't be more help.
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Sorry I can't be more help.
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