Craig is taking Cymbalta and it has decreased his pain by at least 80 percent. However, he started on 30mg which was too high of a dose for him. Now at 15 mg he is still able to have a reduction in pain but without the side effect of the 30 mg.
Elaine
Thanks for the post. It just so happens that I just started taking Lyrica this past Saturday. So, I am on my fourth day with this new drug. My doctor has me taking 50mg twice a day, and said we may go up on the dose later on, but he did not instruct me to raise the dose myself by taking more of the medication. Just one pill, twice a day. So far, I believe it has helped with my neuropathy, and pain is not a major issue for me today like it was this day last week. So, that's good. However, this med. makes me feel like I'm in a drunken stupor all day long! I was really thinking about not taking it today, because I don't want to be high every day, but took it anyway, because it's helping with what it's supposed to be helping with. My doctor said to give it more time, and I should start to feel more normal. I sure hope so......if I could live without alot of pain, and feel "normal", that would be AWESOME! We will see..........Much love, Tiff
bump.................................
II. Only Change One Thing at a Time.
People in pain want to get out of pain right now and for that reason are tempted to try multiple things at the same time. When you run into side effects you don't know which intervention is causing the side effect, and if it works you don't know what works. Slowly learning what works and what doesn't; and why things don't work (e.g. lack of efficacy versus overwhelming side effects) is important to eventually achieving success.
III. Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained.
It is okay to not like taking medications, but with chronic pain if you don't change something –a medication or something else—then nothing will change. . And if you are in you have to be committed. Taking these meds one day and skipping them the next because of frustration etc. will generally make you feel really bad. So decide to give them a real 6 week trial, or decide that you are not ready—but don't do the half-measures thing. They don't work when used this way and you wind up mis-educating yourself that these medications don't work when in reality they are not working because of the way you are using them.
Paindoc38
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I hope everyone reads this. When we have someone on the forum who is starting a new med for nerve pain we should remind them to read this Health Page. That is what the HPs are for.
Quix