Do you request your own pain prescription?!

[mkusiak]

I have read many of the postings in regards to severe pain & the remedies/medications that people use to help deal with it. (Lyrica, Ultracet, Oxycontin, Elevil, etc)

However, I was wondering if such medication was made available to them because they requested it from their Doctor? Or did your Doctor recommend what he/she thought would work for you?

Reason being, my dad (47 years old, T-5 Complete, injured 09-09-07) is experiencing a tremendous amount of pain. Although he is a Neurotin (the generic Gaba), Extra Strength Tylenol, and Oxycontin (though he never takes it)….he says that his pain never truly goes away.

We have talked about pain with our family doctor before- however, he is not a specialist in SCI and therefore, it seems like he tends to recommend painkillers such as Oxycontin, Vicadin, etc….

Should we ask for something specific to SCI? Any recommendations of what medication we should request?

[mimin]

One option is to go to a pain management clinic. They would know more than your family doc.

[sjean423]

My pain issues were dealt with by my physiatrist. He suggested the meds, when I war concerned that what I was taking didn;t help enough.

[SoFla]

If you have an understanding PCP, who is willing to work with you, you can request a change of meds. Mine happens to be very good that way.

I have to ask, what color is the gabapentin your dad is taking? I was switched from a bright orange capsule to a pale yellow one, with disastrous results. I believe the pale yellow capsule is lacking something. Also, what amount does your dad take? Maybe he needs to ramp up the dosage.

Neuropathic pain is extremely difficult to find relief from. Most days I can control it. Today is not one of the good days. It is 5 o'clock and I am still in my PJs, wracked in pain.

[rybread]

It's been my experience that narcotics have very little effect on neuropathic pain for any amount of time. It always feels like it's helping at first but quickly begins to not do its job once you're hooked on them. I even had Dilaudid in my baclofen pump with very little results without having to turn up constantly. It was a losing battle, especially when I got my pump replaced and the new one got infected and I had to take it out for a month to let the infection go away. The first week was all the standard stuff you would get with narcotic detox, shaking, hallucinating, vomiting all that good stuff. It was horrible. Anticonvulsant drugs seem to work the best.

[SoFla]

It's been my experience that narcotics have very little effect on neuropathic pain for any amount of time. It always feels like it's helping at first but quickly begins to not do its job once you're hooked on them. I even had Dilaudid in my baclofen pump with very little results without having to turn up constantly. It was a losing battle, especially when I got my pump replaced and the new one got infected and I had to take it out for a month to let the infection go away. The first week was all the standard stuff you would get with narcotic detox, shaking, hallucinating, vomiting all that good stuff. It was horrible. Anticonvulsant drugs seem to work the best.
Sorry you experienced detox. That is what I experienced when my gabapentin was switched, so I understand. Not only do narcotics not work on neuropathic pain, they cause constipation. Not fun to deal with, either.