Medication question

[chickiet]

Is anybody out there currently on Neurontin or Lyrica PLUS an antidepressant (Cymbalta or Pamelor)?

I've done high dosage of Neurontin and am now at max dosage of Lyrica. My pain mgt doc said that if this dose of Lyrica doesn't help enough, then he will add in either Cymbalta or Pamelor.

He indicated (and I confirmed via my own research) that those antidepressants impact the neurotransmitters in the brain that cause neurological pain.

I was wondering if anyone's tried either of those, and if so, whether they worked for them??

I'm concerned with adding in more meds that will add on to the current side effects. I don't want/need increased drowsiness / bowel issues / etc. I'm managing with the ones I have.

Also - does anyone have any advice of how to evaluate the balance between trying more meds and saying "this is the way it's going to be - not going to get better" ?? (or as my 5-yr old granddaughter says - You get what you get and you don't throw a fit)

Thanks.

[billanschell]

My rehab doc suggested the same thing, so I tried adding Cymbalta to my Neurontin. To be honest, I hated it. Initially it totally wiped me out, then even after I got past the initial drowsiness it gave me side effects I didn't like. I never got up to the 60mg prescribed eventual dosage, but I went as high as 50 mg and was four weeks into it. At that point I decided I'd had enough; it did nothing whatsoever for my pain.

I keep trying new meds, but am close to accepting it being as good as it will get. That's a tough thing to resign yourself to, but it's part of what we deal with.

Good luck - I hope the antidepressant helps! As people often mention on this site, meds work differently for each individual.

--Bill

[wobbly1]

Chickiet

I am using Lyrica with the Cymbalta, have been for about a year. My plan has been to keep my meds at a minumum, but sometimes I think that the extra pain stresses me out that I will deal with a side effect or two.

Before I go to bed I take my Cymbalta- I have also found that Lyrica has a side effect of making me depressed- so two birds with one stone.

Also, I have great results with Ultram- I use it with my Lyrica, and it seems to be the one tried and true that dulls my pain- the one I can't go without.

Neurontin turned me into a zombie-

Best of Luck

[chickiet]

Thanks for the feedback. I'd heard some mixed comments about Cymbalta from folks with other issues (chronic neurological pain but not SCT).

If I end up trying it I will do so with caution and be ready to pull it when necessary.

And by the way - Lyrica seems to make me sleepier than Neurontin did. I got up to 2700 mg/day of neurontin and really had no side effects, but also didn't get significant relief. The Lyrica has helped the pain more, but the side effects are stronger - about 2-3 hours after I take it, I get kind of spacy (more than normal ) - hard to concentrate, hard to say what I'm thinking, etc. I also get some blurred vision. Those side effects last for a few hours, then subside. I've seen some decrease in the side effects in the past few days (I've only been at this max dosage of 600mg/day for about 10 days now).

So we'll see how it goes. I may just have to accept that this is as good as it gets - which I can do if I have to, but I'd like to see if anything else will help.

Thanks,
Chris

[richard0314]

Hey Chris;
I believe from reading we have a lot of the same things yours some what worse than mine. I have been on all that stuff well exceprt the lyrika and Cymbalta before i found some meds that work pretty well, don't get me wrong i really don't think there is ever a balance between what we want and what we get, just an area of comfort that makes living like this more acceptable. Right now I am taking Tramadol 100mg x 2 at night methocarbomal 500mg x2 at night topamax 100mg at night celebrex 200mg no anti depressants even though sometimes i wish i had some LOL. this combination does seem to work I take the tramadol only during the day if i'm getting ready to do a lot of walking or heavy work and it works pretty good, It can make you feel a little groggy at first when you take it but definately not the dopeing feeling you get on other meds. I guess the concept is it works on the same receptors as morphine for pain, but its not morphine. and don't worry there was a thread on hear about tramadol dependency/ addiction. most of us will take meds the rest of our lives we are already dependent. I hope this helped i look forward to meeting you in DC this spring If we ever leave Iraq that is LOL
Richard

[chickiet]

Hey Richard - yeah, you're right about the long-term requirement. I don't think it matters too much if something causes dependency if you're going to need it for the rest ofyour life. My only concern with that would be if something would require increasing doses to get the same/desired effect.

I too look forward to meeting you in DC when you get back from Iraq! Please keepe me posted on dates when you know more.

Chris

[vickie]

Hi,
I have nerve damage down my right leg from knee to the toes from a MVA a long time ago. I can't move it but it shocks me all the time it's like holding onto an electric fence. I've been on Neurontin which didn't help at all, been on another one that began with an L Lamitcal something like that, didn't help either. Lyrica though I take it and 20 minutes later the shocking is gone I was taking 300mg a day but found that it made me depressed and angry at least when I quit taking it those feelings seemed to have gone away for the most part. My pain doc wannabe gave me a tens unit which helps just as well as the Lyrica no shocking except now it's moved to my toes and the tens unit doesn't help that at all.
I did hear that Lyrica and all those others in the same genre causes weight gain and that I believe since I guit taking it I've lost 10 pounds and that's only been a month without trying.

[Joel]

Chris:
When I switched from neurontin to lyrica I had similar symptoms, but after 2 weeks the symptoms went away. I'm still gathering data on the gettin' fat part though.
Joel

[Cheryl55]

Hi again Chris!

I took Neurontin for the first 4 years after my surgeries to help with the nerve pain. I ended up having a bad reaction when my dose was increased. I became very depressed, I cried all the time and that just wasn't me at all. I told my Dr I wanted off of it and he put me on 50mg of Nortriptyline [an antidepressant] it works great for me. If my nerve pain gets real bad I up my dose to 100mg. I haven't noticed any side effects except dry mouth and I can live with that. I take Nortriptyline at night because it can make you sleepy. I have diabetes too and that adds to the nerve pain but Nortriptyline still works well. It's a cheap drug so for someone who has no insurance this one is a lot easier on the wallet.

Cheryl

[John]

I am trying a “no drugs at all” experiment.

I have been off all medication since day 4 in the hospital. Yesterday was 12 weeks since the operation.

The pain is there 24/7 and it comes and goes in waves.

I usually wake up in middle of night in a big hurt and just lay there ticking off what hurts. After just short exertions during the day the pain really starts to rock.

So far I have nothing positive to recommend about this approach.

I get what I get and it hurts.