Sciatica :: Gabapentin And Zapain - Still In Pain

I finally got a GP to take some notice of the pain levels and I'm now on gabapentin and zapain while I await a referral.

I was so glad to be given *something* I didn't really bother asking too much. I understand the zapain is a straight up pain killer but I'm a little unsure - even after reading up - what to expect of the gabapentin?

is it also a pain killer? I'm on 900mg / day now and although I have pain constantly, I can't be sure which drug is more (or less) effective, if at all?

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Leg Pain Sciatica? 300mg Gabapentin Three Times A Day Making It Worse

It started with a crawling feeling in my left foot, then one day my back started playing up.  I have always suffered a bit of sciatic pain on and off but this started and just didn't go away.  Doc referred me to physio and it has just got worse and worse.  he said i had very sensitive nerves and i am now on 300mg gabapentin three times a day but the pain is just getting worse.  Pressure like pain in lower leg, pins and needles in foot, shooting pains in but,shin,and thigh.  i now have to sit when making dinner and if i stand for any time i have to stand on one leg, (not very attractive)  Docs and physio just keep saying its going to take time but never say what it is prop.  physio just says i have sensative nerves and i am very bendy.

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Gabapentin :: Miracle Drug For Sciatica And Peripheral Neuropathy

I suffer from sciatica and peripheral neuropathy in the feet.  Have tried to address both with diet restrictions and daily walks.  Yet, the arthritis like pain in the back of my calfs and legs is getting intolerable.

My girlfriend has extensive lung problems and chronic resultant pain from coughing for hours on end - in the back and thorax areas.  She was prescribed Gabapentin to relieve that pain.  Works for her.

So she gave me two tabs to try for my problems.  It was as though a miracle had taken place.  No pain whatsoever.  Almost no side effects - other than a slight feeling of increased relaxation.

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Crohn's Disease :: Mercaptopurine And Tramadol For The Pain

Hi I have just joined the forum and would like to know if anyone feels the same as myself or am I going mad.  Was diagnosed with crohns in 2010 after doing the over 50 bowel screening ( I am 55) have been on several medications and had a very nasty abcess where you dont want one and had to stay in hospital 11 days. Last november I had been in infliximab for 2 years having infusion every 8 weeks and also taking mercaptopurine and tramadol for the pain, I now have infliximab every 10 weeks still taking mercaptopurine which I have been on for 4 years, the doctor asked me to try and stop tramadol but I only take 2 per day 4 on a very bad day, I have tried several times not to take these but when I stop the next day I feel bloated, very sick and its a struggle to get out of bed and as a full time carer for my disabled husband thats no good, it happened today so I took 2 tramadol and crawled back to bed and within an hour I felt a lot better, have explained this to 2 doctors and 1 wants me off tramadol and says symptoms are due to them and the other gives me a prescription and says if I need to take them to do that I am so confused. I take them because the option not to makes me feel so crap (pardon the pun ) has anybody got any advice please I hate this crohns 

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Tramadol :: Withdrawal Nightmare - 4 Months For Fibromyalgia Pain

3 days ago I began, by accident to go through the nightmare of tramadol withdrawal.bI'd been prescribed up to 400 mg daily 4 months ago to relieve fibromyalgia pain. Luckily,I settled on a dose of 200mg taken early evening and last thing before bed,not realising at the time that I was using them more to aid sleep than for pain.I absentmindedly forgot to order my repeat prescription,hence the withdrawal.Can't believe what I am going through.The worst thing is the restless legs and complete inability to be still,especially at night times,which seem to go on forever. I am so tired through lack of sleep and the constant fidgeting is horrendous.Cannot settle to watch tv,read,or anything else that would distract me from other unpleasant sensations like the whooshing in the head,electric pulses,irritability,etc.My gp,usually very good,never mentioned any possibility of addiction,or even that tramadol are opiate based.I am now determined to get off and stay off this drug.Believe it or not the chronic pain I have is more manageable than tramadol withdrawal.Hoping someone has some positive feedback to encourage me,but also want to make people aware of the dangers of this drug,and the need to ask more questions if prescribed.

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Tramadol :: Tramadol And Alcohol

I began tramadol in June 2014 after surgery. It subsided the pain and made me feel good. Like happy and optimistic about my recovery. I couldn't drive while recovering, so I walked everywhere, including to physical therapy appointments. That was all of last summer. I stayed on them until January to help with physical therapy discomfort. Then I suffered an elbow injury also in January, so stayed on them. My surgeon who originally prescribed them began cutting down on what he prescribed, so I found them elsewhere. This past spring, I began drinking alcoholic beverages after taking my last dose at around 5pm. Two months later was a disaster. Since, I have learned two very important things about Tramadol. One is that it's also an antidepressant and two, alcohol makes them even more addicting. This I learned through all the research I desperately sought. I am now 11 days without taking Tramadol and It's been hell. I spoke to a detox facility and they said that my insurance company would not pay for treatment for Tramadol because it is...wait for it... NOT ADDICTING. So here I am still trying to get this poison out of my system. It stinks because it is now I need something to calm my symptoms. Which is the lesser evil? I have no energy, depression, muscle weakness, no motivation and can cry at any given moment. Why me, why any of this? Doctors need to know what Tramadol truly is as do the insurance companies.

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Back Pain :: Sciatica Pain Unrelated To Spine Bifida

I'm a teenager who suffers from Sciatica pain. Please note that doctors have not told me this, I googled it and Sciatica exactly describes my pain. I have Spina bifida occulta, but was told it shouldn't cause me any pain. Not sure if that is relating to my pain. I had an X-RAY and an MRI (I think) and the doctor said it was fine... but that still does not explain my pain? It's been going on for maybe 4-5 years?

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Back Pain And Sciatica :: How To Relieve Pain?

I've had problems with my neck and back since I was a child, but recently i've been having more problems with my back, i've had about 3 or 4 episodes of lower back pain but this time I have been diagnosed with lower back pain and sciatica, the doctor put me on codeine, but they didn't ease the pain and now nefopam which are basically doing the same, i've also been seeing a physio for the last 3 weeks, when he had a look he said my spine was twisted/curved and my right hip was lower than my left so I was walking lopsided, I feel like I'm going in circles and feeling fed up and in constant pain,

When I was born I was put in cast from above my hips to my toes as my hips/pelvis and legs weren't formed properly, I was in cast till I was about 2 or 3 years old, I then had an accident as a child and hurt my neck and back ...

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Pain Management Of Sciatica?

My dr. did a CT scan on my left side to see if I had sciatica as I had a lot of symptoms of it.  It showed minimum damage to the nerve. I was not told what to do next? Should I get a follow up with what kind of specialist? Would a MRI show more information then the CT scan?

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Back Pain :: What Causes Sciatica?

what causes sciatica?

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Hip Replacement :: Sciatica Pain Again

I have my second hp (right) done 2 weeks ago. I had a terrible sciatica pain till the op. Now there is a less sciatica pain though, I still feel the nerve is irritated since I still feel the stretch on my hamstring. I was wishing that it was going to go away after thr, but it seems it will come back after I bear normal weight on my leg.

Is there anybody who got rid of sciatica pain and how did you do that ?

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Sciatica :: Pain For Five Weeks Is There Any End?

on April 2nd I was standing in my kitchen and suddenly had lower back pain.  I thought nothing of it and had to go and drive I stuck a support belt on and carried on.  Things got progressively worse I had to initially lift my feet onto the pedals and getting in and out of the car was really really painful . Things started to ease slightly then I had to drive someone to A&E and this aggravated the problem and it settled into my buttocks and sent shooting pains down my right leg.  That's when my problems really started.  I couldn't lie down I couldn't sit down all I could do was walk or kneel for the last five weeks I have had.very little sleep, the kneeling phase didn't last long as my legs started to swell up.  I can sleep for about an hour tops two if I want to manage to move without being reduced to tears with pain.  The doctor has prescribed me naproxen which had no effect and co codamol which upset my stomach.  I had an operation at Christmas to remove my appendix and gallbladder and around the muscle group in my stomach is sore.  Paracetamol is all I can take and I have munched through over 150 tablets so far.  I can now get to bed and manage to get four hours sleep but wake up with such muscle stiffness it takes up to an hour to straighten out in the morning.

sorry for the long winded explanation but can anyone tell me if things are going to ease I went to the doctor because my osteopath told me if may be a disc problem.  He helpfully told me after having to endure a car trip which is hard as I can't sit stood around for half an hour then was told that I had a sore back was very helpful.  He is sending me to a back pain clinic which will take about eight weeks to get an appointment and I will hopefully get an MRI Scan in twelve weeks.  I have a full time job and I can't work is there any hope.

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Sciatica :: At My Wits End Due To Pain

I have had back pain problems now since 2008 I am currently taking morphine and pregabalin which help but don't eliminate the pain. I have flare ups where the pain in my back becomes unbearable for couple weeks then goes back to the pain I am used to living with daily. Two weeks ago I had another flare up but this time is completely different the pain is so intense horrific but the pain I am getting in my buttocks and down into my right leg is just to much it's disabling me more and more every day I have never sobbed my heart out as much as these past few weeks. My skin has gone numb in my lower leg and tingly pins and needles top of leg I cannot put full weight on it at all just taking a few steps is unbearable. I felt like calling ambulance this morning as the pain was horrendous. I know from mri scan I had few hrs ago that I have two discs that are no good and a tare which was giving me the pain I have been in for hrs now. But this pain I can't cope with even with the morphine. I believe that a disc has gone causing pressure on the spinal nerve which would cause the leg pain. I want surgery the fusion of the spine where the discs are no good. I would like advice from people who have had the surgery, has it helped are there any complications people have had after surgery. What is it like how long was the stay in hospital are you pain free now. Or is there anyone else with same problem that is awaiting surgery. I am 49 yrs old. 

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Sciatica :: Numbness And Pain

For the past 6 years I've been having shooting agonising pains up both backs of legs for no apparent reason.  (bending forwards can make it worse)

I lost 4 stones in weight when my dad suddenly died, the weight went from around my bum and thigh area. I've since put weight on - not as much as I lost.

I had a hysterectomy a couple of years ago.

I'm told that it sounds like sciatica - from people who have the same thing and my doc said the same.

Recently it has got much worse, after walking for a few minutes both legs go numb from the foot up, I have trouble with my balance anyway (MD, Surgery etc) this makes it worse. I'm also in pain if I stand still - basically I can't, I have to sit or walk (i use a stick to help with inner ear balance trouble, which docs / specialist can do nothing about)

My doc has said "it will go away" - yes, right, when?

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Sciatica :: Hip / Butt Pain

I have been having this pain for quite a while but today when I woke up it was bad. I have never been diagnosed with anything but I don't have money to go to the doctor right now.

The pain is located in the upper left side off buttock/side of hip. This pain usually is middle of buttock and lower back it has radiated some down the leg but not as a main symptom. it mainly hurts when I am walking or lift my leg up high like I'm stepping over something. It is sudden and painful. When I sit it's a constant pain and when I stand up from sitting (without moving)it feels a little bit better. 

If if anyone could please give me any advice on what this could be i would be super happy and grateful as today I am left sitting on the couch because it is too painful to walk.

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Sciatica :: Still Pain After L4/L5 Microdiscectomy

I had a microdiscectomy back in December 21, 2015 right before my 18th birthday ( today marks the 4 month post surgery mark ). I still have pain running down my right leg ( upper glut and sometimes in my calf muscle ). Before the surgery I have had the disc pinching on my nerve for nearly 10 months.... It ruined my summer and I couldn't do what most of my friends were doing... My parents were too scared that something would go wrong with the surgery, so we tried Physical Therapy for about 2-3 months. My pain was getting worse and worse. After a lot of convincing I got my parents to allow me to get the surgery ( No regrets at all ). I would rate my pain before my surgery as 9/10 and now after my surgery I rate it as 5-7/10. I can't even remember how it feels to have no pain... It is constant and doesn't go away ( I feel better when I lie down on my back or stomach ).. I feel better when I sleep on the ground rather than on my, what used to be comfortable, bed.... I am starting to lose hope on ever feeling better... Everytime I walk I have pain in my upper right glut ( every time I extend my right foot ) and sometimes it goes down my right leg to my calf.... I still can't bend down without a massive amount of pain running down my right leg... I can't even sit down for longer than 30 minutes because I start to have a lot of pain in my calf, which makes going to school really hard.. Are there any patients that have had this type of surgery and felt better in more than 6 months?

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L5-S1 Sciatica :: Flare Ups And Pain Management?

I have been suffering from sciatic pain from last 9 months. The degenerative changes are at L5-S1. Had an MRI(attached as thumbnail) and one of the docs has asked me to go for surgery while other have told me it will heal on its own. I have been doing exercises in this period. But the thing is that it has not healed. There were periods of like weeks

where I was almost pain free but then again it would flare up out of nowhere and suffering would start. Another thing I have noticed is that some times with exercises the pain increases, and the days when i don't do the exercise i don't feel any pain. Sitting is the main culprit, but I can sit for like 2 hours and if my posture is good it would be normal.

My job requires me to sit for like 4-6 hours and then stand for 6-8 hours(i work in 12 hours shift). Had days off from the job, I thought it would go away with with rest and light exercises but that didn't happen. Now I am required to work otherwise I would lose my job.

My request to all of you is, does sciatica go away/heal on its own and if it does how long does it take, or do i have to live like this. I can't even sit as a passenger in car let alone drive, couple of road

bumps would trigger it right away(by the way is there a way out avoiding jerks to your body while travelling). ANd for the job I have to travel long distances in remote areas.

Thanks

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Pregnancy :: Anyone Experienced  sciatica Pain?

Has anyone experienced sciatica pain? I went to my doctor yesterday for my 20 week check up and told her about the pain because it has started a couple days before. She referred to me a physical therapist for sciatica but who knows how long. Anyone have tips/tricks to help with this? Should/when should I call my doctor again since the pain has gotten worse. I can't move,walk or stand without the pain being terrible. Defiantly a 9/10 at least.

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Sciatica :: Severe Pain Has Me In Tears

Typically, I am up at gone three in the morning, unable to sleep because of the discomfort I am in. OK, who am I kidding with "discomfort" here? I am in agony as usual and I feel completely alone and unsupported.

I am lying on the sofa, on my left side because I cannot bear for anything to touch my right side. My long-suffering partner is asleep in our bed – the bed I have not been able to rest in for almost six months. Every night I lie here, biting on one of my many pillows to try and stifle the screams (yes – screams; I do not exaggerate here) so that I don’t disturb him. There’s nothing he can do and he has to go to work, especially since I cannot and someone has to pay the bills.

I have lost my job, I have not been outside for four months, other than to go to see my doctor and then it’s a cab each way. I’m alone, almost every day, all day. I feel like nobody understands and I am trapped in this situation with no hope for escape and a lifetime of torment in front of me – I cannot see any light at the end of this tunnel of misery.

This pain has been going on for two years now and has built up from a nagging ache in my lower back to this indescribably intense suffering that has become unbearable.

I don’t think anyone is ‘getting’ how bad this is for me. It took months to get a diagnosis and any kind of treatment despite repeated trips to the surgery (I have only been receiving prescribed medication for two months).

I am seeing a physiotherapist and I am trying to do the gentle exercises she has given me but honestly, it’s hard. I am waiting for a MRI scan and two months in, I’m beginning to lose hope I will get one any time soon. I am on 100mg of Tramadol four times a day, 400mg of Ibuprofen four times a day between the Tramadol and 600mg of Gabapentin three times a day.

I am still in utter torture with pain running from my right buttock all the way down my leg to my big toe. I cannot sit down and, as mentioned previously, I have to lie on one side to even get a small shot at comfort. At least the excruciating calf and thigh cramps have stopped (I think the Gabapentin helped there).

But even with medication, the pain has me in tears, screaming and blinded by sweat for hours at a time. Brief moments of respite come maybe for an hour here and there but I am still acutely aware of the pain running down my lower right side all the while.

I have an appointment with my GP tomorrow. I want to tell him that my pain is so bad I would rather be dead and to please, please, please hurry up and find out why this is happening to me but, I’m not sure how to approach this without seeming hysterical.

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