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Non Opiate med for Chronic Pain and nerve pain, any ideas??

Posted , 2 users are following.

annie1963
annie1963

First I want to say thanks for this forum!!  I live in the U.S. so the drug names may be different.  I have been taking hydrocodone (norco) 2 x 7.5 a day for over 2 years.  I had neck surgery in 2012 and within 6 mos the pain in my neck and left arm returned, along with the nerve pain in my arm.  After ruining my digestive system with ibuprofen ( I was taking at least 8 to 12, 200mg each,  a day) I gave up and went to pain management for help. I had sucessful injections for low back pain a year or so before that, so I thought that is what they would want to do for this.  But the doctor said that it would not help, probably because of my surgery, I'm not sure now because its a distant foggy memory.  Anyway, the result was pills.  At first it was only 5 mg 2x a day.  Then he upped it within 2 mos to 7.5 mg. 2x a day. Since then I have read  a lot about opiates and know that it is very addictive.  I take it as prescribed but that means that I am just addicted to the prescribed dose.  I had surgery in September for my digestive problem that all started with the ibuprofen.  After the surgery they gave me Oxycodone.  Within 3 doses I started sweating and having a headache soon before my next dose was due.  I recognised this right away as a symptom of withdrawal.  I immediately stopped taking that and just suffered through the surgery pain with my "usual' med, hydrocodone.  Within a month, I started to realize that I have the same symptoms to a lesser degree with this med.  This can only mean that I am addicted to it.  When I went to my doctor for my usual appointment and med refill, I asked if there were any alternatives to Opiates.  I said I was uncomfortable taking this and wanted to find something else.  He said "Tylenol?, thats your only choice."  I was floored.  Well, I know tylenol can ruin your liver, so that wasn't even an option.  He then said, "the holidays are coming up, why don't WE wait until after that and rethink this".  Wow.  I was truly speechless.  So I took my scripts and left.  I did NOT make another appointment.  All that to ask this question.  Does anyone know if there is ANY option to opiates for chronic pain and permanent nerve pain?  If I do not take the med, my pain comes back, but the Nerve pain is the one that drives me back to take the pills.  Now it's in both arms and when the med starts to wear off they start to ache, then burning and tingling.  I have tried reducing the dose by taking half a pill, but all that does is make me count the hours to the next half pill. ugh. I want off this stuff and I know it can be done!  I have read several success stories right here.  Other symptoms I have are anxiety, depression, anger, constant waking up at night with the sweats.  I need support, answers, and a way to do this without losing my job,all my friends and my mind!!  

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • fran_65475
    fran_65475 annie1963

    Posted

    Hi Annie ,

    I wonder if your Dr would consider Gabapentin or similar? They are good for nerve pain , and have less side effects ,they take a couple of weeks to work and the dose needs to be increased over this time , but they are pretty good and commomnly used in uk .

    hope you get some relief soon 

    • annie1963
      annie1963 fran_65475

      Posted

      Thank you for your quick reply.  I have used it before temporarily for neuropathy but it seemed to have a side effect of scattered thoughts and speech, so I stopped using it.  Of course, those side effects could have been due to combining it with the other..? I have an appointment to see a psychiatrist in 3 weeks, maybe I will ask if he knows about this.  
  • fran_65475
    fran_65475 annie1963

    Posted

    Often these side effects wear off with time Annie and if you can put up with them , they are effective pain relief. Im not sure Id  worry about Tylenol too much , it is safe at prescribed doses, and is added as a firsrst line pain relief to patients in the hospice I worked in, and amny people take it daily for years .

    As for reducing the morphine , I got to,the half tablet stage and then used the liquid version so  could go much lower , use a syringe so you can accurately measure the dose,,but the trick is take it very slowly, you will be anxious and jittery, and paradoxically it can make pain worse as muscles spasm ,,but .. Just get through it , warm baths , a short walk , I get up in the night and do things , Im a cake decorator, so make flowers , toppers etc, until I feel I can sleep , and then go back to bed , so dont get much sleep but Its improving slowly, except tonight when I cant sleep at all! But I have a nap the next day if I need it. Its worth it to get the mental clarity back, and you will get support from this site, that helps too ! 

    Take care , let us know how you get on , positive thoughts are essential ! 

    • annie1963
      annie1963 fran_65475

      Posted

      actually I don't plan on going back to the pain management doc so I won't be able to get any more, liquid or otherwise.  I am determined to kick this one way or another.  I have read here that many people have kicked their habit by reducing the dose slowly.  The nights are the worst. Last night I woke up sweating and even knowing why, I still took that pill.  argh!! But I am hoping that putting it out there for others to read and owning it, I can do it. 
  • fran_65475
    fran_65475 annie1963

    Posted

    You arent alone in taking the tablet to just get rid of the feelings, I had such awful restless legs and twitching , it was easier to take the tablet than to put up with the symptoms! You will get there in your own time, I found the paracetamol in the middle of the night a huge help, and some people take over the counter sleeping pills , which I would  have done but am very allergic to!  

    Wishing you well , I am now 10 days free of opiate and so much better , and have had no cravings for it, as I tapered over several months, so good luck on your journey , its not easy , but nothing worthwhile is!

    • annie1963
      annie1963 fran_65475

      Posted

      Thank you for your support.  I feel lost without some sort of outlet, such as talking about it.  I certainly cannot tell any of my family or friends or they would try to have me locked up or brush it off saying I am not addicted because I take it as prescribed.  I have heard of NA but I don't like the whole GOD thing approach.  I kicked alcohol years ago with the support of a 12 step group here, but I just cannot go thru the motions again of pretending that I believe in prayer and all that stuff.  I felt like a hipocryte then and I definitely don't need that feeling as well as all the others I am feeling about this!!  Some people on these forums have suggested exercize to help with the chronic pain, since that's why I take this stuff to begin with.  So I am going to join a 24/7 gym and commit myself to go.  I was always active before things started falling apart with my neck injury, so I am counting on that as well to help me get through this.  If I get up in the middle of the night and am going crazy I can just go down and burn it off!!  I live in a really small town so it's literally 3 minutes from my house.  Also with such a warm winter, I could go for a walk.  It was 76 degrees yesterday!  I take Tizanadine to help me sleep, and that's another thing I want to kick as well.  It knocks me out for about 4 hours at a time.  That doc probably meant well, but all these pills cannot possibly be the answer.  My mood swings and other issues have interfered with life in general and I have said things to people that cannot be unsaid, damaged relationships that will never be the same.  My hope is to kick this and go back with a clear head and at least try to repair some of the damage.  To do things that I have put off because of pain and procrastination and not thinking clearly.  
  • fran_65475
    fran_65475 annie1963

    Posted

    Oh Annie, My heart bleeds for you , its hard to do this without family support, but you can do it! 

    Wow what great  weather you are having , here in England its a little different , the North is flooded and and has constant rain , whereas , where I live in the SE, its just grey and drab , though we have been to the coast today with my grandson (4) , and walked off the Christmas excesses! 

      I cant do the God bit either, but we have very little support here in Uk. Or at least , very patchy and not available to all.

    I was lucky enough to get hydrotherapy for 6 weeks and then 6 weeks of pilates , which Im going to start again after the holidays, I also have very lax ligaments and because Im so flexible tend to injure myself easily , and ended up cooking Christmas Dinner with a very painful rotator cuff  and shoulder, but hey ho , stiff upper lip and crack on with it! 

    I do hope you will succeed soon , just take it slowly, try not to go back a dose, and no matter hard it gets, it wont kill you and its temporary . 

    Best wishes 

     

  • oly958
    oly958 annie1963

    Posted

    Gabapentin is considered to be one of the best nerve pain killers and is not an Opiate and not addictive. It's nowhere near as potent as Opiates, but it is a lot stronger than Paracetamol. It does make you a bit dopey and has psychological effects but nowhere near as bad as Opiates. It's also pretty safe as a long term option.

    I'm a computer programmer, with Gabapentin I still couldn't think clearly enough to work so I had to stop taking them. After quitting Gabapentin and Opiates no other pain killer had any effect on me and it was pretty difficult. 9 months later and things are much improved, a very clear head, far less pain ... but pain remains a part of life.

    I think Opiates work for a while and then they become toxic once they stop being entirely effective. Getting them out of your system is a slow and horrible process but well worth the pain.

    Going through withdrawal whilst working is tough and slow - you'll need to slowly reduce over a long time to avoid full on withdrawal.

    • fran_65475
      fran_65475 oly958

      Posted

      Absolutely agree with you oly958! Either of the gabas, either gaba pentin or pregabalin are extensively used as neuropathic agents, but were originally designed foe epilepsy so ,do have considerable cognitive effects , I couldnt carry on with them , but  have seen them used on patients with really good effect.sadly opiates never really control nerve pain , but its a last ditch option for mI am returning to clarity , still trouble sleeping , but after 5 yrs of high dose opiates , not surprising, But confident all will be well  eventually .
  • annie1963
    annie1963

    Posted

    Working definitely helps. I've been busy all day and didn't take anything at all for 10 hours. Only took a half. And that's only because I am at work and started sweating and the nerve pain was coming back. The nights are going to be the tough times. I'm keeping a journal also so that should help.
    • oly958
      oly958 annie1963

      Posted

      Don't go too fast or it might get ugly. Make sure to allow your body a few weeks to recover from each reduction. It's always tempting to stop very quickly but it can be impossibly hard to cope with the withdrawal.
    • annie1963
      annie1963 oly958

      Posted

      Thanks. I was reading the same advice from others, and you, on other people's discussions. The time just went by. So I have decided to keep a journal noting times, etc. I may be taking less than my normal dose already and just didn't realise it. Keeping track of it will show me in black and white. Plus it makes me think, do I really need this right now, or is this just a habit? I went to bed without it, taking only one of my sleep med and anxiety med,, and woke up at 2:40 sweating and took 1/2 with a 1/2 of my sleep med. Which is huge for me. My normal is to take all three at bedtime to knock me out, plus I normally take 2 of the sleep tabs at that time. The weird thing is, I slept pretty much the same! About 4 hrs then woke up. So this tells me more doesn't make me sleep any longer. I've been reading about alternative meds too, but I think for now I'm going to stick to this plan of tapering off so I can be sure the withdrawal and effects are from my trying to get off this stuff so I don't try to blame it on a new OTC supplement!, then fall back into the same habits. Thanks for your support.
  • fran_65475
    fran_65475 annie1963

    Posted

    Well done Annie, as others say its a slow  taper that is least painful , but I found the last  few mgs the worst , so go slowly , slowly , as Oly said at least a few weeks , I then did alternate nights when I got to two mgs for about 3 days before stopping and have been fine since, still sleepless but thats ok . 

    im so proud of your efforts , well done x

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