1. Community
  2. Brain and nerves
  3. Sciatica

Sciatica for more than 3 months I've been taking painkillers for more than 1 month no response

Posted , 3 users are following.

rawan
rawan

i have numbness and weakness in both legs my hands also started to feel numb sometimes I've been using lyrica for more than a month, so I decided to change my doctor. The new doctor said I have to take a steroid epidural injection, he also gave me another steroid injection to take. My question is will this injection be effective and worth the pain ? And if anybody has tried another thing that would be more effective

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • andrea52102
    andrea52102 rawan

    Posted

    I had these last month and it lasted for a total of ten days but not everyone is the same. The next treatment is to have stuff injected into the vertebrae to expand it.
    • rawan
      rawan andrea52102

      Posted

      Yes same for me I should be habing the vertebral injection this Tuesday but I'm thinking whay would happen if I didn't have the injection and tried a stronger painkiller only?

      I'm sorry you are having this pain too

  • ginger97577
    ginger97577 rawan

    Posted

    Response to epidurals are varied.  Some folks get relief that lasts for a long time and others do not obtain relief.  It is worth a try.  Usually there is not much if any pain associated with the injection.  I say usually because my psyiatrist  injected into a nerve by mistake, but that is not the normal experience!
    • andrea52102
      andrea52102 ginger97577

      Posted

      I had very little pain having the injection but for some reason when the sicatica pain came back it was worse than before for a few days. You may be one of the lucky ones Rawan like my sister in law, never had any pain since. Yes they are worth trying as is anything when you are in this much pain.
    • rawan
      rawan andrea52102

      Posted

      I didn't take a decision yet about the injection I can't bare the cortisone effect, I will try seeing another doctor first. Thank you for your replay and get well soon
  • patricia4866
    patricia4866 rawan

    Posted

    Rawan, the answer to your questions is born of uncertainty.

    Understandably so. I have cervical stenosis for decades now. It began

    after a traffic accident at C3-C4 in the 1980s and has now evolved down to include the levels of C6-C7. In those 25-30 yrs I have had major nerve

    pain and numbness twice. The first was lasted 6 months of constant

    pain after the traffic accident. I refused ssurgery and it subsided..I was

    30 yrs old. Fast forward 30 yrs of bedside nursing and severe pain

    begain at a different area of same arm indicating a different set of

    nerves. We tried an epidural steroid injection that was ineffective. I took Physical Therapy 3xweekly for 3 1/2 months which

    included deep tissue massage after warm packs followed by mechan-

    ical cervical traction and have been pain free for 3 yrs. On to the lumbar pain. I began having low back pain Sept 2013. It was really a bad

    backache that I though was a pulled muscle or a srain. I knew it was more when it never got better. MRI showed Stenosis at L4-L5. I kept working and the disc herniated at some point. I went back to the neurosurgeon in April of 2014 (7 mo)..more Xrays were taken, the result being the discovery of the disc and worsening stenosis. Pardon, I saw the NP at that point. She made an appt with the neurosurgeon. I saw him in late Sept and He wasn't able to get me in for surgery until 11/11/14. So you see, the process takes time and they will attempt conservative treatment first. Lyrica is a really strong med. I am not surprised that it isn't doing much for you.

    Narcotics are more effective for acute pain and less effective for chronic pain issues.plain old Over the Counter Ibuprophen worked for me. I took 600mg every 6 hrs days that I had to work and every 8 hrs on days off.

    Ice packs and a good back brace also provided relief. I always hurt but

    let's say that those methods made it tolerable.

    Good luck in your journey, I wish you well.

    Patricia

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.