Pain Relief

I am very sensitive to meds but I’m exploring my options. Has any of you used meds eg gabapentin, LDN, amytriptalin etc to help reduce pain? If so, what were your experiences in terms of pain relief and side effects?

I'm trialling LDN at a super low dose now but previously tried amytriptaline and the side effects were horrific. I asked my psychiatrist about gabapentin and she told me that it’s got a serious side effect profile but I heard that it can be very effective at reducing nerve sensitivity.

 

Many moons ago when I was diagnosed with 'fibromyalgia syndrome' I was prescribed amytriptalin and, like you, I found the side effects were awful. I was also later prescribed gabapentin and for me the side effects were also awful. Even though I was only taking a low dose I was like a zombie... spaced out and not wanting to do anything; I found myself lying on the couch for hours just staring at the walls. I took myself off it and when I next saw my pain specialist he was annoyed with me, he said, "you'll feel like that for a while, but then you'll gradually start to feel better; you didn't give it enough of a chance!". He couldn't tell me how long it might take for the zombie-ness to wear off, so I declined to resume gabapentin. Gabapentin can indeed be effective at reducing pain... I have a friend who I met at the local NHS pain clinic who was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia plus nerve pain due to spinal issues and she's been on it for quite a while. She says it reduced her pain by about 50% and for her the zombie-ness took circa 6 weeks to subside. I also at one point tried pregabalin and didn't get on with that either... once again it spaced me out. With that I gave it a bit longer and the fog it caused lifted somewhat but it did nothing at all to reduce my pain, which I was obviously disappointed about.

 

Do you recall what dose you took? I'm very sensitive to meds and AI has recommended 3mg of LDN + 25mg of gapapentin (optional - 25mg is ultra low). I think usual dosage of gabapentin is in the hundreds of mg per day. I'm thinking that an ultra low dosage paired with LDN may be a good option.

 

3 x 100mg gabapentin (capsules) a day which I was told I would need to taper up to a higher dose (at least 3 x 300mg a day) for it to be effective for pain relief... which I never did because of the fog it caused me.

 

I'm currently on gabapentin and imipramine for pain relief. I ultimately want to be off these medications, but I know I still have some work to do in order to consider it. Gabapentin can make you spacey and tired. It takes time to get used to and your dose. For me, its worth it-I had 100% pain relief most of the time with flare ups. Imipramine is in the same category as amitriptyline. I took amitriptyline 2 years ago and it gave me horrible side effects-I won't even get into it. Imipramine has worked for me-I have some light side effects but it doesn't make me want to stop it. Ultimately, you will need to decide if you want to try it and see if it works. But be informed-both of the meds I take will require me to slowly withdrawal from them when the time is right. There are warnings on these drugs for a reason.

 

This is really insightful, thx. Was your pain severe prior to going on these meds and what’s your dosage? I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s difficult to do TMS work while in significant pain and having some respite may allow me to do the work ie living my life to the fullest. I think your strategy is the right one. BTW was your pain sharp/burning or persistent deep achy? AI tells me gabapentin works best for the former. I have the latter.

 

For me, I was in so much pain I was laying on the couch not participating in life. I couldn't do anything. I was at my wits end and didn't know what to do. I didn't know about TMS at the time. To be honest, if I had a do over, I would have tried TMS before I jumped on these meds. But within a couple of weeks of taking them, I was back to life again. I would get flare ups but it wasn't nearly as bad. But here is one thing I noticed for my pain-after a while it would override my pain medication. Then I would increase the meds through my doctor. I would be good for a couple of months and then it would override the pain pills again! When I FINALLY learned about TMS, it finally made sense how my pain would get worse after a while. But the pain increase with meds was still better than without the meds. I could still participate in life-I was just hurting bad. I say all that to say that to be prepared that your mind will still try to get your attention even while taking pain meds. As of today, if my pain increases I just roll with it and don't focus on changing my meds. That's not the problem-the problem is usually stress or triggers and I try to journal it out and *try* not to freak out. Sometimes I do great and sometimes I struggle. I hope that all made sense for you. There is not a right answer-you will have to do what you think is best for you at this time.

 

I'm on Gaba now, pretty much the starter dose of 300mg 3x/day. It hasn't done anything for me, but I won't up the dose because it already causes me a lot of fatigue and mood swings. I will say my last pass on it (I have been on and off) I also had suicidal ideation, so that's a cautionary tale, it is a known side effect. This time around that hasn't happened, thankfully. I'm staying on it for another month or two because it can sometimes take a few months to build to an effective level but I'm not optimistic.

 

Thanks for sharing. I find it interesting that it works for some people and not others. Perhaps not all TMS pain is the same? Have you tried Pregabalin? That’s another one that has come up in my searches.

 

I did, a while back, and had a similar mental health reaction to it that led me to decide to stop it.