I am on Adderall for ADHD and am prescribed Lortab 10s (90/month). The Lortab usually doesn't make me drowsy but has the opposite effect. The rare times it does make me sleepy, the Adderall reverses it. My hubby is a doc and often chronic pain patients are prescribed a stimulant such as Adderall or Provigil (modafinil) to offset any drowsiness so they can function.
I have no fluid between the 4th, 5th, and 6th vertebrae, at least 2 discs in my neck lying on top of each other and 2 others affected as well, spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal), pinched nerves which cause numbness, tingling, and sometimes a "burning" sensation/neropathy going down both arms and into my hands and fingers, Carpel Tunnel syndrome in BOTH wrists, and epicondilitis (tendonitis in BOTH elbows). the Degenerative disc Disease was caused by a personal trainer I was paying to train me about 15 years ago. It was a popular gym franchise and I thought the guy was certified but he was NOT. He had me doing 2 hour workouts, lifting heavy weights, overtraining, although I am 5 feet tall and weigh 90 pounds, on a good day. I had a shoulder injury and he said he was just a strain so i ignored it and didn't go to the doctor.
Fast forward 6 years where I went back to college for 4 years, carrying a real heavy bookbag across my shoulders. At the end of the 4 years I began to notice a numbness (reminiscent of when I had the Shingles) in my shoulders whenever I leaned back against a chair. That's when I went to the bone doc and he discovered I had an old injury.
Those of you having major drowsiness with their pain meds might mention that some docs DO prescribe stimulants to counteract thie effect from pain meds. I wake up several times a night with my hands "buzzing/tingling" like I was holding on to an electric fence. I wear braces for the Carpel Tunnell to keep from bending my wrists in my sleep but I have to make a conscious effort NOT to turn onto either side in order to try and prevent the pinched nerves from acting up.
Like some of you, I also get nothing but pain relief from pain meds, and on bad days I have taken up to 6 Lortabs, 2 at the time. Most days I try and keep it between 2-4. If I miss a day or two, my stomach acts up (runs off) but other than that, I haven't had any problems. I've been on the same dose since starting them in 2004. I can't usually take N-Saids(anti-inflammatories) because they hurt my stomach but the doc did give me Mobic. Flexeril knocks me out so I ONLY take it as a LAST resort. Muscle spasms can be quite painful, as YOU ALL know!
Do any of you here with pinched nerves find that they get worse when using your hands? All I have to do is grip my steering wheel when I drive and whichever hand I'm using goes numb. Gripping a paintbrush or roller (I'm a painter, among other things) also sets it off in both hands.There's no way I could function taking Lyrica. I understand that Fibro also has a neuropathy similar or worse than pinched nerves. My husband didn't treat many with fibro but referred them to specialists.
Xyther-GET a DIFFERENT doc ASAP! He CANNOT keep you on the duragesic, especially when you have even asked to be put on weaker meds just to avoid side-effects! Here's what you do, (I've worked in a doctor's office and been around medicine for over 20 years, besides being married to a doc): You tell that doc to give you a copy of your medical records and tell him that your lawyer/legal counsel has advised you that it is medical negligence to put a patient on medication that causes them to lose so much weight that their health is endangered further from malnutrition, among other things. Even CANCER patients have meds for nausea caused from chemotherapy! If all else fails, call the medical board hotline in your state and report him! Tell them that he keeps trying to keep you on a patch that makes you so sick you want to die, suffering horrible side effects, and how much weight you've lost and that you've asked him for something not as strong. THAT will get their attention AND if you're REALLY pissed, tell them that there are also other patients that he keeps pushing to put on that patch. Ordinarily, I wouldn't be telling ANYBODY to do this to a doctor BUT this one sounds like he deserves it!!! Obviously you are NOT some dope head looking for strong shit to get high and the fact that you DON'T want the patch proves it, given the amount of people who abuse THOSE. Usually, some docs are hesitant to put peeps on the patch, NOT trying to force them on it! Maybe he's getting a kick-back from the pharmaceutical reps or company for every prescription he writes for it........believe me, it happens.
I hope you find another doc that will treat you right.
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
they work for muscoskel and nerve pain. I used to cut them in half and where them on the back of my calves and the top of my feet. I have a lot of problems with pain in that part of my body due to many diff mechanical problems, no arches, flat feet and so on an on. But I used them also for back pain when I tore a muscle and they were fantastic. You can where them for about 6-8 hours before they start to loose their touch. But they are def worth it and hella worth it since you dont have to pay much for them. Im coming to live with you