The Pain Management Mega Thread v2.0

[brighton]

does anyone have any sccuessful experience in using herbs / natural stuff for pain / inflammation ?

i have an ongoing mystery wrist injury that no doctor will take seriously :-(

thanks !!

 

[amapola]

Kratom is the first thing that comes to mind. Central acting natural opiate pain killer.
The Kratom Thread

As for topical herbs and such there are probably hundreds but I'm not that caught up on them.

 

[muvolution]

Arnica cream/ pills is a natural analgesic, although it doesn't act on the opiate receptors like Kratom does. Arnica does work well though, for stuff on the same level as like tylenol would demand.

 

[brighton]

damn, kratom is illegal in my country.
oh well i finally got a referral to a pain specialist, after much
begging / harassing.

 

[Stay see?]

Well, lsd I'm sure is illegal to, but mclean hospital (associated with harvard) had been doing trials with doses not large enough to have a trip of any kind on, but apparently the anti inflammatory effects are amazing.. Like hundreds of times better than any of the existing medications out there..

although that's all it is. Trials. Cant they speed things up a little?

 

[Psykoton]

I am in desperate need of any and all advice and tips on pain management please!
I have Ankylosing Spondylitis which was brought on by some sort of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Not to be confused with irritable bowel syndrome, a completely different thing).

For those who don't know, Ankylosing Spondylitis is a severe form of arthritis found in the spine. It brings forth chronic-severe pain, along with the possibility of full spinal fusion (the vertebrae becoming fused together). The inflammatory bowel disease also gives me semi-chronic pain, but pain that is exponentially worse. There is days where the IBD pain is so much that I can not even stand and am literally forced to crawl myself across the floor to the bathroom.

I have been seeing my doctor on a weekly basis, to no avail. We all know how doctors work, pharmaceutical companies give them really nice vacations at Caribbean 5star+ resorts, paid for, as a bribe to prescribe THEIR meds.

I really need people to give me any and ALL suggestions on medications, techniques, ANYTHING, that will help me manage these 2 conditions. Its getting to the point where its becoming unbearable. Grades is school are falling at an accelerated rate. Pills, regimes, OTC supplements. I am ready to try anything.

Just a side note (medication wise): The dr has put me on 300mg tramadol, butorphanol nasal spray, lyrica, indocid for the spondylitis pain thus far. At doses of 600mg+ daily tramadol pain was still very much there and very strong, so we added lyrica (first try) and indocid (2nd try), each for a week taking up to 6 capsules of lyrica (25mg caps) a day, then we scratched all of those and he moved me on to butorphanol nasal spray, saying its what they diagnose to people who FRACTURE their spine. Prescribed dose was 1-2 sprays once daily when needed. For the first few days I stuck with that dose, despite the fact it wasn't working. I even tried 4 sprays one after the other in the morning a few days, which also didn't help. My mother, doctor and I are currently in the process of filling out all the required forms in order for me to get my Medicinal Marijuana license, one which will allow me to possess and grow.

I need something for the NOW as I am in very hard courses at school (Calculus, Physics, etc.) and it is my senior year, final semester. I really just want to get the school over with, but its becoming harder and harder.

THANK YOU in advance to anyone and everyone who is able to help me out in anyway.

It seems like you are really suffering from your pain, and have tried quite a lot of different medications.

My history is quite similar to yours, I have severe chronic pain after a car accident, and have tried a lot of drugs, including tramadol + NSAID, + Lyrica without much success.

I got a new doctor at my pain clinic 2 years ago, who changed my medication to Temgesic (buprenorphine) 0,4 mg 2 tablets 3 times a day, plus Mirtazapine 30 mg / day. The buprenorphine gives a very smooth analgesia, you won't feel like crap if you miss a dose, and tolerance to the pain killing properties develops slowly, I have been taking the same dose for over 2 years now, with no signs of tolerance.

 

[shovsori]

Hello everyone
I am living in France, treatment for 6 month on Methadone, subuxone/subutex doesn't works with me...And I take 50 mg of Methadone everyday (and under dosed) ... I have Chronic pain from staphylo and painfull buds growing , i've been on surgery 11 times...And also have severe toothache (too many lsd and mdma back in the days) Tramadol is not working so well and sometimes gives me night visions, and nightmare but nothing like a good night after smoking opium you get the thing ? And the nurses at detox center keep sayin' "Sorry dont know what you can tacke for pain that wont show on toxicology test)...
I'm discovering that treating pain when you take methadone on a daily baisis to escape from H is a terrible way foreafter when you have severe pains to treat...? Someone already have same issues i guess ? How do you succeed ? For my part, one year ago couldnot bear the pain before an operation in Hospital and took half G of Heroïn...Eased the pain so well it scares the shit out of me...Thanks

 

[BlueLightBeam]

I love it when a Doctor tells me I'm a drug seeker. OF COURSE I AM! WHY THE HELL ELSE WOULD I BE HERE? Idiots.


Anyway, I've found that methadone is a really crappy opiate for pain relief. At my height of 220mg I found very little relief for my knee pain. I get better results from oxy codones.

 

[muvolution]

shovsori - what is your first language? It might be easier for me to type spanish or portugese than for you to do english.
Anyways, since you have pain, you should approach this from the other angle - try to find a Pain Management Doctor that specializes in treating people with addiction issues. My guess is they would maintain you on the methadone, but supplement your treatment with something like Pregabalin or Gabapentin (Both for nerve pain) an snri or ssri for neuropathic pain, minor tranquilizers such as benzos, etc. With a pain management specialist, you get access to the full pharmacopeia without having to pass state sponsored drug tests.
It should be feasible to find a pain doctor who will treat you (be honest about your condition and full medical history) for pain and the addiction simultaneously.
Good luck. If you want to talk directly, we can exchange e-mails or something.

 

[muvolution]

I love it when a Doctor tells me I'm a drug seeker. OF COURSE I AM! WHY THE HELL ELSE WOULD I BE HERE? Idiots.


Anyway, I've found that methadone is a really crappy opiate for pain relief. At my height of 220mg I found very little relief for my knee pain. I get better results from oxy codones.

and that's just the wrong attitude, man. You need to treat the pain holistically, look at the whole body and make medication just one aspect of a full spectrum treatment.
Meditation, acupuncture, nerve blocks and spinal stimulation. e-stim, emdr therapy, orthopedic devices, topical creams and anesthetics.

 

[BrokedownPalace]

I love it when a Doctor tells me I'm a drug seeker. OF COURSE I AM! WHY THE HELL ELSE WOULD I BE HERE? Idiots.

Yeah. Great attitude. Doctors can recognize and distinguish between people who are purely interested in "drugs only" treatments, and the people who legitimately want to get better, not high. While medication can be a godsend, more often than not there are other avenues you need to explore in conjunction with medication. Your goal in going to see a Doctor, should be to get better. Regardless of the methods used, good health should be your number one concern. Not going there to score drugs. If you want to get fucked up, that is why the black market exists. Don't clog up the legitimate channels of medicine with your bullshit attitude, BlueLightBeam.

If you are willing to admit that you are a "drug seeker", that is fine. Just don't expect to storm into your Doctor's office with a pompous attitude like that, and expect to walk out with half the pharmacy in your trunk. It just doesn't work like that.

I battled stage 4 lymphoma (cancer) last year, and due to various tumors and my spine/chest I was in dire need of pain relief, so despite the fact I was on methadone maintenance for opiate issues in the past, I never once had a problem getting the pain relief I needed, since at the same time I was undergoing chemo-therapy, a stem cell transplant, and other various things that in conjunction with medication, helped me defeat my disease.

If you try and convince your doctor that morphine and xanax (for example) are the only medications that will treat your issues, and you don't need any therapy or anything, then good luck. If your Dr. is willing to just dope you up and not explore any other avenues, then I wouldn't want him as a Dr. if I actually had something wrong with me.

Good doctors recognize and apply the balance of treatment/medication. They also are able to weed out drug seekers who's only interest is getting narcotics. Whatever way you rationalize it, you are in the wrong, and are the main reason why people with legitimate issues HAVE to get hassled and looked at strangely sometimes when they clearly are in pain.

 

[BlueLightBeam]

I've seen many doctors in my life, perhaps you should consider that I have tried other treatments before commenting on my drug seeking as if it's for drug seeking sake, and not because it's the only thing that works.

 

[muvolution]

have you tried other treatments WITH this current doctor? It doesn't sound like it...

 

[bamaplayboy]

Afraid of my tolerance level...

I had my 2nd lumbar laminectomy in october 2010. I have severe, permanent nerve damage and scar tissue build up that only irritates the nerves further. I have taken lortab 10 for around 9 months...started out with 4 a day and by the time of the surgery was taking 3-4 at once 4 times a day. The demerol they gave me in the hospital did absolutely NOTHING. The only thing they gave me that helped was IV fentanyl, which was amazing. NO PAIN...plus i was completely wasted.
Started seeing a PM doc in January and he started me out on Nucynta. It didn't help at all. Then he put me on 5mg Opana ER twice a day...no help. Now I'm on 10mg Opana ER twice a day. Very, very little help. Hoping he will increase my dosage next week when I see him again. At least to 20, hopefully 40mg.
Just took 2 80mg OC's and barely got a buzz and minimal pain relief. A few months ago, before the opana, 40 mg OC would have me flying.
I'm very scared that my tolerance is so high and will continue to grow to the point than nothing they give me will help. I am in constant pain and desperately need relief in order to keep working. Are my fears warranted? Just want some opinions on my situation.

 

[muvolution]

I'm very scared that my tolerance is so high and will continue to grow to the point than nothing they give me will help. I am in constant pain and desperately need relief in order to keep working. Are my fears warranted? Just want some opinions on my situation.

tolerance is a very real part of Pain Management especially if you dabble around and abuse your meds at all (not saying you do). It's something that you have to face and that creates alot of problems - if you are in an emergency situation, the normal 10mg of morphine they give you won't do anything at all, and you could continue going into shock, etc... there are tons of situations where this could really fuck you over.

The Point being that you need to do as much as possible to alleviate your pain without narcotics, so think about PT, surgery, interventional pain management, acupuncture, etc. I have posted alot in this thread, so go back and read them. My advice is almost always the same, because I have been in your situation and realized how important it was that I not have a huge tolerance and dependency on any one medication.
Good luck managing your pain.

 

[sniperhavoc]

So true, I had a lumbar spinal injury from combat in Iraq. For the most part I was taking about 200mg's of Morphine a day then about 140 of Oxy. Until I learned how to acetalyte morphine into diamorphine by finishing my degree in organic chemistry and neuroscience. Then I was sick of it and decided to seek a cure, instead of masking symptoms with analgesics. Resorted to a stem cell treatment overseas, korea, and now i'm back to running cross country.

Point of this rant is that I got sick of being underdosed, in serious pain or accused of drug seeking. Even tried suicide twice...Health is worth more than a high in my opinion. I still chip every now and then, but I got a resevoir of mscontins I just take to the University lab add AA and make some good Heroin. Measure its purity in a Gas spectrography and bang about 40-50mg for a great ride.

 

[Stay see?]

I totally agree with the people here saying that medication can only be a part of treatment. I was also at the point where I thought I had tried everything, but would do procedures just to make the pm docs happy.. And surprisingly to me, some of them did help. Especially trigger point injections, because pain can radiate from the actual place it comes from. Also, ketamine infusions did really help, even if only for a short while.

I guess what I learned is there is always something out there that you have not tried.. and if you rely only on meds, eventually your pain will get the better of you..

 

[Neepanoid]

Warning - Long Rant - Chronic Pain Intro

I am a lifelong chronic pain sufferer. My back is shot in so many places and I have spinal stenosis as well as deteriorating joints. I have lumbar issues & crushed cervical disks leaving my upper back and neck in pain. It ranges from sharp pain to feeling like ants are running all over my shoulders, up my neck and sides of my skull. Due to Crohn's, I've had part of my small intestine removed and therefore can't absorb a lot of my medicine efficiently so I have to chew or crush most of my pills.

I have been to many doctors and surgeons and all of them tell me I have too many risk factors, too many seperate issues, and that my only option is to deal with the pain or take narcotics.

I can't deal with the pain, so I have chosen pharmacopia to help. So far it hasn't. I have been taking 4 morphine 100's & 60's, as well as 4 Vics, 4 somas and 8 dilaudid daily. This has gone on for years now and I am so tolerant, its not even funny. I've tried methadone only to eat everything in the house and ZERO pain relief. Gabapentin at my highest dose of 2200mg day just made me sleepy & caused my eyes to twitch with very little pain relief. I've used coffee enemas, TENS units, and accupuncture. PT released me reporting that they could not help me. I've had so many Lido/cortisone injections I can't have any more.

I complained and complained about all the pills I was taking. (up to 25 a day)

I was a good patient. I never huffed, stuffed or used them other than how they were prescribed, except on days that I hurt worse, I would take more morphine to compensate for increased pain. Then at the end of the month, I would literally have to lay in bed and cut back on my medicine to make it through to my next prescription date.

I pleaded for a change. My doctor would just praise me for accepting my pain and write the same prescriptions, month after month as if I were talking to a wall. What a F*^# nut! I had to change doctors. This wasn't easy as there aren't a lot of PMD's in my area. I found one 80 miles away.

This new Dr put me on Fentanyl 125µg/h and OP20 ER's first visit. OMFG!! I thought I hit the jackpot when I walked out of the office thinking that this would be my salvation. I was rudely mistaken.

I had about 2 weeks of my old prescriptions left so after taking about 1/2 my original amount of daily morphine along with the Fentanyl and OP20's, I felt almost human. He neglected to tell me to STOP everything else I was taking or I missed that little tidbit during the first visit. When I went back the following month wanting a refill on the 100's and 60's, he had a cow. I told him I had done well and only took 1/2 of my normal amount of pain medicine, he ranted about toxicity and OD and threatened to drop me right then and there as I breached the opiate agreement. I swore that it was a miscommunication and that I would DC everything except the Fentanyl and OP20ER's. He seemed to slowly come back to earth.

3 days later, I was praying I would die. The WD's were horrific. I called him and begged to be put in the hospital, so he added another 25µg/h to help the WD. It didn't. I had stashed a few 100's for rough times. I broke them in 1/3's and took them only when I couldn't bear it any longer. The WD's lasted about a week, but my stash is gone and I am on just 2 pain meds. The only other problem is that my pain has returned with the cessation of my bonus drugs. I am forced to snort the OP's and squeeze the gel out of the patches when I change them in order to get even some relief over what I had when I was taking my other meds. (Thanks to reading BL forums for these tips!)

I finally read the conversion literature in the patch box and figured I should be on about 275µg/h. I can't figure why he started me on such a low dose. At this rate, it will take me 5 months of begging to get him to maybe go up 25µg per visit if I can develop a rapport with him, but after this fist incident, I don't know. Then there is the issue of BT meds, the OP20ER's. I would like to get him to go to IR's since the ER's come out the same way they went in, which he should have gathered from the 6 feet of intestine I am missing.

Sorry for the RANT. I am just so tired of the pain and being looked at like a drug seeker even with my medical history.

Neepanoid

 

[Neepanoid]

I know pain management for doctors is a guessing game at best. It just gets frustrating complaining about severe debilitating pain visit after visit with no light at the end of the tunnel.

I am basically nearing the end of what my doctor calls the The Cutoff. To him 200µg/h is near the end of the line unless you have cancer pain. He did concede that the OP ER was a mistake on his part and that I needed IR BT medication so I got back with my friend dillie. Again, with Crohn's and my guts being shortened, this really isn't much of an upgrade, except that with the dillies, I have ROA options not available to me with OP.

Until BL, I never dreamed about taking a pill and slamming it into my arm. This is where I find my thoughts turning to more and more for even temporary relief from the pain. I guess this is how addiction starts. I thought I was stronger than the monkey. I'm not.

I did get some relief for a few hours when I plugged 40mg and snorted 8mg of Dil. I hate to take that last step into addiction oblivion, but I honestly do not see any alternative.

I've turned from narcotics dependent to nothing more than a middle class junkie.

 

[muvolution]

You need to get your shit under control man. How do you expect a doctor to treat your pain when you don't know what you need? It sounds like there isn't a specific diagnosis either. From the discription, it sounds like wide-ranging CRPS, or CPD. Howve your doctor check into those possiblitities.
PM me if you have questions about this (But remember I can't help you with scamming doctors, etc... only give you solid advice on what to try.)