Re: pain meds/Elavil, Neurontin

[Guest guest]

Rob, you wrote " since anti-depressants don't help with pain and I now know that

depression was not the cause of my fatigue, it seems ridiculous that my doctor

says depression is the cause of my problems "

This is not true, Anti-depressants, especially the Tricyclics, such as Elavil or

Pamelor, DO help with neuropathic pain. That is precisly why I take Elavil.

Plus they've got a long track record and many studies have proven them for the

use of neuropathic pain.

About Neurontin, it is an entirely different class of medication. Neurontin is

an " anti-epileptic " medication (first tested and used in controlling epilepsy).

The Neurontin studies done first showed it also helped with diabetic nerve pain

(somehow by quieting electrical circuits in the brain) After these studies,

Neurontin was also tested on general peripheral neuropathy. And Neurontin was

proven to help with PN too. Neurontin is now FDA approved for peripheral nerve

pain and doctors like Neurontin because it bypasses the liver - as other meds

don't.

Check our archives because there's alot of info there - from this year alone. I

hope you can soon find a doctor who is knowlegeable and get some help.

Gretchen

Please visit the current poll on exercising our best muscle - the brain.

/polls

[Guest guest]

Gretchen, I probably didn't explain myself well enough. In the past

I have (and still occasionally) take Elavil and it does help with my

nerve pain. However in my case, I estimate 80-90% of my pain is not

nerve pain. My nerve pain is not bad enough for me to take Elavil on

a regular basis. The side effects, mainly grogginess and lack of

energy, seem to be greater than the benefits for me. In the quote of

mine below, I was referring to Zoloft which is in the SSRI family. I

didn't think that SSRI's helped with pain. If they do, the benefit

for me has been negligible.

My nerve pain is more a hindrance than a disabling type pain. What I

am seeking relief for is the aching/tight sort of pain in my feet.

The only way I know how to explain it is that it feels like someone

has beaten to bottoms of my feet with a hammer and I am left with the

bruised achy feeling. Like you said earlier, describing pain can be

difficult, so I'm sure my description is probably not too clear.

Rob