Back pain and medication that is causing bad side- effects

System

This discussion was created from comments split from: Hi, my name is Sammie..

Sammie1

Hi all,
I have been put on these weird pills for my back which make me spaced out the first lot Gabapentin put me in bed for a week.  So now they have put me on Pregabalin and I feel meh! I am so spaced out I rang the doctor and they said it will pass in time, but I really don't like feeling this way. They took me off Tramadol and gave me this generic pregabalin and it isn't working for my back, in fact I am surprised I can write this, my brain feels scrambled. Why are they allowed to take you off meds you have been on for years just because they want to save money on prescribing drugs from the Czech Republic. This drug is horrible but im scared to go back to the doctors. One doctor bullied me into saying I was addicted to the 15mg of Diazepam I took at night to relax my muscles, he just kept saying admit it and I will give you medicine. 15mg of diazepam I had never asked it to be raised and to prove I wasn't I just slung them in the cupboard as he weaned me off, what a joke weaning me off 15mg of diazepam x, it was a horrible experience and when I went to say something he just told me to be quiet turned his back on me and said he was thinking for me,he should think himself lucky I wasn't fit as I don't like bullies. Sorry im going on but that doctor needs talking too.

Stay safe all sorry for rambling,

Sammie

Chloe_Scope

Hi @Sammie1, I am sorry to hear about this bad experience! Did you ever put in a complaint about this doctor? I would definitely recommend that you go back to the GP if the side effects don't subside and you don't feel able to manage them.  

GizmoTiddles

Hi @Sammie1
As a fellow spinal nerve pain sufferer ,I've spent a small fortune on alternative treatments and lotions/positions

I have been on some strong pain relief for a number of years
different doctors different meds and when they (the meds ) don't agree with me I make my feelings known in no uncertain terms even reporting drs .(locums normally)
And using "herbal" remadies 
I also was on Gabapentin and the same as you felt out if it and not in control.
Now for some time ,amongst the pill feast .I have been on pregabalin 2x300mg daily.they are slow release,unlike the morhine I take which is very quick acting.
After a word with my regular Dr I take the pregablin both together later in the day which with the side effect of drowsiness helps me off to sleep anyway.
As they are slow release,could you maybe try asking your Dr for morphine patches  they are slow release also and no side effects ie:constipation .
There are loads of other pain relief but depends on having a good rapport with your Dr.
You could contact in writing to the practice manager re the Dr and the attitude you have encountered.
I hope you can get something sorted 
Chronic back pain is no joke
Cheers 
Gizmo

Nova

Hi Sammie .Like you l have  had all expert advise I can take and I've had most of the pain killers you have mentioned and more every one of them made me feel stoned .l kept telling the doctor who just wrote me out another prescription for more pills at the moment I'm on  a morphin bast tablet which does stop the pain in my back and buttucks but after a few hours I'm very sluggish and drowsy l only take it on days when I can't bear my pain I don't think there is a cure for sever pain l just throw myself to bed when it gets two much I think some Doctors are so over worked they haven't the time to even take  any notice how much pain your in sorry I've not  been much help l just wanted you to know your not alone .

Topkitten

All Morphine products can cause the same side-effects whatever form you take them in. Most people "get used" to opiates over time and need to be taken off them for a while otherwise the dosage would simply need to be increased to give the same benefits. I am lucky not to have this particular problem but, because my problems are progressive, I find that some doctors mistake the increase to deal with worsening pain as getting used to Morphine and I have had some very loud rows explaining. I use patches myself and get exactly the same effects with Fentanyl in patch form as I used to with Tramadol capsules. However, the first patches people are prescribed is Buprenorphine which is much less likely to give side effects due to it's chemical makeup. Unfortunately about 50% of people start having a skin reaction to Buprenorphine patches almost always 3 months after starting them. I have yet to find a doctor that has any idea why this 3 month limit exists, they just say "most people do the same".

I have also had to deal with one or two senior doctors who have misdiagnosed me and refused to listen to me. It just makes things so much more difficult when they don't listen. With any Chronic condition doctors should be prepared to listen more to patients and also be prepared to work with them more instead of getting high and mighty and assuming they know it all because they have read guidelines and we haven't. We are all individuals and our responses to medications are equally individual.

Morphine products do not deal well with neural pain well and often the euphoria can be mistaken for pain relief but there are a few neural pain killers and your doctor @Sammie1 has tried 2 of them. I also had awful problems with Gebapentin and can understand your concerns. I also found that generic Pregabalin didn't work very well so now take a branded Pregabalin which works mush better (Alsain). The others I mostly had trouble with as well. Amitryptylene put me to sleep for 20 hours a day at a low dosage. Duloxetine amplified my depression feelings so much that after taking it for 2 weeks I OD'ed. I do find the Nortryptylene works ok but can also put me to sleep for long periods but if built up slowly seems to work ok but is limited to a fairly low dosage at maximum.

Generally being taken off a morphine product is not done to save money but to give your system a break and trying to use the neural pain killers is often a good alternative as they are much more effective at much lower dosages than most Morphine based medication.

TK

Jennygill

I know how you feel about the tablets write now I'm taking the once that put you in bed for a week. 

debbiedo49

I’m on Gabapentin for chronic pain and fibromyalgia. I get very drowsy after I take them but I weigh that up against the pain which is less when I take the meds. Also fibro and my other conditions make me tired so it’s like a viscous circle of what came first the tiredness or the meds or the conditions? My body has become used to the meds but I don’t know if the side effects are the meds of the condition at times. That’s why I would like to see someone with more knowledge than my g p. I do still have break through pain at times and just struggle through hoping for it to pass. Also I’ve tried to cut down on the meds and the side effects are horrendous, worse than the pain of the conditions. So it’s catch 24. The worst part for me is when I can’t sleep over long periods of time and I get overtired and my body can’t cope with the pain. I wish I could take a pill to sleep but don’t want to be a zombie. For the first time in my life I feel like a drug addict. It’s horrible. But what choice do I have? I couldn’t live with the level of pain I have without meds so I chose to live the best life I can on the meds and hope for the best one day. There may be a cure in the future. 

Misscleo

Tottally agree with you we have to make the best of our livrs 
Morphine. Codine

Topkitten

@debbiedo49, I gradually increased tablets for my condition until I was taking 26 a day. I then fought to get onto patches assuming I could get rid of all the tablets. It didn't work out quite that way but did reduce the prescription to 8 Paracetamol. This has increased further adding 3 neural pain killers and Tramadol now and again but now things are worse it seems the doctors are back to stuffing me full of tablets again and told me to max the Tramadol again which will mean 19 tablets a day and, as the patches are now maxed, further deterioration will increase that number further I assume. I have ALWAYS taken only what I need which is why I haven't always taken the Paracetamol, for example, and what I shall continue to do with the Tramadol (coping with only 6 of the 8 yesterday). 

[Final paragraph of post removed by moderator due to community guidelines].

Pippa_Alumni

Hi everyone, thank you for sharing your experiences with pain management and medication. It can be really interesting and valuable to learn from others' experiences, however do make sure you discuss your own needs with your GP or another professional involved in your care before making any changes to your own treatment or current medication. 

Waylay

When I started Gabapentin, I slept 23 hours a day for 2 weeks. It wore off after that....