Hi all , My Daughter went through very similar responses to the drugs you mention, cymbalta was horrible she became a shell of her former self and it was painful to watch.
I have mentioned in a previous post that low dose Naltrexone at 4.5 mg has been a miracle drug for us. It takes around six to eight weeks to become truly effective. My Daughter is in that and 37.5 mg if duloxetine and has her flatescso significantly reduced She is back participanting in life. Please have a look at low dose Naltrexone, itās cheap and effective
I was wondering how much the lidocaine IV helps you, and if you had side effects. My doctor last week suggested it, and I think Iām going to pursue it. Did you ever try lidocaine topical/patches? Or ever a more serious multi-day lidocaine infusion? I think theyāre thinking of an outpatient procedure for me right now.
Glad it seems you havenāt needed one recently!! Thatās great news
@Satochan BTW, Iām a man so itās Mr. No worries, just setting the record straight. I sent you a PM as we both live in north Texas and wanted to compare doctors and also discuss CDBs. Please respond when you can.
Dear Cat,
Please forgive me for being so tardy. I open my email and 176 messages, I get rid of a few business stuff and get frustrated and close it. About the lidocaine infusions. It lasts 5 hours because it has to drip slowly. My dr is in Dallas, 22miles south of me. Heās a primadonna and sometimes get to the office an hour or so late. I get the IV and get out at commuter traffic time. Last time it two 2 hours to go 22 miles. I have stress related hypertension, it was 150/105. Not good. The infusion works. I only get one when Iāve had a prolonged severe burning.
So, how iti run on (ADD). I hope it helped you as much as it did me. Pš
Thanks so much for getting back to me. No worries about the tardiness, I know how it goes with email
Can I ask how long the pain relief lasts from the lidocaine?
I just got back from my first pain dr. appt (should have seen a pain dr much soonerā¦ they seemed very helpful). They suggested a nerve block for me (not sure about the details) + were going to try to get my insurance to cover the lidocaine ādripā thing. I guess itās up to me which one to pursue first. Right now (assuming I donāt change my mind) I am set up to try the nerve block in a few weeks ā receptionist says , ābe there at 5:45āā¦ i assumed it was pm but apparently itās 5:45 am lol.
The pain clinic i went to was at Stanford. Took me very seriously, were efficient, seemed to know their stuff. Such a contrast to some other doctors (mainly derms I guess) when I was just starting out ā who would just scratch their heads and shrug and say āmaybe itās stress?ā
I didnāt do well with topical lidocaine either, so thatās good to know that the lidocaine drip can be more effective!
Best wishes,
Cat
PS - Thatās some crazy traffic!! I used to live in Los angeles and had to do a lot of deep breathing lol
I searched the forum and think I read you had tried a stellate ganglion nerve block for your hand area? (Sorry if I am mistaken.) Was wondering if it helped you, if you had bad side effects from it, how it compared to lidocaine drip, etc.
Hi Cat,
The Stellate ganglion block had absolutely no effect whatsoever. I did see some improvement with the lidocaine drip. It takes about 5 hours and can be hard on the heart. Iāve had 3 of them and only do it when Iāve had prolonged periods of burning and just canāt take it anymore.
Something interesting has happened. A few months ago after lots of research, I asked my dr. to add a low dose of cymbalta to the Lyrica and Mexilitine. The burning improved but I was still having flares late late in the day. I was having really bad Lyrica brain fog. Tried to reduce the doseage but the burning started up again. Then I asked my doc if there werenāt something I could take to help with the brain fog. He prescribed straterra (an adult ADD Med). The odd thing is the flares are GONE. I have very mild burning up my arms which I can ignore, but the bad flares are gone. Fingers crossed this continues. Hope this info helps. The lidocaine is wonderful but costs me $700, so Iām very glad and surprised that the protocol Iām on is working. Have pain free day. Patricia
Just read your question re how long the lidocaine infusion lasted. I just canāt remember exactly; but Iām guessing about 3 months or more. I know I wouldnāt have put myself through it if it hadnāt worked well. P
Thanks so much for your info. I got a lidocaine drip outpatient today (first time). It is helping! One thing Iām concerned about - did you feel ādrunkā during the drip. After the drip was done it got a lot better but still not exactly quick lol. I guess I wasnāt prepared for how much this would affect my cognitive abilities. Did you experience similar?
Is the straterra still helpful for you? hoping so.
Interesting, I have some of the MTHFR (whyyyyy did they have to name them that ) mutations and I respond horribly to SSRIs. One I took, by the fifth day I was sobbing uncontrollably for no reason. I knew I wasnāt sad but I couldnāt stop crying, I had to leave work. Obviously I stopped taking that. Prior to the sobbing on the fifth day, I was increasingly more emotional and erratic in behavior. Weird.
) mutations and I respond horribly to SSRIs. One I took, by the fifth day I was sobbing uncontrollably for no reason. I knew I wasnāt sad but I couldnāt stop crying, I had to leave work. Obviously I stopped taking that. Prior to the sobbing on the fifth day, I was increasingly more emotional and erratic in behavior. Weird.