To ask about gabapentin and nerve pain/sciatica success stories?

I’m just about to go to the pharmacy for my Gabapentin prescription. I’m currently on Amitriptyline and naproxen which I think help. I’ve got a huge herniation at L5 and I’m waiting for surgical referral. My disc is still intact I think so I keep hoping it will go back in by itself but it’s been months now and no improvement in pain. It’s interesting how many people got relief from tens. I had one in labour and I swear it made the pain worse but I’m going to dig it out and give it another go. I’m worried about masking symptoms in case it makes things worse and I do myself some damage

I'm SO glad you are feeling better @EggbertHeartsTina and @Bloodybackpain

@IsobelRae23 well done for your gym success! That's amazing weight loss!! I'm so sorry to hear that you've been suffering for so long. 8 years?! Was the cause of yours ruptured discs? Were you offered surgery?

*Really screws with memory though ...

I haven't read through thread, but want to testify to the effectiveness of Pregabalin, similar. It saved my life. If you are walking with a stick & bent double, I hope you've demanded an mri scan? I walked til I could walk no more -it was a burst disc, and only pregabalin got me through the weeks prior to the discectomy I had to use my savings to go private & prove I needed.
Nhs offered me acupuncture. Said it was 'just sciatica'. There is no 'just' about such savage pain. Even now I have permanent pain running down my right leg because they left me dragging myself around for over two years. Til it burst completely and I considered suicide. People thought I was my daughters grandmother.
Pregabalin helps me get through my days now. I would neither be walking nor alive without the relief it brought to those terrible times, and the mobility it gives me the chance to push on with now.
Wishing you an end to your suffering.
Stay mobile, do your core exercise, and definitely get a burst disc ruled out or treated.
With much sympathy.

Acupuncture was the only thing which helped me and I tried gabapentin.

@EggbertHeartsTina OMG butt pain! The amount of times I’m with someone and I take a sharp breath in and say ‘I feel like someone’s just stuck a red hot poker up my butt!’ and they laugh thinking it’s funny. But it’s the only way I can describe it!

@Bloodybackpain Yes unfortunately I am still on the same medication, there has been talks of increasing it, but I’m refusing and pushing through at the moment. The side effects from these are bad enough, I used to have beautiful handwriting, now because my hands shake so much, you can barely read it, I tip glasses frequently (I’m a nightmare to take out for a meal), I drop things, I can’t wear heels anymore which I used to live in prior to my accident, my eyesight goes fuzzy, I get tired easily and so on. It’s the small things like that, which get to me, when there is so many of them. I’m also afraid that if I increase again, when is the point going to come where they say, we can’t go any further?

The one thing that really helped me years ago, was acupuncture. But I had to have 4 sessions a week for it to be effective. I can not at £45 per session, afford to pay for that many rounds week in and week out. I did have it on the NHS briefly- 1 session every 6 weeks, but it made no difference at all.

What I find hardest is people don’t understand that the pain is 24/7 at varying levels. Yes I might take loads of meds and they may be strong, but they never leave me pain free. They also say ‘just increase them’ and I’m like mmmmmm and you have my side effects for me!

Well done @IsobelRae23! Although I’m so gutted for you that you’ve been suffering so long.

Hope everyone is doing ok. My pain has significantly receded now, to the point where I would call it a “niggle” at most. I attribute this to the fitness and yoga classes I’ve been taking, and my osteopath, and also time.

Some days I feel a sharper pain in my butt and I am terrified of it returning to the level it was, so I’m continuing with the osteopath in a bid to straighten my posture and increase core strength.

@IsobelRae23 hurray for gym and happinesses! Are you still taking the same meds?

Hi fellow pain suffered!

I posted right at the beginning of this thread, under a different name, to say I was 2700mg gabapentin, , 90mg MST, 25mg amitriptline, 8 x zapain and oramorph. I’ve had 4 rounds of injections in my spine (2 different kinds), and have been like it for 8 years. As you will all know, you take the tablets but it never takes away your pain100%.

I have bad days still, where I’m clinging to the doorframe sobbing and then being sick from the pain, but also good days. I actually started going to the gym 3 weeks ago, I’m going 4-5 times a week, I’m not pushing myself, the trainers in the gym know my medical history so advice on what to do and what not to, especially if I am experiencing pain. But the best part is, of all the 3 and 1/2 stone I put on when I started all the medication, I have already lost 12lb in 3 weeks!!!

I just wanted to share my happy moment you!

Anyway, all pretty ok here, just trying to find the fine line between not totally wrapping myself in cotton wool and not overdoing it! Nearly 3 months post surgery, I’ll in theory be able to start running again soon

@avocuddl oh no how frustrating re the appointment.
I think the microdiscectomy surgery never really is a total guarantee of it not happening again, I’ve got two other dodgy discs in my back plus apparently the remaining disc material in my l4/l5 that was operated on could bulge out.

How is everyone? Long time no speak.

Im still here, still suffering 🙄 had my appointment with a consultant about the injection. There was an 'administrative error' which meant that he couldn't view my mri images so couldn't make a decision without seeing them. I have to wait for another appointment to be available with him, which could be 2 weeks but most likely 4 weeks and then he will make a recommendation. He said it's only 50% chance of it working.

He said surgery would be a good option however there would be a high risk of it happening again due to the location of the other bulged discs in my back so that would need to be considered.

Also my reflex in my ankle which had come back has now gone again, so all in all, still shite.

I hope everyone else is doing well and fully recovered from this nightmare!!!

@Bloodybackpain @EggbertHeartsTina @SpamChaudFroid Been thinking of you all!

@EggbertHeartsTina survived three days back at work (1 in office 2 at home). Lovely to see everyone. My back wasn’t too keen on it all, pretty stiff - in part from the stress of thinking about work! Should be getting a standing desk next week which will be good

It’s interesting what you say about post natal healthy and shoulders from carrying babies. I always used to put the DCs on my left shoulder and that’s the side where I had all the sciatic symptoms- as well as Achilles from running. Maybe a left sided weakness.

Hello all! @SpamChaudFroid you’re definitely not bleating into the ether, I’m still here! So sorry to hear your discs are so bad - on the positive side at least they’re bad enough that things are happening I suppose??

I’ve a friend who had more than two weeks’ relief from an injection (her very bad sciatica went away) - but that could’ve been a steroid injection as opposed to the blocker? Anyway fingers crossed for you Spam and hoping that an op gets pushed for you.

@avocuddl how was your appointment? Did the pain nurse discuss better options than the amitriptaline?

@Bloodybackpain how was day 1 at work?? I know what you mean about not being able to do what you could before; this time last year I was at half marathon level. Today I braved a little running shuffle - only managed a very slow mile.

I am admittedly and thankfully a lot better but the pain is still there. I feel like I’ve ended up with slight foot drop as I can feel it not lifting properly when I try and run.

Yoga and post-natal fitness classes have helped immensely so I’m continuing with those. When I remember how I was initially I feel a bit emotional that I’m even upright!

I’m now experiencing nerve pain in my left shoulder (I’m a leftie) - I think it is from holding the baby so much (and he’s a big one) and possibly from weird movements thanks to my leg. I don’t know. Something to keep an eye on.

Love to all!

I've had sciatica off and on since I was 20 following an accident. The things that really helped me (and it's been nearly 5 years gone) was:
Osteopath
Acupuncture
Yoga
If I stop the yoga I can feel it stirring. has to be a slow stretchy yoga like ashtanga not a head standing type!

And @avocuddl I hope tomorrow’s appointment goes ok. Hurray for your parents and boo re the holiday, even though last week I could swim there were quite a few things I’d normally do that I couldn’t

@EggbertHeartsTina I’m glad to hear things are improving a little bit.
@SpamChaudFroid good to hear you have a sensible gp, hopefully she will fight on your behalf. I looked at the billing details for my treatment... each consultation with surgeon was around £150, operation fee itself was £800 and 2 night hospital stay was £5k (am guessing that includes drugs and anesthestist fee), so £10k seems a lot?!

Hello!
This dropped off my active threads list and I didn’t know how to find it again.
Injections... everything I hear of them suggests they only provide short term relief. In fact my insurance company said they would only fund a couple of times as they feel surgery often better. It’s so silly that the nhs tries to go for the short term cheap option when in reality it’s unlikely to work.

I am now nearly six weeks post microdiscectomy. No sciatica but my lower back and glute and hip still very achey at the end of the day, really having to pace myself - am naturally very active so it’s tricky.
The physio did say I could swim though which has been great. She may not have meant sea and river swimming on holiday last week though ...

I worked at home the week before hols and tomorrow is my first day back in office (London ), feeling quite nervous... am going with a bag stuffed with painkillers!

I'm so sorry I've been awol. I'd absolutely love to say it's because I made a miraculous recovery and I'm all better but unfortunately that's not the case.

Spam I'm so sorry to see your update and that you are still suffering so much. 3 discs sounds absolutely awful! You poor thing 😔 did they give you any idea of timescales? Just unknown waiting list? I regret so much not having private health insurance. I do love the nhs but I wonder how different all our situations would be. Remind me, are you seeing a physio too? I hope the injection works (can't believe it's only 2 weeks!) but at least for you to get some relief.

Egbert I'm sorry you are still in pain and struggling with day to day tasks. I really hope the physio is helping, are you feeling any better?

@Bloodybackpain how are you getting on? Recovered completely I hope!

Let's see, where did I leave it..oh gosh I haven't posted for a month. I really am sorry, life just got in the way. We are having an extension built and the builders started last week. It was unexpectedly bought forward (they had a cancellation) so it was an absolute nightmare trying to prepare the house (packing it all up) without actually being able to bend down and lift anything 🤦🏽‍♀️ thank goodness my mum and dad came to my rescue and I just told them where to put things and they just did it. We also went on a big family holiday which just made me feel so sad. I should have been enjoying every second but it was just clouded by my constant pain and every little thing was a constant reminder of how debilitating it is. Getting in and out of the pool, walking back to the hotel, getting into a rubber ring on this lazy river ride, just waiting around in queues at the airport etc were just agony.
I've FINALLY got my appointment tomorrow with the specialist physio and pain specialist nurse. I don't know what to expect. I'm on an increased dose of amitryptaline (40mg) and it doesn't really do anything for the pain, it just makes me ridiculously drowsy so I can actually sleep at night. I think I'll ask for the injection. Even if it is just 2 weeks relief it will be worth it.

Even though I haven't posted, I have always been thinking of you all and hoping that your pain has eased.

Ah thank you @SpamChaudFroid for thinking of me and passing that on from your GP - gives me hope. I am tempted to try a day without medication to see how much improved I really am. I can certainly stand a while without a crescendo of burning occurring, and I can walk places - this was always the crux for me, as the inability to walk more than a few paces was mentally crushing.

I struggle very much to put the two kids in their car seats, and I still can’t find many comfortable breastfeeding positions but I must remember how much better I am than I was at the beginning. It’s 15 weeks tomorrow since it all kicked off when my back went at the end of pregnancy. My osteopath is actually a little cross on my behalf that the NHS still aren’t looking at further investigation and just throwing physio at it, because I’m still in pain and it’s still affecting my day to day life. But hey ho there you go. My friend had serious back issues and ended up paying for her own MRI. When the scan results were rushed to her GP that evening she had already started with cauda equina symptoms and was rushed into emergency surgery - so they do seem reluctant to go to MRIs as many of you have discovered !

I am so sorry to hear your pain is getting worse Spam. Surely they cannot continue with pain meds only, you need something else! And not being able to lie down in the scanner . I hope the scan shows something obvious - not because I want you to have a problem but because that way hopefully there will be a definitive course of action. Did the GP offer any hope of other meds or courses of action she could help with?