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AIBU?

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Original poster

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

433 replies

SpamChaudFroid · 24/05/2019 07:10

After nearly 3 months of sciatic pain, (it's bad, I need a stick to be able to walk, well shuffle really) and many different drugs, (codiene, amitriptyline, diazepam) my GP has prescribed gabapentin. I am seeing a physio who has made an appointment for a second opinion as to whether it needs further invstigation, (eg. steroid injections or material removed).

Has this worked for anyone? please someone tell me it works

OP posts:
PookieDo · 29/05/2019 12:39

You do need an MRI but sometimes it does heal with time

I had one heal with time and one heal with injection so don’t give up all hope

With the tens - order extra pads from amazon and get one that have good reviews for the gel stickiness

Original poster
SpamChaudFroid · 29/05/2019 12:47

The TENS I ordered is wireless as well, which means I can wear it and be able to take the pup out. Poor little thing, I feel like I've given him a rubbish puppyhood - before this he was having 3 walks a day, one of them an hour long off lead run. ATM he's only getting one on-lead walk for an hour a day from his dog walker.

OP posts:
daisypond · 29/05/2019 12:50

They are reluctant to do even an MRI- physio said there was no point as he knew what it would show. I think they’ll want to do all other options before MRI or surgery. But warnings from all GPs and physios about the dire consequences of developing cauda equina.

PollyShelby · 29/05/2019 12:57

I'm having an MRI soon and was referred after 5 months of pain.

Jappydooda · 29/05/2019 13:04

Madness! Sometimes I think the NHS take the short view - surely it makes more sense to operate on people than spend 10's of years in doling out medication, physio, doctor's appointments. It's roughly £6K for the op and I think my MRI was around £250.

I guess I was lucky that I had private medical cover - however, it still took me getting stuck on the doctor's exam bed for 40 minutes in excruciating pain for him to finally refer me to a consultant after one of the tests he did send the sciatica into one of those unbearable spasms!!

I was MRI'd 2 days after seeing the consultant and then in surgery 2 days after the consultant saw the MRI, it was that bad!

I really do feel for you all - I know what that pain is like and how debilitating and depressing it is.

YesQueen · 29/05/2019 13:12

Just checked and I had pain in January, and didn't see surgeon or have MRI until March and surgery not until May, I went off work beginning of April as I was on morphine and not coping with the pain and unable to walk without dragging my foot

Patte · 29/05/2019 13:13

I had an MRI scan, which showed I had a protruding disc. If you haven't been referred by your GP for an MRI you really should have been. I was referred before my pain was bad enough for me to need the Gabapentin (didn't actually get the scan for ages but that's another story).

PookieDo · 29/05/2019 13:22

@Jappydooda

It’s not really a short view, there are NICE guidelines to follow. MRI machines are a huge expensive piece of equipment, are not easily stored at a hospital, also because of the length of time they can take (20 mins for a straight MRI and a lot longer for one with a dye) you can’t fit that many patients in one day and waiting lists are usually quite long.

It makes more sense to ‘wait and see’ rather than send people for early MRI’s when you know exactly what it will show - a herniated disc that may or may not heal within a few months. So the pain is managed during the healing and not everyone needs surgery which is risky in its own right. Even the spinal injection is risky.

A lot of pain comes from the muscle spasms which can also be managed and may relent with the right physical therapy

So in the NHS the most severe cases are treated faster than those who can be managed with a view to healing

The short view they have IMO is not the surgery but referring for injections which are much less expensive and risky and much faster healing time. They don’t always work but they are worth trying trust me!

YesQueen · 29/05/2019 13:27

@PookieDo I refused the injections as they said the herniation was so large it was best to skip them! 15mm I think it was Sad

Original poster
SpamChaudFroid · 29/05/2019 13:37

YesQueen, do you remember the point in time that you herniated the disc? I think mine started from carrying puppy upstairs for a bath a few times, he weighs 14 kilos.

OP posts:
PookieDo · 29/05/2019 13:41

@YesQueen

Mine was all splurged out and the disc didn’t really have any definable edges
They just said try this first if it doesn’t work we will do surgery. And it did work a treat!

stupidboyman · 29/05/2019 13:54

I've got private healthcare luckily. I've had a number of ops. The surgeon told me that I wouldn't have got better without surgery and they could see that off of the mri. I still have significant pain but won't have another op unless it gets much worse. In any event there is nothing to operate on me now as practically all the stuff has come out. I damaged my nerve waiting to see if it went away On it's own. I think they want you to suffer for 6 weeks to see if t gets better on its own but a good surgeon will be able to tell off the imaging. I'm 2 years post most recent surgery and still not great but I take no drugs at all now and mostly manage with pilates and mindfulness. My pain was horrific though I was on full dose of codine, tramadol, naproxen and gaberpentin and it didn't touch the sides of the pain. The only relief I had was making myself feel completely spaced out and I was still in pain then. I feel for you it ls the worst pain ever.

YesQueen · 29/05/2019 14:01

@SpamChaudFroid nope, I got up and thought ooh sciatica, and this feels different

jewel1968 · 29/05/2019 14:02

Apologies if already said but I found a tens machine good for sciatica. I just bought one from Boots. Have had various pain meds over the years when I get a flare up if sciatica. I don't like the side effects of many pain meds and they aren't that effective at pain control. I read somewhere that the sciatic nerve is sometimes called the river of pain.

YesQueen · 29/05/2019 14:03

This was about 3 days before the op

To ask about gabapentin and nerve pain/sciatica success stories?
Original poster
SpamChaudFroid · 30/05/2019 10:21

Oo, pix of bones! Crikey, even with my medically untrained eye I can see there's practically no cushioning between the discs, YQ. Did it make any noise, like creaks, crunches and whatnot?

The gabapentin's definitely working, I noticed when showering yesterday it was much less painful. Walking's still a challenge, I have to contort my body in such an odd way in order to shuffle, that it gets really tiring as well as painful. I have to stop every 5 mins to re-group.

Even though the gabapentin's working, the GP might give me additional pain relief as well, to make walking easier? I have a 'phone consultation with her this pm.

My TENS machine arrives today, yippee!

OP posts:
YesQueen · 30/05/2019 11:19

@SpamChaudFroid no noise but if you look at the disc below where it says L5, you can see it crushing the vertical white line Envy

Original poster
SpamChaudFroid · 30/05/2019 13:49

It looks like it should be noisy, YQ!

OP posts:
YesQueen · 30/05/2019 13:56

To be fair you probably couldn't hear it over my breathing loud and shrieking in pain Grin

Original poster
SpamChaudFroid · 30/05/2019 15:41

I'm not one to use the term OMG lightly, but OMG!! The TENS thing is amazing. Since it arrived this morning, I've tried it out on all my different muscles. It feels like a deep tissue massage, but without the awkwardness of having to be touched by a stranger!

I've ordered another one, so I can use 2 at once and slip into a drooling Nirvana like state.

I'm still getting on well with the gabapentin, no side effects and the pain feels further decreased today. Still need a stick to walk, but feel a lot more sprightly if that makes sense? Am increasing to 600mg a day over the next few days. GP has also prescribed some naproxen for me also. The depression's lifted too along with the pain. I was v. fearful about slipping into the old black hole of despair, so thank goodness for that.

OP posts:
TurquoiseTurtles · 30/05/2019 15:44

You can get different pads too, although mine is a big unit, but I'm sure you could use bigger pads, my machine has settings between 1 & 100. We got generic pads which work perfect.

daisypond · 30/05/2019 15:47

Glad the TENS is helping! Which one do you have?

Original poster
SpamChaudFroid · 30/05/2019 19:18

It's this one from Amazon. I really didn't expect it to work, as it's only a cheapie. I've actually ordered another one so I can do calf and buttock at the same time. Grin

Bitter disappointment though, I was so pain-free I walked to the chemist and brought pup with me, but within about 10 metres it was bloody agony again Sad. It must be caused by compression, surely? I really hope the second opinion physio recommends an MRI, to see what's causing this. I'm not great at getting across to the HCPs how bad it is, (I can't fucking walk ffs) and I have a tendency slap a brave face on without even realising I'm doing it, if that makes sense? because of my past substance abuse/addiction, (although firmly in my past) I can't help worrying am I manipulating the HCPs when it comes to asking for the pain meds I need, or that they themselves think I have an agenda. Many of the drugs we've talked about on this thread would be very attractive to an addict in active addiction.

Sorry for giant ramble, I'm using this thread as a diary of sorts.

OP posts:
PookieDo · 30/05/2019 20:39

Where was agony?
Your muscles are contracting to try to ‘protect’ the damage hence the stiffness and muscle pain
My piriformis would Not Let Go
Have you tried acupuncture on the muscles?

I had a 4 pad TENS and it was bliss

pollyshelby · 30/05/2019 20:53

I'm glad the TENS is helping OP, I'm loving mine too.