Patch for Pain?

[debmin40]

hi all

 

I am bright and breezy writing this as today has been the first good day in around 3 weeks. I have been able to sleep and the majority of the pain has eased. So whatever worked the higher dose of gabapentin, amitrip or the other meds i dont mind as long as i continue to feel like this.

 

Finally i see a sliver of light at the end of that dark tunnel and feel a lot more positive. Just as well i took it so easy today eldest arrived home from school with temp, swollen glands and cough and totally miserable. Then youngest home with temp and rash and a note 7 in her class have chicken pox. Isnt it always the way....

 

 

 

Anyway my question is regarding patches. Ms nurses rang again today to see how i had fared over weekend. I think they thought i was goin jump off a tall building my mood was so low. I explained i was happy with results and thought I was being optimistic about being pain free. They said no i should be pain free. So they are sending me up to pain clinic to see if meds can be tweaked in any way and if no joy neuro wants to add in lyrica and a pain patch. I asked what it was and he said oh dont worry about that til we need to go there.

 

So just curious if anyone has used these what they are and do they work?

 

 

 

Talk soon

 

debbie

 

xx

[Guest zelinda]

hi all

 

I am bright and breezy writing this as today has been the first good day in around 3 weeks. I have been able to sleep and the majority of the pain has eased. So whatever worked the higher dose of gabapentin, amitrip or the other meds i dont mind as long as i continue to feel like this.

 

Finally i see a sliver of light at the end of that dark tunnel and feel a lot more positive. Just as well i took it so easy today eldest arrived home from school with temp, swollen glands and cough and totally miserable. Then youngest home with temp and rash and a note 7 in her class have chicken pox. Isnt it always the way....

 

 

 

Anyway my question is regarding patches. Ms nurses rang again today to see how i had fared over weekend. I think they thought i was goin jump off a tall building my mood was so low. I explained i was happy with results and thought I was being optimistic about being pain free. They said no i should be pain free. So they are sending me up to pain clinic to see if meds can be tweaked in any way and if no joy neuro wants to add in lyrica and a pain patch. I asked what it was and he said oh dont worry about that til we need to go there.

 

So just curious if anyone has used these what they are and do they work?

 

 

 

Talk soon

 

debbie

 

xx

 

Woo hoo Debbie, its great to hear you are feeling better.

 

Well if it is the patch my friend was on for her Fibromyalgia, I think it had morphine in it. Well hers did. She was taking so many things for pain. It helped to an extent but was hard for her to come off it....

 

My daughter is on Lyrica it has great results for her nerve pain. She has a cut nerve in her stomach and in really bad pain in her groin top of her legs, and the Lyrica helps her get up everyday. I thought she was offered either Lyrica or Gabapentin, not both. Anyway the Lyrica was given to me, and I took one in the evening.

 

I felt weird really light headed got up and fell over into the wardrobe and landed on top of the dogs water dish lol (I keep her water upstairs as she doesnt like to leave me in the night). I thought what the heck I aint having none of that again lol.

 

Mind you I am a light weight as I couldnt even cope with one little amytriptyline lol....I dont do drugs very well they seem to work like 15 times stronger. 1 paracetamol will put me in a coma lol.

 

OH NO chicken pox lol poor babies hope it isnt that.

 

Anyway you go girl, even if it is flying around on fairy dust ha ha ha.

 

P.S. if you see pink elephants the middle one is mine lol.x

[Scully]

Hello Debbie,

 

Pain patches. Yes, initially, before I was diagnosed, the GP and pain clinic thought I had a trapped nerve in my neck, which I didn't, but that's another story.

 

Anyways. The patch, 'Butrans' the generic drug name was 'Buprenorphine' which is an opiate, inhe same group as morphine, was what I was given. Patch was changed every four days, and the drug was absorbed through the skin in a constant small dose.

 

Self adhesive, you stick the patch on, I recall, it had to be the upper body somewhere. They did seem to work for a while, didn't take the pain away completely, but then as it turned out, I didn't have a trapped nerve in any event.

 

Unfortunately, I developed an allergy to the glue they used on the patch so had to stop as there was no other alternative.

 

I take Amitriptyline, baclofen and Gabapentin, all of which made me a little drowsy, no a lot drowsy in the beginning, but as your body gets used to them, the side effects wear off.

 

Never tried Lyrica, but I know others here have and swear by it.

 

Scully

x

Edited 20 Dec 2011, 7:03 am by Scully

[Hezza]

Hi Debbie,

I can't help with your questions on meds as i've not used either but wanted to say that it's great to hear that you've caught a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel. It sounds like your medical team are determined to work with you to make things as 'good' as possible which is fab too.

 

Let us know how you get on.

[kizzy]

my father in law bless him when i first got my dx phoned me to tell me friend of his has ms and swears by these patches. tracy x x x

[Christina]

I take Lyrica daily in small doses Deb. It is an alternative to gabapentin and certainly takes the edge off my pain and makes me feel more relaxed and chilled. I believe it can also be prescribed for anxiety, so maybe that's why I feel chilled

 

Dizziness, sleepiness and weight gain can be side effects but the first two should lessen with time. Lyrica is more expensive than gabapentin but it is supposed to work better at lower doses than gabapentin.

 

So glad to hear you had a better day.

 

Chris x

[mackers758]

Debbie, I was prescribed the Butrans patches and they made me violently sick and spaced out. They stay on for 4 days, during which time you can do everything as normal, even go swimming with them on. Be aware though, if you or the patches get hot then the morphine is released faster.

If they're on about the lidnocaine plasters/patches then these, I find, are good. They are based on the cotton swabs that a dentist places in your mouth to numb the area. They numb the surface of the area you place them.

 

You can wear them for a maximum of 12 hours and then can't put anymore on for another 12 hours. You can put up to 3 on at the same time, but you can cut them up and place them wherever you need to.

The only side effect i have found with these is my skin blisters where the plaster was placed, so I have to take antihystamine to stop the reaction.

 

Good luck with whatever you try.

 

 

 

Steve

[Christina]

I'm not surprised Steve, one of morphine's side effects is vomiting.

 

Chris x

[babyblues]

i have not personally tried pain patches (only patches for nicotein, which always give me a small itchy reaction due to the glue.) but i used to care for someone who did. It was a year or so ago so i cannot remmeebr the brand, but i do remember, as alrady mentioned that they stay on for 4 days, and are morphein based. The patient reported that they did ease the pain, they were not suitable for her as they made her feel light headed and gave her a slight temor. after a couple of months she did begin to vomit also. Other medication was offered to counteract the side effects but she declined.

 

 

bb

[debmin40]

Thanks guys for taking the time to reply very much appreciated!

 

Think I spoke too soon about meds working, the last 2 nights its been back to waking at 3am in agony. I spent all day monday relaxing, did absolutely nothing as kids away til bedtime and I felt wonderful. Then Tues, wed, thurs back to normal, kids off school,dinners to be made etc etc and im floored and in agony. So everyone tells me "live my life like mon" well how unrealistic I cant spent my life lying flat on my back nor would i want to! It just seems to me that I can do so very little before i crash and the probs start!

 

Anyway Im leaving going back to ms nurses til after xmas as i think patch is next option they will use and id rather hear what pain clinic say. I am terrified of vomiting I think it stems from when I was pregnant with my son I vomited 24/7 for first 5 months and spent it in hospital. Big woss i know lol!

 

So I will just try and make best of a bad situation til I get christmas over (maybe up my consumption of the old red vino!!) and will see how things are.

I am determined 2012 will not suck as much as 2011(which I have to say has been the worst year of my life and not just because of ms dignosis and problems)

 

So thanks again for all your help

 

talk soon

 

xx