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Help! Painkillers?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Hey guys,

I suffer from very bad nerve pain in my leg.
I'm waiting on test results etc. but I can tell you that 30mg Codeine does pretty much nothing for the pain.
If I go to the docs will they prescribe me anything stronger than the codeine?

I'm under 20 so I'm worried they'll think I'm looking for a high, but I'm simply in a lot of pain.

Thoughts?

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You can get pain killers which are good for nerve pain such as Amitrptiline and Gabapentin, maybe discuss medication change with you Dr? They shouldn't automatically judge you and think you are after a high.

    Also how long have you had the pain for? A referal to chronic/actue pain team might be good as they can offer other coping mechanisms and advise on pain relief :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hey db3 :wave:

    As pieceofme has said - there is no reason why your Doctor should think you are chasing a high. If you do go to see your Doctor (which we would advise) then just be honest about the pain you are suffering and see what they suggest.

    You may also want to try the NHS Direct line / website. They can offer more practical, correct, medical advice.

    You may also want to look at The Site's page on GP's. There are loads of other great information pages too that you may want to check out over time.

    Hope some of this helps. Take care and keep posting - :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Your doctor will be able to advise you on what painkillers you can take safely together if the codine isn't working on its own. It's sometimes better to have different painkillers together because they work in different ways... But ONLY do this if you have been advised by a doctor... it's not something to play around with.

    Also, Codine is very addictive and can cause conspipation so you might want to talk to them about an alternative anyway.
    They should really be monitoring you if you're taking that amount of painkillers regulally anyway because they can cause a lot of damage to your insides if you're not careful.

    I hope they can sort you out soon. It's miserable being in pain. :( *hugs*
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    P.S. would be really worth looking into other non-drug forms of painkilling as well, just to see if that helps... Like TENS machines or holistic therapies and stuff. Always worth a try even if it doesn't work.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It's also worth being aware that not everyone responds to codeine as a painkiller so chatting to your GP would be good.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Wow, thanks for all the responses!

    Well, I'm definitely going back to my GP to see what he can do. I also have been prescribed some diazapam* (very mild, only a few mg) to help with back spasms but I'm weary of using it and it's also not something I can use regularly.

    Harry23 - thankyou, I'll check out those links =]

    Lu_C, I've done physiotherapy but it didn't help very much at all, also as you said I'm careful with Codeine due to all those side effects. Thanks for the support :]

    *Has anyone tried this for this purpose?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Keep up with the physio, it's usually painful before you start to get the improvements and takes a long time to get results.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Keep up with the physio, it's usually painful before you start to get the improvements and takes a long time to get results.

    This. It might seem to take a while with pysio but it will help in the long run...just don't give up with it :)

    I've never had Diazapam but when I worked with the pain team came across alot of patients who were on it. For some it works and others just don't like it. Some people can find it strong. I would try taking it as the doctor has prescribed along side the codiene. With painkillers there is no point taking one here and one there, if you take them as prescribed then your body gets a constant supply to cover the pain. Any other pain killer you take with the codiene will help with break through pain. So for example alot of people take regular paracetamol then ibuprofen inbetween (as these can be taken together) to cover any breakthrough pain :)

    Sometimes it can take a while to find analgesia to suit you and that des help with the pain thats why you need to keep talking to your Dr.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    My physio has dumped me.
    Hah, let me rephrase that. He referred me to a Neurosurgeon so I don't go see him (my phsyio) currently.
    I try and still do the exercise regime when my leg is okay.

    Also, I can't take codeine regularly because the pain isn't there on a regular basis. Some days (eg. if I go shopping) it'll be REALLY bad. In which case I'll take codeine several times throughout the day and it'll sort of calm it down but not make the pain go away.

    I've booked an appointment to see my GP in about 10 days, hopefully he'll be able to tell me what my MRI said and give me a prescription/help accordingly =)
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