Chronic Pain

Im sort of looking for a little direction and hopefully someone will be able to point me in the right direction. I have been on and off pain medication for the past year and am having trouble coping without it both on a pain leve and mental as well. I suffer from a condition called CRPS which is Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. I live with chronic pain in the nerves in my foot and ankle. I have tried every pain medication known to man but nothing seems to be a good fit for my lifestyle. I am increasingly growing depressed and having some pretty scary thoughts. My hope is that someone will be able to read this and give me some guidance and of course meaning as to why I have to suffer with this condition. I am wanting to scale down to scale down to a medicine that still will reduce my pain and not trouble me with parasidic symptoms. I have been doing research on tramidol (I don't know if thats the right spelling). I see this medication all over the place but have never met anyone that has tried it. My doctor says that it will not help my pain as much as I need it to but I feel he is trying to push harsher meds on me and I am growing tired of it. I found a site called ***** which given the title seems pretty reasonable. They say that I don't have to have a prescription and that they are US based but Im wondering how that is possible when it is a pain killer. If anyone has any thoughts on this that would be great. I hate asking for help so I guess Im going about it in a more cowardly way. That is all for now. The is sadly in your court..

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Karen Lee Richards,

Hi Joseph,

Welcome to ChronicPainConnection. I'm sorry to hear you're having so much pain. I know that CRPS can be quite a painful condition.

I'll answer your question about tramadol, but first I want to explain why I edited your post and deleted the name of the Web site you mentioned. I'm familiar with the site and what they're doing is not legal, so I didn't want anyone else to go there and possibly be scammed.

It is definitely not legal to sell tramadol in the U.S. without a prescription. There are many sites like the one you found where you can order tramadol and even stronger opioid drugs, but they are all illegal. And worse, if you get the medication at all, it may not actually be what you ordered. Also, some sites like this are a scam to get your credit card info. Before even considering ordering medication from a Web site, please read "A Guide to Buying Prescription Drugs on the Internet"

Now, as far as tramadol goes, I'm surprised your doctor won't at least let you try it. Most doctors would rather try anything than to prescribe stronger opioid medications. After all, if it doesn't work for you, you can always try something stronger later.

Since you've been researching tramadol, you probably already know that it is an opiate-like medication that works by binding to the body's opioid receptors. I've been taking tramadol for several years for fibromyalgia and it has worked well for me. Of course, everyone reacts to medications differently, so I can't say whether or not it would help you with your particular type of pain.

If you're trying to avoid taking opioids, you might also talk with your doctor about anticonvulsant and/or antidepressant medications. Both can be very helpful in relieving pain. Anticonvulsants (like Neurontin or Lyrica) can be particularly good for nerve pain. A study just released last month found that combining an anticonvulsant and an antidepressant were more effective in relieving nerve pain than the anticonvulsant alone.

There are also some non-drug therapies that may be helpful, such as a TENS unit or acupuncture. Another treatment some find effective in relieving nerve pain from CRPS is applying Capsaicin cream to the affected area.

You asked why this is happening to you. I wish I knew the answer to that. I don't know why I've been in pain for 20 years either. But I have learned that my attitude toward it makes all the difference. For the first year or two, I was miserable and spent a lot of time thinking about how my life had changed and all the things I had to give up. I really didn't want to live if the rest of my life was going to be like that.

Thankfully, I finally came to a point when I realized I had to accept my condition and try to make the best life I could in spite of it. From that point on, I decided to force myself to focus on what I could do rather than what I couldn't do. I reevaluated my priorities and began using my limited physical ability to do the things that were truly most important to me. The result has been positive. I'm now doing work that I really love and spending my time with the people I love most. Sure, I'd jump at the chance to be pain free. But at the same time, I wouldn't trade the things I've learned about myself, life and God because of this experience for anything.

I understand how hard it is to ask for help. Chronic pain can make you feel very alone, even though there may be lots of people around, because no one else can really know what you're going through if they haven't experienced it themselves. Here you'll find lots of people in the same boat. In fact, if you'd like to talk with several other men and women who live with pain on a daily basis, we have an excellent group in the forum called “The Daily Grind.” It's a great group of people who chat with and encourage one another regularly. Just click on the current month and join the discussion.

http://forums.healthcentral.co...rums/a/frm/f/1361017

I hope some of this has been helpful. Please feel free to ask questions, vent, or just chat any time.

Best,
Karen

Hi Joseph,

Have you seen a Pain Management Doctor? The reason that I ask is because I know that Spinal Cord Stimulators are been used for CRPS and the device works quite well. I had an SCS installed in June of 08 due to other type of nerve pain issues, and the device has been a saver for me!

Before you get one permanently implanted, you will have to go through a trial period that usually lasts 4 to 5 days. If after the trial period, you feel at least 50% relief, the PM Doctor will recommend the permanent one to be installed.

The trial is done at the Doctor's office under an epidural anesthesia, and it did not hurt at all! I was talking and joking with the Doctor's and the company Rep. while the trial leads and battery was getting thread inside my spinal canal.

For the permanent SCS you have to have an outpatient surgery. Or maybe stay overnight. This device was designed for people with chronic nerve pain, and this might be the one thing that can help you out. For more information on SCS's go to: www.poweroveryourpain.com, for more information on the device.

Take care and good luck,

Millie