Back injury!!

[falkster]

My wife and I went out on Friday night, for a friends birthday and walking back to my car we took a back alley which was a mistake. The little used path was like ice and I ended up doing some horizontal dance move and slamming to the floor.
I injured my back 2 years ago and have 2 crushed discs which cause me ongoing pain which is managed with a cocktail of tramodol, amitriptiline and paracetamol.
Issue I've had since Friday is, my back is now hurting more than ever and my mobility is poor. Other than taking more tramodol than I'm allowed I'm in constant agony.
If I go to the doctors I can only see him giving me oxycodone which means no driving or working.
Any advice as I need to be fit for work tomorrow??
Already got deep heat and hot water bottle on the go.

[Roger645]

Wouldn't you be better icing it?

[Allanv]

falkster said:

My wife and I went out on Friday night, for a friends birthday and walking back to my car we took a back alley which was a mistake. The little used path was like ice and I ended up doing some horizontal dance move and slamming to the floor.
I injured my back 2 years ago and have 2 crushed discs which cause me ongoing pain which is managed with a cocktail of tramodol, amitriptiline and paracetamol.
Issue I've had since Friday is, my back is now hurting more than ever and my mobility is poor. Other than taking more tramodol than I'm allowed I'm in constant agony.
If I go to the doctors I can only see him giving me oxycodone which means no driving or working.
Any advice as I need to be fit for work tomorrow??
Already got deep heat and hot water bottle on the go.

Ask your Doctor for Gabapentin and try that, I have had a neck injury for 9 years and only lately have they given me those pills. They sort the pain and still allow me to drive and work but only @ 400mg 3 x per day.

Although I can and will take an extra 100mg at night if I am feeling painfull.
Amitripiline is a terrible drug and fooking scary if you forget to take it, but being on tramadol as well must mean your doctor hates you fk me that is some combination.

Ask to try gabapentine @ 400mg and co-codamol @ 30/500 see how you get on, for me it has changed my life for the better after all these years.

For those wondering I seperated the top 2 vertabre in my neck in an accident and no I didnt claim compo.

[falkster]

Allanv said:

Ask your Doctor for Gabapentin and try that, I have had a neck injury for 9 years and only lately have they given me those pills. They sort the pain and still allow me to drive and work but only @ 400mg 3 x per day.

Although I can and will take an extra 100mg at night if I am feeling painfull.
Amitripiline is a terrible drug and fooking scary if you forget to take it, but being on tramadol as well must mean your doctor hates you fk me that is some combination.

Ask to try gabapentine @ 400mg and co-codamol @ 30/500 see how you get on, for me it has changed my life for the better after all these years.

For those wondering I seperated the top 2 vertabre in my neck in an accident and no I didnt claim compo.

I had an MUR with my pharmacist at work and he suggested gabapentin but when I suggested that to my GP he said that was effective in epilepsy but for back/neck injuries it only works by telling the brain the pain isnt happening??
Ill try again and see what he says this time.

[Allanv]

falkster said:

Allanv said:

Ask your Doctor for Gabapentin and try that, I have had a neck injury for 9 years and only lately have they given me those pills. They sort the pain and still allow me to drive and work but only @ 400mg 3 x per day.

Although I can and will take an extra 100mg at night if I am feeling painfull.
Amitripiline is a terrible drug and fooking scary if you forget to take it, but being on tramadol as well must mean your doctor hates you fk me that is some combination.

Ask to try gabapentine @ 400mg and co-codamol @ 30/500 see how you get on, for me it has changed my life for the better after all these years.

For those wondering I seperated the top 2 vertabre in my neck in an accident and no I didnt claim compo.

I had an MUR with my pharmacist at work and he suggested gabapentin but when I suggested that to my GP he said that was effective in epilepsy but for back/neck injuries it only works by telling the brain the pain isnt happening??
Ill try again and see what he says this time.

If I recall it was originally developed for that purpose, but has been noted that it helps us with the long term pain.
My injury means I will never recover and so if gabapentin works for me then so be it, I can live a normal life as best I can and still work and enjoy myself.

But I know you are worried and I would say just ask for it and try it, the reason your doctor dismisses it is due to the cost, I had to get mind prescribed by a specialist.

Good luck and I hope you get it sorted.

[falkster]

I always suspected cost is a factor in what drs prescribe.
I'll give him the hard word and see what he says.
Thanks for the advice

[douglasr]

falkster said:

I always suspected cost is a factor in what drs prescribe.
I'll give him the hard word and see what he says.
Thanks for the advice

Cost can be a big factor in what a GP prescribes as it will come out of the practice budget. As an example I was recently treated with one of the few remaining antibiotics that can tackle MRSA (Zyvox). This costs £440 for a strip of 10 tabs. I was given enough for a 14 days by the hospital, but was asked to continue treatment for another 2 weeks by the consultant. I went to my GP to get more tablets and he asked me if it was possible to get this from the hospital due to the cost.

[dreamer75]

I've been taking Gabapentin and Tramadol after fusion surgery 2 months ago. Gabapentin can be horrendous too - I was only on a low dose, and while it worked for the nerve pain (although it's an anti-convulsant epileptic drug it seems to work on neuropathic pain), I slept for a dya, then cried for a day, then just felt like I was wading through treacle in my head. Could not think at all !

Then the last 3 weeks or so I've been trying to come off the Tramadol after getting horrible withdrawal symptoms - chills, sweats, tremors, depression etc.

Not drugs to mess around with, but everyone reacts differently (I've taken Tramadol before with no problems).

It sounds like it's worth getting referral to a consultant for a check, to see if your condition has changed, and might benefit from some other treatment? Instead of just upping pain killers... ?

[falkster]

The consultant did say I'd have good days and bad days but clearly this episode was brought on by a fall.
I find tramodol the best pain killer I've taken and have minimal side affects from it, bad memory being the worst one though. I can remember things that are trivial from years ago but if I've had a recent chat with someone I have no memory of it!

[TheD]

I've also got two goosed discs from an accident a long time ago. They said it was too dodgy to operate so I have a mix of co-codomol and Dihydrocodeine. It goes from the morning 2 co-cod then 2 dhc then 2 co-cod then 2 dhc. Works for me.

[Panda76]

What about injections in the spine?
I have 2 duff lower discs with one dancing about on my sciatic nerves whenever it feels like it.
Been getting worse the past few years,will likely not get better either without surgery.
I've been on lots of drugs,currently on amitriptyline although i have taken myself off that recently.and diclofenac.
Physio has helped and I have lots of exercises to do in between sessions.Im on a couple of weeks break from physio to see if the exercises will do with no more physio work.
If not my remaining optionsa are more physio and spinal injections with surgery as a last resort.

Hate it not been on the mtb for months.Hate popping painkillers all the time too.

Good luck with it.