Hi Angie. How frustrating for you. I know how tough it is being on so many meds and still not hitting the pain. I was on gabapentin, naproxen, 8 tramadol a day, diazepam and sleeping tablets and still suffering. When the tramadol (8 a day) were not working my pain management consultant suggested I try a new drug that is on the market. It really helped me and was far more effective than the tramadol. It is an expensive drug but I would advise you make another GP apt and ask If they can prescribe it. It needs special order on prescription as not very abailable yet but my pharmacy manage to get the next working day of my prescription gojng in. I have been on it about a year and almost makes you feel more alert than tramadol. It comes in 100,150,200 dose. I started on 100 and progressed to 200 twice daily. It is also a slow release drug so take one in morning and one in evening. It is called Tapentadol. I am still on it and i have just reduced from 200 to 150 and then hope to move down again in the not too distant future. Ask your doc about it and see if you can get it prescribed, I found it a lot better than tramadol and I was on maximum dosage with tramadol. I hope this helps you at least get some temporary relief. Again called Tapentadol. Worth a try. Good luck and let me know how you get on. Sarah x
Thanks for the advice, sarah. However, it's unlikely that the drug you name would ever be available on NHS prescription. What IS available under the NHS prescription system is becoming more and more narrow. My GP has a list of approved pain meds. Unfortunately, I can't take Tramadol; I react very badly to it. Back, then, to Co-Codamol and Gabapentin. Don't really help, but I'm dependant on both after so many years. And, short of the surgery I declined, the drugs are my only option.
Hi Maggie
tapentadol ol that I have is on nhs so is available to anyone in the uk. You have to insist if your doc says it's not on his list as they don't like giving it as expensive but my pain consultant at hospital prescribed it so my doctors have to prescribe it every month. All of my treatment has been on nhs. I hated tramadol and in fact it made me sick at first but got used to it. Tapentadol is stronger but none of the side effects of other opoid drugs. I would speak to your gp as if it's available on nhs it should legally be made available to everyone. It's a much better drug. Let me know how you get on.
Sarah 😃
Hi I had spinal decompression and partial disectomy surgery last june 2015. I had to fight for 5 years and had lots of mri's ay different hospitals. I was in agony the whole time. Taking gabapentin 300mls. Etodolac 500mls and prolonged relief morphine (MXL) 300MLS a day. It took 5yrs and 4 hospitals before ffinding surgeon to operate because my mri's all showed only slight compression which to the drs ment I shouldnt be in pain but I was and when they finally oprrated they found I had 2 L5 root nerves (rare) that were caught and bing pressed on by my disc and bulge. Since ops I have been ok until last month when pain started up again. Ive been told it could be permanent dammage from waiting so long for op. Do u think I can make a complaint.? All I want is life back.
Try taunton hospital. And ask your dr for MXL.