I have constant burning pain in my left fingers, I've just started Lyrica 75 mg Max 2 tablets in 24 hours. But not stopping the pain.

[Pheonixalight]

The Lyrica does help me sleep, when I get dozy the pain damps down. I have Parkinsons. I also have a swelling and a stabbing pain & redness in my left foot - top of instep - anyone got any idea's? The burning pain in my fingers has at this minute has gone into overdrive and is driving me into an awful state, i now cann't use my left hand on the keys, my fingers and thumb have swollen up so much i cann't bend them and i'm in agony again - help whay can i do ' the pain is now shooting up my left arm and into my left shoulder neck and my left is cramping amy toes are curling and my shakes are very bad i' going to ring the dr.

[Hikoi]

Phoenix

All those symptoms can happen in Parkinsons, what medication do you take for your Parkinsons?

[Pheonixalight in reply to Hikoi]

Thanks Hikoi, I started Lyrica on the 25th Nov, max dose 2x75mg capsules max every 24 hours. First it deadened the pain down, and I got some sleep. Felt a bit fuzzy on it during the day, and a bit more wobbly than usual. I also been taking a range of Homeopathy treatment from an excellent Homeopath, who my daughter has had excellent results with. I have had good results on the side effects of previous medication with him & on some of the Parkinsons symptons - constipation, panic attacks, breathlessness, also my asthma has gone.

ONe of the main things with the Homeopathic treatment is that you can be in constant touch with the person who is treating you, so no long gaps - such as with your consultant. Problems are dealt with on a day to day basis - rather than you save up all your problems with your consultant for your 15 min appointment - so most of your stuff doesn't get dealt with. But what homeopathy does for me is that I get a clear mind, which I like and some hope.

I was on Sinimet Plus for 5 years but I stopped taking it, as it didn't seem to be doing me any good. Thats when I went the Homeopathic route. What Homeopathy, couldn't do for me is to reduce pain, which is now a big issue for me.

On Wednesday evening when I was posting, the pain & my shakes went of the rictor scale in my fingers, pulsed up my arm, into my neck, down my leg. My fingers became so swollen I thought they would burst. My face went bright red and I had double vision & I felt I had a temperature. So by this time I'd started to loose it, which means a panic attack was on it's way. Which means I become incoherent, start crying & I fall apart & think I'm possibly dying & I cann't think. Ambulance comes then I'm in A&E , you wait over 2 hours to see a Dr, who is to busy to see you, my symptons ease off & my husband takes me home...... All this is waste of time & doesn't achieve anything - But......

I rang the Dr's, the answering system told me to ring 111 - which I did. And I had amazing help from them, I answered lots of questions's, people kept ringing back, I think they were worried that it was to do with my heart, which I didn't. I was on the phone on & off for nearly 2 hours. I was told to take 2 Paracetomel & if pain hadn't gone another dose later. And they rang back to see if I was OK....amazing... I rang up & thanked them this morning.

Now this is the strange bit, I realized while all this was going on - that the pain wasn't going into my head, brain whatever because......I was going around getting my tablets, a cup of tea & I was singing a Lou Read song "Oh it's a lovely day I want to spend it with you" And I was able to talk lucidly to the people on the phone, which in the past I wouldn't. So I wonder if the Lyrica was blocking the pain to my head, mind, brain, whatever - but not blocking the pain to my body!. What do you think?

I went to bed around midnight, put my meditation tape on followed by a Bob Dylan tape and eventually slept.

[Hikoi in reply to Pheonixalight]

Oh dear, your symptoms certainly reared their head on Wednesday. Do you think they are Parkinsons Disease symptoms?

I wonder if you have been off sinemet long, did you come off gradually?

Phoenix i have read your description above again and it sounds the same as withdrawal from sinemet symptoms. If you have stopped medication recently you need to talk to your doctor about this, it can be very serious.

[Pheonixalight in reply to Hikoi]

Thanks Hikoi, I did come off Sinemet quickly, about 4 months ago, it seemed as if it wasn't working for me anymore, and I was in a very tearfull sorry state. And when the Consultant asked me to increase my dose, it was in contradiction to an earlier Consultant telling me to decrease my Sinemet by half, because of side effects.

However - I believe that Consultants probably with their - is it 15 minutes of time per patient, cann't possibly keep up with back records of the people they see, so do not have time to do their best for you in this space of time unfortunately.

I was told by a clinIc for Falls (I had had a couple of falls) to go back to taking 3 Sinemet a day. Which I did and immediatly started to get nightmares and the red mask face and the heat feeling in my brain. So I stopped taking Sinemet again.

I want to do the best for myself....if Sinemet is better for me I will take it, but if it feels it is not, then I won't. I wish I knew what to do. I think I will ask the Dr for an emergency appointment to see my Consultant, because I cann't go on as I am. Thank you for your responces.

[Hikoi in reply to Pheonixalight]

Phoenix it sounds like you need someone with time to answer all your questions. I think you might be in the UK. If so do you know your local PUK support worker? They need to visit you and help you work through this. Alternatively there is the helpline where you can talk with a Parkinsons nurse. Let us know how you get on.

[JohnPepper]

My golden rule is, "If the medication does not fix the problem, then stop taking it!" All medication is toxic to the system and has side effects. Why take anything that does nt work, and then have to deal with the side effects?

[Hikoi in reply to JohnPepper]

John i had a young unmedicated misdiagnosed friend barely able to function and in a wheelchair. On correct diagnosis he was started on sinemet and was walking again within 2days. Sinemet has side effects but i am sure he would prefer the side effects to being unable to move.

[soup in reply to JohnPepper]

If medication fix the problem stop taking it? What is a fix?

Surely it depends on what you are expecting from your medication (no cures yet so that's not realistic) what the side effects are for you, and what support and monitoring you are getting while you change your meds.

I agree that it's everybody's choice to ask for help to change their circumstances and meds but stopping suddenly is very dangerous.

[PatV]

Ringing the doc is a good idea. Left side you always have to rule out heart problems. But most pwp's have shoulder problems and this translates into hand problems. Hope you feel better soon.

[Pheonixalight in reply to PatV]

Thanks PatV, I have had a better day today thank you.