Suggestions for medication

[amberly87]

Hello again!

I post A LOT, but for everyone I will list my brief background. I have Psoriatic Arthritis, Psoriatic Spondylitis, Fibromyalgia, Postherpetic Trigeminal Neuralgia, and chronic headaches. I am in the US which passed a law restricting opioid prescriptions and I have had no meds since September except my Remicade. I FINALLY received a call shortly after my last post from a pain medicine doctor my rheumatologist referred me to that will be able to put me on pain medicine! I’m so grateful to get relief soon, but it is a double edged sword; I don’t want to have to take meds or admit at 31 that I have to have them to have any quality of life...but I know I do. The ONLY medicine I have tried in the past 1.5 decades that has worked has been Nucynta. However, I am VERY hormonally sensitive and towards the end of using it I completely lost emotional response, much like a lithium effect and I was snappy...sometimes down right mean. So I’m scared to resume it even though I know it works. Any suggestions on medications you all have found to work that doesn’t impact emotions as much?

[Lolarufus123]

Hi Amberly87 in a way I think you have answered you're own question. You said that Nucynta has been the only medication that has worked for you. Maybe you should weigh up the pros and cons of going back on it just in case no other medication works for you. You could try Fentanyl patches or MS Contin, they are strong opioids and work for most people. Wishing you all the best. Lola

[BlanketTime1]

glad to hear you'll receive relief soon. I take a relatively wimpy narcotic, but I agree w/ lola. if it works for you, perhaps ask the doctor for a medication to help stabilise your mood. I know that means another prescription, but it's about feeling as well as you can. it's difficult being a young crip. I went through the stages of grief when: I started using a cane, moved on to a rollator, started using a wheelchair... my father once sniffily told me that when he was my age (I was 28 at the time) he didn't take any medication. well guess what? if I don't take my medication i'm a ball of nerve and spinal pain with cramping muscles and jerking body. no one should have to live with pain. stay strong.

[Hidden]

Hi amberly, there is 2 drugs in UK called methotrexate and leflunomide which are good that help the inflammation of the joints which could help if it's available in the States x

[amberly87]

Thank you all for the replies! When I signed up for Health Unlocked I didn’t realize it was primarily a UK based site, so there are some differences in what we have access to, but nonetheless it is reassuring to be able to ask these questions and all get replies, so I greatly appreciate it. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of using a mood stabilizer while on Nucynta but it’s a great suggestion. Thank you all!