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Ideas for pain relief from Small Fiber Neuropathy (SFN)
Neuropathy | Last Active: Apr 26 7:21pm | Replies (449)Comment receiving replies
Good evening @helennicola. Thank you for sharing an update of your status at this time. It appears that you are committed to your program and it works for you.
When my depression got really bad and I was scary “suicidal”, my neurologist sat with me and told me that he wanted me to try nortriptylene to lift the hopeless grey cloud hanging over me. We have partnered on medication choices and so I listened.
The end result.....I started nortryptaline two years ago in concert with the gabapentin just as you mentioned. The impact was immediate and positive. I am a much happier SFN patient and a lot easier to be with. It is great not to spend so much time planning your own demise. Since I no longer spend much time dwelling on my issues, I have time for family and friends and a genuine interest in their lives. May you enjoy happiness and the causes of happiness. Chris
Replies to "Good evening @helennicola. Thank you for sharing an update of your status at this time. It..."
Chris, thank you so much for your advice and insight, having another personal trusted opinion is invaluable. I think that I keep waiting to feel better mentally and trying to employ “mindfulness” because I think that issues outside of my neuropathy have caused my present lapse in the ability to feel good. But, I guess the reason doesn’t really matter. I think I’ll wait a little while longer and see if there is any change before trying the nortriptylene. Helen
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@artscaping I have been treating my depression, etc., for around 16 years. It took a long time of trial and error until I landed on meds that helped. By the time that happened I was attempting suicide. From the suicidal period it took about five years of therapy to climb up out of the depression hole. Now it's just a passing thought, thanks be to God. I think that pain plays a significant role in the level of depression.
I have a spinal cord stimulator, and this morning I met with a doctor who does dorsal root ganglion stimulator implants. We agreed that the time may come when I'll have run out of options, but she wants to discuss the adjustments to my stimulator with the Abbott tech who does that. I guess that a drg stimulator is kind of the last resort, so we're going to hold off as long as possible. I have an appointment with the pain specialist on Monday, and will talk about all this stuff, and where he thinks I should go.
I'm alive today and stay alive with the help of medications that have stabilized my mental state. (I was going to say mental anguish, but thought mental state was a little more couth.) As you know, nothing stays the same. My level of depression does still fluctuate, but it doesn't get as far down as it did for many years.
Jim