Hi Chris @artscaping. Unfortunately, I just lost my detailed response to you prior to hitting post and am not up to recreating. Will give it a go tomorrow. Rest well.
Rachel

@artscaping Good morning. My eyes were bad last night and I could not re-create. I stupidly exited the post by accident after reveiving a stressful phone call. I also tend to get wordy (we are very similar) so I will try to streamline.

My opiod use of 5 mg hydrocodone did not keep up with my increasing pain. I take 1 pill every 3 hours and after 2 am getting desperate for relief again. The relief is felt with a half hour. I've been on it 3 years and naturally losing effectiveness is the nature of the opiod beast however, my neuropathy has progressed as well. Im comfortable on hydrocodone and have no negative side effects. It is an upper and wakes me up but not in a bad way. I feel exhausted from SFN, pain and Lyrica so, it is a welcomed feeling that allows me to feel alive, like my old self, while battling pain. My PCP had been hesitant to increase mg and I frankly did not want that either.

I knew 5 mg hydro wasn't enough in itself. As you know, I tried lidocaine infusions to supplement the pain but was unsuccessful. I did not want to experiment with different opiods and all the other basic neuropathy treatments. Been there, done that.
I feel fortunate to receive opiod therapy during these times and realize not everyone is as lucky.

I landed on medical marijuana as my supplement. It took alot experimenting. The pharmacist at the dispensary lined me up with products based on my current pain relief which at the time was lyrica, cymbalta and hydro. I take a 20:1 ratio (heavy THC) so, I had to be careful when cruising up the dosing chart. THC is the component that will get you high if not properly used. I found out quickly what I could not handle when I was unable to function and my mind was in a fog. Did not like that.

Now I've found my groove and think I'm getting balanced pain relief...as much as possible anyhow while restoring my cognitive functions. I'm not a fan of oil and tinctures or vaping so, I chose a capsule of 5 mg (20:1 ratio) during the day rotated around hydro, and double the strength at night to 10 mg in a chewable tablet. The chewable allows for faster entry to the blood stream. Side effects that I experience is a calming through my body and possibly tired. I make sure to not take on an empty stomach.

So, the opioid lifts me and hit my sharp pains that make me not be able to walk. The medical marijuana calms me and settles burning, aching and pain. Some days (and we all have them) pain is simply unstoppable no matter what. Together they seem to be best for me and with that, I'm still debilitated and use my body wisely but can be at better peace.

So much for keeping it brief! Eyes are shot yet again. Will end here. Happy day everyone.
Rachel