@johnbishop
Hi John,
You may have seen my reply to
@amandajro about my night time ritual that helps me get more comfortable. I mentioned there that I put lotion on at least two or three times a day, as that seems to help with the irritation my skin has from fabric.
You asked about pain medications. I am into my 5th week of gabapentin, and 3rd week of amitriptyline. After being on the gabapentin for a couple of weeks I had to shame my neurologist (literally shame her) into giving me something for pain. Her suggestion was to take ibuprofen or tylenol. I didn't hesitate to tell her that those don't make a dent in the pain. (I think I have mentioned before that I am trying to find a new neurologist. Still working on that.) After shaming her into it she prescribed a low dose of amitriptiline, starting me on 10 mg at night for two weeks, and then 20 mg nightly, which still did nothing for the pain. At a recent visit to my primary care physician he asked how I was doing with the pain so I told him what was going on and he immediately sent in a prescription for amitriptilyne at 50 mg. I've been on that dose for about a week. I honestly can't tell if it is helping, or if I've now been on the gabapentin long enough for it to be helping. I still have to go through my nightly ritual of getting my bed as cool as possible to keep the bedding from irritating my skin but I am seeing a difference as to how I feel during the day and on into evening. My prescribed dose of ativan and the occasional muscle relaxer also help at night.
Thanks for mentioning the article on why neuropathy pain is worse at night. I had actually already read it after scouring the internet for information. Again, as I mentioned to @amandajro, how busy or distracted I am during the day doesn't seem to lessen my neuropathy. I may be the exception to the rule when it comes to that, but then again, I don't think there really are any rules when it comes to neuropathy.
BTW, I still do not have an acutal diagnosis for my neuropathy. I had all the usual blood work done which didn't help much, but I need to have a nerve conduction study done. I have delayed that because you have to have that test done after you have showered and with no lotion on your body. For me that was an absolute deal breaker. Without the lotion, especially after a shower, my pain is much worse, bringing on the worst of the sharp, stinging, stabbing pains I've experienced since having had neuropathy, even after a mild, lukewarm shower. I am hopeful that I am getting better enough to the point that I will be able to have that test done soon.
Always glad to hear from you.
Take care.