Most of us don't like to think about it, but after years of pain meds we are addicted to the stuff. I dont get a buzz from the stuff but I do have to take something or I'll go into withdrawal. This can cause AD and a multitude of other problems that include hallucinations, chills, etc.
Bext Wishes with your testing, john ________________________________ From: Billy Lang <[email protected]> To: Corie Jones <[email protected]>; quad-list <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, October 3, 2009 3:13:15 PM Subject: Re: [QUAD-L] Prialt Hi, I'm back from getting the Prialt med injected into my spine. I was pain-free an hour after the procedure for the first time since May. I'm had these side effects after the Prialt and the procedure: Had spinal cord headache 1 hour post procedure took Fiorocet, headache did not return. Dr. Kaufman attributed this to the amount of scar tissue present and the needle size he used to deliver the Prialt. It may have caused a leakage. At home (7:30) upon waking in the chair after a 30 minute nap and for the next hour experienced uncontrolable chills, and halucinations. The halucinations lasted 15 minutes. Administered Clonazepam (0.5), no effect. Went down to bed and each time (2) that I awoke from sleep some symptoms would return. The first awakening I began to talk incoherently. After about an hour I was fine (still pain free). The second awakening was triggered by my PTSD, the episode was short, and I laid awake until 11:30 PM when the pain began returning and I took a Percoset. The rest of the evening was uneventful. Conjecture - could above be withdrawal effects from opiates? No Percoset for 26 hours? So, Prialt effectiveness: Wearing Fentenol patch (75) Last oral pain med 9:00 pm prior evening, nothing after (in order to check the effectiveness of Prialt). Prialt Administered 8:00 AM . Pain free. 11:30 PM pain returned to the point were Percocet was administered. (total 15 hours 30 minutes). Dr. Kaufman has suggested a second trial at a lower dose may yield more positive results, given the positive effects of the Prialt. He suggested we wait a few weeks for the results of our Lyrica application to the pain med mix. (as suggested by Dr. Lam and Dr. Kirshblum). He also stated that the only goal in this excercise is to return my quality of life, which was appreciated. I'm of a mind that a second trial is absolutely worth the effort. Given my aversion to opiates and the fact that I have never taken them for any prolonged period, I believe the withdrawal had to have some mitigating effect. Additionally, chills and other ancillary negative (PTSD) results might be attributable to the trauma of the procedure. I've experienced the before during UTIs and bowel problems. So, assuming the Prialt delivers dosages with the Medtronic pump enough to cover a 24 hour period, I won't need anything else. If I do, Lyrica seems like the best non opiate candidate as an add-on for controlling the rest of the pain. I've put off ordering the S. American poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis) for now. Let's get the snails to work. Thanks everyone for your efforts on my behalf. Thanks Corie, Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do! Billy Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do! Billy www.langfoundation.org ----- Original Message ----- >From: Corie Jones >To: quad-list >Sent: Saturday, October 03, 2009 12:43 > AM >Subject: Re: [QUAD-L] Prialt > > >Hi Billy, > >I just wanted to briefly give you my experience with > trying Prialt in my baclofen pump. I actually had the baclofen pump > surgery done to try intrathecal medication because I have tried practically > everything medication-wise out there for the severe, nerve pain I have been > living with for 16 years. I got very tired of trying medication after > medication and dealing with all of the side effects. So my pain > management doctor recommended trying the baclofen pump and having anesthesia > type medication with the baclofen in the pump to see if it would decrease my > nerve pain. I cannot remember the name of the first medication I tried, > but it did not help. So after a couple of years thinking about the > prialt and desperate to get pain relief, decided to try it in my pump. > Through the pump, they start with a very very low dosage to try and bypass > any > side effects, which sounded kind of scary (vision problems, memory > problems), > so anyway I was never able to get up to the full therapeutic dosage my > doctor > thought would work for me because I had a different side effect of severe > constipation when using the prialt. My doctor tried to tell me it wasn't > from the prialt but that's the only thing it could have been because that > was > the only thing I was doing different. So knowing that I was going to > have to continue to go up on the dosage, I opted to discontinue it. I > never got any relief from it on the low dosages I was on. I was very > disappointed. I had such high hopes that this medication would be the > answer to my prayers to give me pain relief. It may have if I could have > stuck it out, but I just could not do it. So I didn't get the typical > side effects, but still a side effect I could not tolerate > unfortunately. > >I wanted to share my story, not to discourage you from > trying the medication, but to give you my experience just in case you have > similar problems with the prialt. And I really hope it works for > you. It's so difficult living with this chronic nerve pain. It > just drains your quality of life. So good luck and definitely keep us > posted. > >Take care, Corie >----- Original Message ----- >>From: Billy >> Lang >>To: quad-list >>Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 >> 11:35 AM >>Subject: [QUAD-L] Prialt >> >> >>Tomorrow, I am going to a test to see >> if Prialt delivered through a pump directly to my spine will alleviate my >> pain. >> >>http://www.prialt.com/ >> >>After 20 years in the chair I am >> suffering from herniated discs in my lumbar and arachnoidtis. I have yet >> to >> find a combination of opiates (oxycodone, OxyContin, patches, Lyrica, >> etc.). >> >>The drug has had some positive >> effects on MS patients. I am told that I will be the first quadriplegic >> to >> test the drug's effectiveness. >> >>I'll let you know how it turns >> out. >> >>Don't let what you cannot do >> interfere with what you can do! >> >>Billy >>www.langfoundation.org >>
