What is the best rx for numbness and burning nerve pain

[Leannrough]

The neuro put me on Effexor and it made me vomit.
Was hoping I can have some feedback on what Rx is the best for nerve burning and numbness.

Also I've seen people say weight gain with these medications that's something I'm really hoping to avoid as I am at my all time high since the leg numbness and muscle cramping while exercise so after 5 months has not helped with my weight

[22cyclist]

Any of the antiseizure drugs are good for pain associated with nerve pain. Numbness is generally not helped with drugs like these if it is due to MS and not due to something like peripheral neuropathy or diabetic neuropathy. Numbness will go away on its own in time, or may need steroids to help it along.

The antiseizure drugs are like: Carbazipine, Oxcarbazipine (Trileptal), Lyrica, and many others.

Good luck!
Lisa
Moderation Team

[MSer102]

Gabapentin (Neurontin) and Lyrica are the go-to drugs for nerve pain and paresthesias but other antidepressants and anti-epilepsy medicines sometimes work OK too. It depends on the person so which one is best is whichever on works best for that person. If Effexor doesn't agree with you there are other medicines to take. It just seems funny to me that your neuro wouldn't have started you on gabapentin (a cheap generic) or Lyrica first.

It seems like all of them need to be started low and ramped up on dose and weight gain is a possibility for all of them. So it looks like you might have to decide if you'd rather be skinny and in pain or fat and happy. I chose to be happy.

[MSer102]

Numbness will go away on its own in time

I think there are a lot of people with permanent numbness who will disagree with that.

[astro541]

Neurontin has worked for me for the burning sensation in my legs/feet. Hasn't taken it completely away, but has helped.

[suziq38]

The neurontin works and is cheap as prescribed, but both it and Lyrica caused weight gain for me.
I am also a borderline diabetic that is not presently on diabetes meds. I want to avoid them.
I experienced rapid weight gain on both drugs.
This would not help me or my impending diabetes.
I decided to not take these drugs unless I just couldn't stand the numbness.

[SNOOPY]

Hi Leannrough,

There is no medication(s) which are "best" when treating MS. Each person responds to medications differently, what works for one person may not work for someone else.

Medications used for symptom management are used "off label" very few medications are actually FDA approved for MS.

The National MS Society has a list of medications and their use:
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/abo...ons/index.aspx

[javaaddict]

I had good luck with gabapentin during my last issue - it's effective and old so it's dirt cheap. It did, however, turn me into a zombie, and from what I understand I was on a relatively low dose. I was lucky that the pain only lasted about 5 weeks, and I was able to stop taking it.

[Leannrough]

Thanks everyone sounds like everyone is pretty happy with the same drug so ill ask the neuro on the 17th if hell prescribe that for me

What about Cymbalta I've been reading a lot about that and also combined with the Neurotin?

Again I so appreciate all your help
LeAnn

[Poppy7402]

LeAnn, you may also want to ask your Neuro about some of the other anti-depressants for your nerve pain. If you can get onto the "right" one you won't suffer any side effects.

I started on Amitriptyline but had to padlock the kitchen, slept all the time and it didn't deal with the pain well enough, then I went to Nortriptyline but didn't sleep for a week. Finally, I'm on Doxepin 50 mg at night with no noticeable side effects. The only downside I've found is that by about 5 pm I'm starting to get some breakthrough pain.

From what other say, I gather that if/when the nerves die the pain goes away. Although it's a terrible thing to wish one's nerves would die, I wish mine would hurry up as the pain from this disease is like nothing I have ever experienced before, childbirth included!!

Best of luck

Poppy

[suziq38]

Doxepin is older, but works, too. It is generic.

[nurcindy3]

Pain

I have been having pain for years in my neck, shoulders, and lower back. When I worked, I ate Ibuprofen like candy in order to keep going. Here's the funny part, I NEVER contributed that pain to being related to my MS. I just though I had sore muscles or had pulled something.

It has taken me 18 years to figure out that the pain I was experiencing, especially in my back and pelvis, is what was causing part of my imbalance and gait problems.

I never really complained about the pain to my neuro because I just didn't think it was related to MS. The good news is, I finally "GOT IT" it thanks to my wonderful neuro. It is amazing what regular doses of Ibuprofen and a little increase in Neurontin will do for you. Through the years I have experienced lots of numbness which I knew was an MS symptom, I just never thought pain was a symptom too.