Re: Chronic foot pain

December 7, 2003

Wow Kathleen

I needed to hear that. I've been through years of abuse and recovery and been

severely depressed most of my life (gone now for the last 18 years). I did all

that without medications because I was so scared of starting down this road. And

I was furious when I found out this is an antidepressant. But you just repeated

exactly what the doctor said about it working on both pain and sleep. And while

there has been some depression it is nothing compared to what I have been

through in the past. And it comes and goes so that is helpful.

I am waiting to get new orthotics. I just apid $400 dollars for a pair that

provided a lot of support while I had them on but would leave me in pain all

night. The new ones are supposed to be softer so might help. Ummm with emphasis

on the word " might " . Until I get them I think I will be in pretty sad shape -

well I might be after too but hey I don't give up easy.

I'm glad I found this list. I tried another but one just gave me a lot of ads

and another had no one on it.

LadyLee (or LL if that is easier) in Canada

December 7, 2003

Content of previous message edited.

Lady Lee, the antidepressants also work on pain pathways to the brain, and calms

down those nerves somehow. I am on 3 of them, but I also suffer from

depression. I am on Elavil at night to help sleep and pain.

So many of us with fibromyalgia started out with only one pain. I had neck and

back trauma and that started me on the path to fibro. I often wonder if I had

been put on an antidepressant at that time if I would have avoided getting

fibro. Fibro is the result of central sensitization. Your brain hears the

" pain " signal for so long that sometimes everything starts hurting even if there

is nothing wrong. The volume is turned up to high on all sensory organs. Many

people with fibro cannot tolerate loud noise, bright light, touch, etc.

Maxine, who wishes all food tasted terrible!

----- Original Message -----

Hi all. I just signed up last night and was wondering if there is anyone

here with severe foot pain. ...

December 7, 2003

Lady Lee wrote:

( message snipped)

HI Lee ..

Im Stew and im new to the group too . I have been a member for a bit

but have not posted. As said in her post, Some anti Depressants

have a pain relief effect too. I take 100 mg of nortriptyline each

night. Before I started taking it I was up and down all night long with

pain, throbbing etc. ( my trouble is AVN in my Hips and left knee) then

after doing some research I asked my doctor what he thought and he

agreed that it might be worth try ! .. He said that normally he would

prescribe amitriptyline ( Elavil) . In my case he said that

Nortriptyline would be a good choice. The two drugs are very close . In

fact the dosing instructions are almost exactly alike. Anyway ,

Nortriptyline s side effects are a bit less intense than the Elavil so

im told. Since I started taking it at night, I have had a smoother

sleep cycle and the pain at night has diminished to a point where I can

sleep through the night most of the time. The dosing for pain is a bit

different than for depression as he told me, besides a great pain

reliver for sleep it will make your mouth dry for a period of time till

your system gets used to it. It took me about 1.5 months to get past the

dry mouth but its a small price to pay for the quality of sleep i now

get. If you find that you are getting too drowsy the next day or having

too many other side effects that are carried over to waking hours, ask

him about Nortriptyline, as I said , the side effects are much milder

than Elavil (amitriptyline) ... anyway good luck and if you already do

great , but if you don t start a pain journal and document how it is

helping or list the side effects you have and use it to discuss with

your doc.

Stew

December 7, 2003

Content of previous message edited.

Lady Lee,

I have severe foot pain and I am also at my wite end, but thans God I have a

great doctor who cares and LISTENS! Mine is caused by Fibro and Reflex

Sympathetic Distrophy. Have you gotten a REAL diagnosis? I take Neurontin for

the neuropathy in my feet and I am also on Methadone. It sounds as though you

need to call your doctor back and remind him that you asked to NOT have him give

Elavil. I can't take the stuff either.

Faye in Michigan

Lady Lee wrote:

Hi all. I just signed up last night and was wondering if there is anyone here

with severe foot pain. ...

December 7, 2003

Dear Lady,

Ten minutes of walking leaves you with 4 days of foot pain! You

might want to sick a few wrungs up the treatment ladder to hopefully

improve the quality of your like. I loved to walk and walked a lot and

took up running (jogging) in my twenties till early 40's all of it

with what was tolerable pain. The pleasure outweighed the pain,

At age 44 my foot was crushed in a car crash and the surgeon who

put it together again after three surgeries told me it was deformed to

begin with. That wasn't the end of my congenatal problems. I began to

experience the pain in the crushed foot in the other foot. The surgeon

said it was likely arthritis. In three years I had RSD and the pain

was throughout my body at which time I recalled since childhood I

would get in the leg involved in the accident electrical shocks. What

boy of 9 or ten would not like that. It was an indicator of the

future. Now I am 49 and 100% disabled using Effexor at a much higher

rate than a typical anxious or depressed patient in addition to

narcotics.

Lady Lee you might want to get another opinion. Sincere,Sir Al

December 8, 2003

Extraneous Text deleted by Moderator

12-8-03

when your feet hurt you hurt all over and i have found this out for the last 18

years, and i am very sorry you are all having foot pain. This has caused me to

go for disability and i have been on it for the last ten years, plus a number of

other aliments.i sure am glad my doctors has given me a script for xanax so i

can get a good night sleep when i am very very tried. so see antidepressions do

help they relax you so you can sleep.

CATHY M FROM PA.maid062003

December 8, 2003

Hi :

I also have foot pain caused by fibromyalgia, one of the diseases I have. I

also have foot swelling very often and I wish I could get it to stop. When I

speak about it to the doctor, he never pays any attention and just brushes it

off, but I can't help but think that foot swelling isn't such a good thing.

Two days ago, I dropped a box on my toe and it swelled up and then my whole foot

and then also my ankle. Today, my toe is purple and hurts. The thing I don't

like about swollen feet is that I can't get my shoes on.

I am also on disability for the last two years. I kept working as long as I

could but started to have so much trouble with fatigue and pain that I finally

gave in and left work. I really miss the job and all my friends there. Take

care!

Re: Chronic foot pain

CHONIC FOOT PAIN ; WED; I TAKE 200MG OF CELEBREX IN THE MORNING AND 200MG. IN

THE EVENING, AND 1000MG. OF TYLENOL I CAN NOT TAKE ANYTHING ELSE STOMACH WISE

AND WHEN I CAN NOT SLEEP I WILL TAKE A XANAX TO SLEEP, I HAVE MY GRANDCHILDREN

WE HAVE CUSTODY THEY ARE 9 AND 10 YRS. OLD AND WE NEED TO DO ALOT WITH THEM, SO

SEE I LIVE WITH THE PAIN FOR THE KIDS AND SOMETIMES I COULD SIT AND CRY BUT THEN

I REACH FOR THE XANAX AND CAN THEN GET SOME NEEDED REST, I WILL NOT TAKE

ANYTHING STRONGER , UNTIL I NEED TO DOWN THE ROAD, I AM ON DISABILITY,AND AS

LONG AS I CAN DO SOMETHING AND SIT AND STAND WHEN I NEED TO I GUESS I WILL MAKE

IT, I HAVE A WALKER AND A CANE AND W/C WHEN I NEED THEM, AND GOOD DOCTORS AND I

WISH MY HUSBAND WOULD UNDER STAND MY PAIN, HE SAID I JUST NEED TO KEEP MOVING

WELL THATS MY PROBLEM I CAN " T WALK.VERY LONG AT ONE TIME. I HAVE TO HAVE MY FEET

UP SO THEY DO NOT SWELL..

KEEP IN TOUCH AND I WILL WRITE LATER

CATHY IN PA

December 8, 2003

Hi :

Welcome to the group. I hope you find lots of information and support here. I

have panhypopituitarism, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis and heart valve disease.

For the severe pain I have with fibromyalgia, I have been given nine different

anti-depressants over the last several years and I was allergic to or had

reactions to all of them. I either got nausea, headaches, rashes, or somnolence

(excessive sleepiness) or all at the same time.

The first anti-depressant I took was Elavil and I immediately gained 20 lbs.

which made me very depressed. Before that I was not depressed, but was very

exhausted from having severe pain 24/7. Since getting diagnosed with pituitary

disease (after searching for a diagnosis for 12 years), I have been getting

endocrine hormone replacement and this has helped with many of my symptoms. I

do still have fibromyalgia pain which I take hydrocodone for. While this does

take the edge off the pain, I still have pain to cope with every day. I see a

therapist each week for help in coping with chronic pain and illness.

Take care!