Unbearable

[[Pe...]]

Hello everyone,

 

I have been on this forum for a while but I dont post much. i mainly read for reasurrance.

 

I am 16 months off and I have been functional throughout my taper and post-taper. I am not a complainer and my pain tolerance is pretty high. Yet, for 10 days now I have been having the worst neck tension and pressure in the back of my head. I have had this symptom before, but never to this extent. I am bed-ridden for the first time.

 

The internist I saw last friday prescribed flexoril, 5mg nightly. It does not seem to be helping.

 

Those of you who have dealt with similar symtoms, is there anything that helps you aliviate them? Maybe the dose of flexoril I am taking is not enough? Would a strong pain medication help? Paracetamol, ibuprophen are not doing anything.

 

I am very uncomfortable, have two small kids to look after and I am getting more and more desperate.

 

I appreciate any words of reasurrance and help

 

Peace

[[Ki...]]

I don't have any advice, and I'm still tapering, but I can certainly relate. I had this for 5 days and today was the first day I felt like I didn't need Herculean strength just to hold my head up. I applied a lot of heat and massaged my neck muscles constantly. Pain relievers didn't help me at all either. I could barely sleep, and when I did I would wake up from the pain I'm my neck and top of my shoulders. I could actually feel the muscles when I massaged them....they were extremely hard and rigid. I believe it withdrawal and it makes sense for me as the neck pain peaked with the wave I'm in. I hope it goes away quickly for you.

[[Pe...]]

Thank you Kiddo! I do hope it lets up soon

[[me...]]

Hello everyone,

 

I have been on this forum for a while but I dont post much. i mainly read for reasurrance.I am 16 months off and I have been functional throughout my taper and post-taper. I am not a complainer and my pain tolerance is pretty high. Yet, for 10 days now I have been having the worst neck tension and pressure in the back of my head. I have had this symptom before, but never to this extent. I am bed-ridden for the first time.

 

 

 

The internist I saw last friday prescribed flexoril, 5mg nightly. It does not seem to be helping.

 

Those of you who have dealt with similar symtoms, is there anything that helps you aliviate them? Maybe the dose of flexoril I am taking is not enough? Would a strong pain medication help? Paracetamol, ibuprophen are not doing anything.

 

I am very uncomfortable, have two small kids to look after and I am getting more and more desperate.

 

I appreciate any words of reasurrance and help

 

Peace

 

Hi, I had a lot of neck and shoulder issues during withdrawal.  I occasionally still have this, but it's much better now.  I don't take any prescription drugs for it, but I do find ibuprofen works well for me.  Three tablets is my usual dose, but I don't take it every day...

[[Pe...]]

Thank you Megan,

 

Ibuorofen isn't helping. Plus, it upsets my stomach. I have had stiff neck and shoulder pain before, throughout withdrawal, but never as severe as now.

I am reading about prescription pain killers, stronger muscle relaxers, cortisone injections and I am getting scared. But I also want this pain to go away so badly. I can barely lift my head :'( :'( :'(

[[me...]]

Thank you Megan,

 

Ibuorofen isn't helping. Plus, it upsets my stomach. I have had stiff neck and shoulder pain before, throughout withdrawal, but never as severe as now.

I am reading about prescription pain killers, stronger muscle relaxers, cortisone injections and I am getting scared. But I also want this pain to go away so badly. I can barely lift my head :'( :'( :'(

 

For me, it's definitely an anxiety symptom, and if I distract myself with something that gets me out of myself, the pain and stiffness lessens.  I also use an electric shoulder-shaped heating pad (sunbeam makes them, they look like small shawls and cost about $34, got mine on amazon).  Hot baths would probably also help (I don't have a bathtub), and I've heard that Epsom salt baths can help.

[[Ki...]]

I have the exact heating pad that Megan is referring to and that's what I use to

My neck/shoulders as well. It does help.

 

Feel better 

[[Pe...]]

Thank you guys. I am not in the US and I don't think heating pads or Epsom salts are available where I live. I will try with a hot shower. Tomorrow I am seeing a doctor. Not sure how to explain that it is probably still benzo withdrawal after 16 months...

[[Te...]]

Epsom salts have magnesium, which is one way they work. OTC magnesium might help, but it can give you loose poop. Cortisone is probably not a good idea, as steroids will ramp you. Opiates? I wouldn't, but that's me. Ditto just about any prescription drugs. I take a beta blocker, something for GERD, and 10 mg prozac for PTSD...would love to quit all of them. Someone out there will chime in with more experience.  mike

[[Fi...]]

Peace--I have been married to my two heating pads for the duration of my withdrawal.  Since I have been coming off of both Xanax AND Oxycodone, I shudder to hear you considering prescription painkillers.  And I worry that the doc might be too eager to give them to you!  Opioids have withdrawal symptoms of there own and I really think more drugs is not the way to get through this.  It would only be temporary relief at best and then a sidetracking.  So sorry you're in so much pain.  Maybe it just represents further healing, as they say?

[[Pe...]]

Thank you Mike and Finallyjoining,

 

I do take magnesium supplements, maybe I should take more?

I am aware of opiate addiction potential, in fact i have a brother who is a codeine addict. But i have to be functional, i can't just wait till the pain goes away. I have two pills of tramadol at home, but i am scared to take them. How quickly can you get hooked up on it? What if it is taken sparingly?

Is there anyrhing else i could take? Has anybody had any luck with acupuncture?

 

 

[[Si...]]

Hi. Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate. You can probably buy it in the pharmacy. They also sell it as "bitter salt" in some countries.

[[Wi...]]

Flexeril has been helpful for me when I have muscle spasms since I believe that's their intended use, but for other pain it wasn't especially effective.  When I was being treated for Graves disease I was on a medication that caused muscle pain and was prescribed Tramedol. It helped tremendously

 

It's kind of a weird drug. It has been recently moved to status of a controlled substance like opiods here in Colorado, but it's in fact a SNRI.  Longer term or ongoing use, like any other serious drug, is not a good idea, but I have found it useful for sporatic use.  But like other opiods they suggest that there the possibility of dependence.  For me, quitting after a couple of days hasn't been an issue.  When the pain is gone, I stop the meds.

 

In addition to the graves problem, I also have labral (cartilage) tear in my hip and osteoarthritis in my hips.  Usually Tylenol and advil are suffienct, but on those occasion they are not, 50 mg of tramadol a couple times a day for a couple days has helped.

 

 

[[Fi...]]

I'm doing acupuncture.  I can't say if it's helping or not, but from everything I read about it, I BELIEVE in it, so I'm just sticking with something that MAY be helping until time does the heavy lifting in the healing process here.

 

I started taking magnesium in the powder form "Calm" when somebody at the gym mentioned it worked like magic for her on her migraines.  I found it cut my need to take my RX migraine meds (Imitrex) to a third of what I'd been taking previously.  I track everything carefully so this seemed proof positive for me!

 

When I was withdrawing from Oxycodone, I hit a place of hyperalgesia which means anything that's going to hurt, hurts worse.  I was registering a 10 on the pain scale with a sinus headache. (not a migraine) I absolutely did not want to take a step backward and take even a crumb of the Oxycodone I still had on hand.  A doc at immediate care explained I could take the max doses of both Tylenol and Ibuprofen at the same time because one is metabolized through the liver, the other through the kidneys.  So I was doing that for several months for pain relief, just to do anything to get me by without doing the opioids.  Later I read how bad ibuprofen is for your gut, though.

 

If your symptoms are withdrawal, the fastest way to well may be to simply endure and suffer as we all seem to.  The good news is that people report these symptoms can go away as fast as they came on.  Yeah, it's a total bitch.  I'm with you on that.  And I'm curious where the heck you are that you can't get a heating pad!  Wow, every time I worry the power might go out, it's my heating pad I know I'd miss the most!

 

WiseWoman says she simply stopped her opioids when the pain was gone no problem.  That's fine if the pain goes away in a day or two, but it only takes about ten days for this shit to get its hooks in you, and then you start having serious withdrawal pain when you try to stop.  Of course most of us aren't informed that this is what the pain's about, so we just keep taking it thinking we still have pain, therefore we still need the meds.  Just be very careful if you dabble with opioids.

 

Hang in there!

[[Wi...]]

Good to know, Finally.  I'll certainly keep that in mind.

[[Pe...]]

Finally, wisewoman, thank you for taking the time. I really appreciate.