What would you do - return of chronic pain and muscle spasms

[[Ma...]]

I was started on Clonazepam for anxiety related in part to some chronic pain from an accident I was experiencing back in 2014.  I’ve had some struggles with my taper in the last year, but have done reasonably well until the last couple months, going from 1mg all the way to .25. But now I have a problem: the pain and spasms I was having in my leg and pelvis in 2014 when this started have returned.  I can’t sit for more than an hour without pain.  I can’t have sex without pain.  I can’t exercise my legs without pain.  I can’t get on an airplane.  Etc etc.  In a nutshell, it’s ruining my life.  I’ve had a lot of tests to rule out more serious things and seen 2 different specialists who have come to the same conclusion.  The treatment - you guessed it: Valium, given as a suppository to relax the spasming muscles in my pelvis.  

I’m pretty sure it will alleviate the pain and spasming and allow me to regain some quality of life, but not 100% sure.  But if it does work and I’m able to function without this level of pain, at 51 years old,  I’m not sure the value of getting off Benzos is as great as the value of being functional, which I largely was until this pain came back and reared its ugly head.  I discussed with the physician and she thoroughly understood and sympathized with my reluctance to do this.  I am tempted to try them for a couple weeks to see if they work.  What would you do?  

Edited June 19 by [Ma...]
Typo

[[WU...]]

Personally I wouldn't touch another benzo again!  There has to be another way.

Maybe try reading Howard Schubiner Unlearn Your Pain or Alan Gordon The Way Out. Many others out there all talking about the mind and body.  I wish I'd known about all this before when I was prescribed valium for chronic neck pain. 

In your case it would be a shame after tapering down to have to go back up again especially with no guarantee they would work anyway and possibly make things worse in the long term.  What about the cause of pelvic spasm?  Valium is only going to mask the problem and not fix it.  As I said already there has to be another way.  

[[Ma...]]

2 minutes ago, [[W...] said:

In your case it would be a shame after tapering down to have to go back up again especially with no guarantee they would work anyway and possibly make things worse in the long term.  What about the cause of pelvic spasm?  Valium is only going to mask the problem and not fix it.  As I said already there has to be another way.  

Appreciate your words…I think the thinking was that if I can break the pain/tension cycle and get into physical therapy, a couple weeks may be all that is needed.  Definitely appreciate your reluctance to ever be on a benzo again though.  I also need to read about the absorption as a suppository as I’m sure it’s lower.  

[[WU...]]

1 minute ago, [[M...] said:

break the pain/tension cycle

Yes that was what my original doctor told me 25 years ago and yet here I am ! 

I firmly believe this is a nervous system issue with tension and the subconscious mind involved, oh yes I would never have believed it either but I do now!  Not easy to get to the route cause but that is how we will fix our pain forever, not with pills.

Maybe try this video discussing a guy's success story with pelvic pain syndrome and other issues in the same area. Just another perspective, something else to think about before taking those awful pills!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ93aUZz4mM

 

[[Kr...]]

2 hours ago, [[M...] said:

I’ll start this by saying I’m a physician and I have no idea what I should do.  I was started on Clonazepam for anxiety related in part to some chronic pain from an accident I was experiencing back in 2014.  I’ve had some struggles with my taper in the last year, but have done reasonably well until the last couple months, going from 1mg all the way to .25. But now I have a problem: the pain and spasms I was having in my leg and pelvis in 2014 when this started have returned.  I can’t sit for more than an hour without pain.  I can’t have sex without pain.  I can’t exercise my legs without pain.  I can’t get on an airplane.  Etc etc.  In a nutshell, it’s ruining my life.  I’ve had a lot of tests to rule out more serious things and seen 2 different specialists who have come to the same conclusion.  The treatment - you guessed it: Valium, given as a suppository to relax the spasming muscles in my pelvis.  

I’m pretty sure it will alleviate the pain and spasming and allow me to regain some quality of life, but not 100% sure.  But if it does work and I’m able to function without this level of pain, at 51 years old,  I’m not sure the value of getting off Benzos is as great as the value of being functional, which I largely was until this pain came back and reared its ugly head.  I discussed with the physician and she thoroughly understood and sympathized with my reluctance to do this.  I am tempted to try them for a couple weeks to see if they work.  What would you do?  

Pelvic floor issues suck. I have all those symptoms. There are some great you tube video with at home pt programs. Especially this one clinic in Philadelphia. 

[[Cr...]]

@[Ma...]

Since you are a physician I assume that means you have tried almost all other non-benzo type medications for relief like muscle relaxers and off-label use pain medications. Have you looked in Trigger Point injections or an extended round of aggressive physical therapy?

I am terribly sorry you are put in a position where you have to make a choice between using even more benzos or suffering a lot of pain.  Before resigning yourself to those being the only two choices, I would continue to get more opinions and seek out other specialists. 

[[Kr...]]

55 minutes ago, [[C...] said:

Have you looked in Trigger Point injections or an extended round of aggressive physical therapy

Have you done these? They hurt like hell especially in the pelvic area. 

[[Cr...]]

I had to undergo intense physical therapy for chronic sciatica pain. It got so bad pain relievers and muscle relaxers, along with daily stretches barely helped. After many weeks of physical therapy I finally started improving albeit slowly. Before that I was looking up Trigger Point injections incase the physical therapy did not help.

So i personally don't know how painful TPI is, but I depending on the pain intensity and duration of my ailment I would probably have considered it. Especially if the only other choice presented to me was long-term treatment with benzos.

You have TPI experience? If so was the result worth the pain of the treatment?

[[...]]

Maybe consider seeing a pain physician if you haven't already.  I would think diazepam suppository works more centrally than peripherally and most will get uptaked via blood stream rapidly.  Depending on the etiology of pain, many things can be considered from Botox, therapy, baclofen, gabapentin, low dose naltrexone, tpi, ganglion impar block, neuromodulation, etc.

Edited June 20 by [...]
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