United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

I researched burners and stingers and only found info relating to shoulder area. I had these only in my hand a few weeks ago. Now they extend up to my elbow. None yet in upper arm. Is this normal? Also the pain is increasing weekly along with the spreading, I only take 300mg Gabapentin/Neurontin about 6 times a day.

Allison;
I don't know the extent, or the time frame of your injury but the pain I had early (3-6 months) pretty much went the same way. After a few month my hand pain tamed down, but 15 months post wreck I still struggle with the forearm "shooters", thats as far up my arm as the nerve pain has gone.
I take 1200mg of neurontin 3X a day. For me this dose seems pretty benign, but definetly tones down the burners. Onepaw

My family doctor looked in the medication book and said "you can increase your gabapentin to 1200mg day from 900 mg day. He said 2400 mg is the maximum that can be taken. Am i suffering needlessly? Today is the worst I felt so far. This is week ten since the accident. No surgery in the future yet.

Allison
I can't say what the recomended maximum dose of neurontin is, but I have had Doctors raise an eyebrow at everything from 2400mg on up but I have attended a respectable pain clinic where they did not think that 3600mg was anywhere near max for me.(6'3 180lbs)
What you need to keep in mind is that Neurontin is not a pain killer "per se",it is an anti-epelectic drug that basically slows down the interactions between your nerve axions and the pain receptors in your brain, the way I understand it anyway.
You can ameliorate it, you can dope yourself up, but sooner or later you are going to have to deal with your pain, nothing that I have found will stop it. But you are,- in my experience at least, at the low point of dealing with pain, it will get better.
I am of the opinion that one is far better off on heavier amounts of Neurontin to slow down the Neuro-inputs of pain than trying to deal with it later by narcotics. Remember that narcotics will trash your endorphin levels and leave you potentially suseptable to more pain.
Maybe this is where we really do find out what we are made of Allison, if you ever felt that you needed a challenge,-this is it!
Good for you- taking the initiative to write in, you seem to be strong and smart,- two things you have over me, and regardless I've made it so far. You'll be alright, please beieve me. Onepaw

Allison
I can't say what the recomended maximum dose of neurontin is, but I have had Doctors raise an eyebrow at everything from 2400mg on up but I have attended a respectable pain clinic where they did not think that 3600mg was anywhere near max for me.(6'3 180lbs)
What you need to keep in mind is that Neurontin is not a pain killer "per se",it is an anti-epelectic drug that basically slows down the interactions between your nerve axions and the pain receptors in your brain, the way I understand it anyway.
You can ameliorate it, you can dope yourself up, but sooner or later you are going to have to deal with your pain, nothing that I have found will stop it. But you are,- in my experience at least, at the low point of dealing with pain, it will get better.
I am of the opinion that one is far better off on heavier amounts of Neurontin to slow down the Neuro-inputs of pain than trying to deal with it later by narcotics. Remember that narcotics will trash your endorphin levels and leave you potentially suseptable to more pain.
Maybe this is where we really do find out what we are made of Allison, if you ever felt that you needed a challenge,-this is it!
Good for you- taking the initiative to write in, you seem to be strong and smart,- two things you have over me, and regardless I've made it so far. You'll be alright, please beieve me. Onepaw

Onepaw
Thanks again, I haven't gone over 2100 mg/day yet. The pain is actually tolerable today. I'm only 4'11', so I think 2400mg/day would be the max for me.

Allison,
Hi hope things are getting better. Something you should know about neurotin. I was taking 2400 mg three times a day. Also I was taking something with phenagan and demorol. This was Dr. percribed. As you can imagine it did help with the pain, but it also gave me a seizure. This was two weeks ago and I have quit taking EVERYTHING, the pain sometimes is unbearable. I had this acc. 16 years ago. So Iam going to learn to live with this pain somehow. It's got to be better than all of the narcotics.
Good Luck,
Rusty

Rusty
Now that is a bunch of Neurontin! i don't know if you have been through the whole "natural " pain control gambit or not but one thing they do impress on you is that your body's own pain suppressing chemical endorphins are trashed by pain killers, especially narcotics and usually take 6 months to regenerate after you start exercising and quit the drugs. This was the case with me when I got off the narcotics, I'm still doing the Neurontin, but after six months the pain has gotten somewhat better, on narcotics things were going pretty much straight down hill. Onepaw

Interesting thing about Neurontin. I heard a report on NPR last month about the controversial "off-label" use some doctors are prescribing it for, even though the FDA has not approved it for this use: bi-polar disorder (i.e. manic depression). I called my doctor to make sure that along with easing my shooting pains, it wasn't also altering my moods. She said not to worry, that unless you have a mood disorder to be stabilized in the first place, Neurontin will not affect you in that way.

Just thought I'd share.
Carolyn

Hello Allison, I take 2400mg of Neurontin a day & I have to say it does help a little bit with burners & stingers up your arm, I only get my pain from my hand to my elbow, none in the upper arm. You have to remember it doesn't work for everyone, you might need to try another drug or a combination of drugs, try & keep yourself busy, it does work. Goodluck, and hang in there.
Bigsel Scottish tbpi.