Delriver: Crippled with neuropathic pain developed during AD use (not during WD), it's been 4 months...

[Delriver]

Hi, I'm a Spanish member who developed neuropathic pain in both legs during 2 months of successive trials with 3 ADs (2 weeks desvenlafaxine, 2 weeks amitriptyline, 4 weeks imipramine), during last December and January mostly. 

 

The pain subsided mildly but not totally after stopping them and now the pain is usually a 6 and a 7.5 during waves, I really don't have actual windows. 

 

I do take mirtazapine 15 mg and tolerate it well since 2 years ago, when it was prescribed to deal with very severe IBS pain. But the combination with the aforementioned ADs shattered my nervous system, my IBS pain (which was a 5) disappeared and was replaced by this torture in my legs. 

 

It's now 4 months off the ADs that destroyed me, I am desperate for other people's experiences since I don't think I'm any better after all this time...

 

PS: I have an extreme food intolerance with the IBS, I've been practically disabled for the last 3 years (30 now) and unable to eat anything appart from white meat, white fish and rice. Recent electromiogram is negative for neuropathy, lumbar RM shows Schmorl's hernia with edema in L5, but Drs don't think that's the cause of the burning pains.

 

 

 

This is my history with meds:

 

I began with extreme IBS pain, and my first year tried all kinds of natural approaches and diets. I ended up eating 3-4 things and still with crippling pain. Then... 

 

Dec 2018 to Sep 2019: Mirtazapine 15 (pain reduced from 7-8 to a 5) 

 

Sep 2019 to Oct 2019: Mirtazapine 15 + Olanzapine 2.5

 

Nov 2019 (2 weeks): Mirtazapine 15 + Duloxetine 30 (gave me extreme nausea after 12 days, but it was working for the pain)

 

Dec 2019 (2 weeks): Mirtazapine 15 + Desvenlafaxine 50 (5/10 IBS pain disappears and 7/10 neuropathic pain appears in both legs) 

 

Dec 2019 to January 2020 (2 weeks): Mirtazapine 15 + Amitriptyline 20 (burning gets worse) 

 

January 2020 to Feb 2020 (4 weeks): Mirtazapine 15 + Imipramine 25 (burning gets much worse, I'm ready to quit after 2 weeks, but Dr claims the pain will subside if I keep taking it, after 4 weeks the pain is brutal, I stop imipramine on the 10th of Feb and keep just the mirtazapine, pain gets a bit better) 

 

March 2020 to April 2020 (1 month): I stop mirtazapine to see if it's causing the burning pain, with inconclusive findings. After a month WD kicks in, can't sleep and the pain is way worse, I reintroduce and symptoms calm down after 3-4 weeks. I still take the mirtazapine 15 and haven't done more changes.

 

Edited June 3, 2020 by Gridley

[Gridley]

Welcome to SA, Delriver.

 

You had an adverse reaction to one or more of the desvenlafaxine, amitriptilyne and imipramine, which basically means the drug(s) are poison to your system.  Your body tried to reject the poison, throwing your central nervous system into chaos.  Symptoms of an adverse reaction are similar to those of withdrawal, though the cause is different.  

insistpersistresist: Muscle pain and burning - Introductions and ...

You will heal, but unfortunately we can't predict how long it will take.  

 

The following link may be helpful in deal with your leg pain:

Non-drug techniques for dealing with body pain - Symptoms ...

We don't recommend a lot of supplements on SA, as many members report being sensitive to them due to our over-reactive nervous systems, but two supplements that we do recommend are magnesium and omega 3 (fish oil). Many people find these to be calming to the nervous system. 

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

Add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems.

 

This is your Introduction topic, where you can ask questions and connect with other members.  We're glad you found your way here.

 

 

 

 

[Delriver]

3 minutes ago, Gridley said:

Welcome to SA, Delriver.

 

You had an adverse reaction to one or more of the desvenlafaxine, amitriptilyne and imipramine, which basically means the drug(s) are poison to your system.  Your body tried to reject the poison, throwing your central nervous system into chaos.  Symptoms of an adverse reaction are similar to those of withdrawal, though the cause is different.  

insistpersistresist: Muscle pain and burning - Introductions and ...

You will heal, but unfortunately we can't predict how long it will take.  

 

The following link may be helpful in deal with your leg pain:

Non-drug techniques for dealing with body pain - Symptoms ...

We don't recommend a lot of supplements on SA, as many members report being sensitive to them due to our over-reactive nervous systems, but two supplements that we do recommend are magnesium and omega 3 (fish oil). Many people find these to be calming to the nervous system. 

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

Add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems.

 

This is your Introduction topic, where you can ask questions and connect with other members.  We're glad you found your way here.

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Gridley

 

I don't know if it's more of a peripheral nervous system issue, rather than central, since the burning only occurs in my legs and I didn't/don't have any mental side effects or any other issues in the rest of my body (I did develop gynecomastia, but that's a hormonal issue, and another drug -that I already stopped months ago- may have been the main culprit). 

 

About the supplements, I have tried magnesium carbonate before (for constipation, since I can't eat any fiber), but it made the pain worse, I don't tolerante it well. And the fish oil would also give me problems since I don't tolerate any other fatty fish (just white fish), the fats, even healthy, insaturated fats, kill my belly and aggravate the pain tremendously.

 

Have you known of more cases like mine (burning pain during AD use that doesn't fully subside after stopping them)? I'm really desperate here, it's been 4 months but the advances have been so poor/nonexistent...

 

Thanks a lot

 

 

 

[Gridley]

1 hour ago, Delriver said:

Have you known of more cases like mine (burning pain during AD use that doesn't fully subside after stopping them)? I'm really desperate here, it's been 4 months but the advances have been so poor/nonexistent...

 

Courtlynns, one of our members, reported 

"My head burned immediately after taking Escitalopram, probably within 30-50 minutes. Healing will take a good while."

 

Burning sensations are very common in withdrawal, and the symptoms stemming from withdrawal are very similar to those due to an adverse reaction such as yours  If you Google SurvivingAntidepressants.org burning pain, you will see several threads devoted to this unfortunately common symptom.  There are members who have written in to say the burning sensations resolved.

 

1 hour ago, Delriver said:

I didn't/don't have any mental side effects or any other issues in the rest of my body

 

Adverse reaction/withdrawal symptoms can be mental, emotional or physical.  Some people have more physical symptoms, others mental or emotion and some have all three.

 

1 hour ago, Delriver said:

4 months but the advances have been so poor/nonexistent...

 

Unfortunately, 4 months isn't that long a time in these situations.  I wish I could tell you when the symptoms will go away, but the only thing I can say with confidence, based on our experience here, is that they will go away.