Did you take your meds today?

[Lestat]

I haven't, hyke. I need to get one. ATM I am just popping into the garden every once in a while, and turning the hose on, and just pointing it skywards, so I get covered in a nice icy cold rain.

Just been to my docs today, wasn't the usual guy I like to see, but the woman I saw is ok, if not so generous as my usual guy. Got her to put me on something new though, shes added gabapentin to my med regime, its kind of an oddball, with only one clinically used relative, pregabalin (lyrica). Both alpha2delta-type voltage-gated calcium channel agonists, for controlling my neuropathic pain, which resulted from the meatball surgery inflicted on my bad knee.

And WOW...what can I say...I am most impressed.  Neuropathic pain is generally a total bitch to treat, opioids do not touch it, well, they do make it more bearable, but only in the sense of 'I am still hurting, but I really could give less of a shit right now' type of relief. Pain is there, but masked by the warm opiate fuzzies.

This on the other hand, actually stops the burning, tingling, and intermittent 'lightening bolt upside 'yer CNS' type sensations. And its also relaxing, having some pharmacological properties in common with benzodiazepines (which its seemingly crosstolerant with to a degree), and its done a great job on the otherwise constant, and very, very painful muscle spasms I get in my left leg. Walking to go berry-picking just a few minutes ago, I was in very little pain, even without much opiates in my system. I did have a pot of poppy pod tea at around 3-4am yesterday, but no oxycontin since the day before. And a small shot of dipropionyl-heroin (H, but rather than acetylating morphine, propionyl chloride is used, its stronger, slightly slower acting, but also longer acting). But that had mostly worn off. I would have been in a whole world of pain if I hadn't had the gabapentin.

I think after a week or two, I'll ask my doc to up the dose a little, after giving my body time to adjust to it, but I don't think it will need that much more, as its pretty damn effective as is. Such a relief, I've been tormented by that neuropathic pain for a long time. The only things that have brought relief otherwise, have been low-dose ketamine analogs, eticyclidine, or 4-methoxy-PCP.

['andersom']

Neuropathic pain sucks. I rather give birth to twins, without sedation, not even for the stitches, than have an attack of that again. First thing I do, when I feel it coming is call my physiotherapist. She's a treasure, she knows how to bring me huge relief. And she can be part of preventing it from getting worse.

[Queen Victoria]

Yes, I did.  The PR, on the other hand, is being non-compliant.  She had a major seizure this evening.  She has sworn to do better.  (Yes, I do tell her to take her meds, lay them out for her, but don't follow up since I have other things I need to do.  She should be more reliable.)

[Lestat]

I hope the PR feels better soon. Seizures blow, and does the post-ictal brain-fried-shitty feeling afterwards that tends to linger.

Haven't had one in quite some time, thanks to my meds, but the last one was ugly, sent me arse over tit down the stairs, taking them every step at a time, after first whacking my face against several hard objects trying to get somewhere safe as it came on. Split my face open, scarred pretty bad, ended up coming to in the ICU having almost lost an eye, knocked myself clean out going flying down the stairs, with some sonofawhore coming at me with a rig full of narcan (opiate antagonist, the stuff they stick smackheads with that OD, brings them round, saves their life, but makes the person on the receiving end wish they hadn't, by putting them into a full-blown turbocharged precipitated withdrawal. Came round JUST in time to grab hold of the medic's arm, and stop that happening) as I HADN'T overdosed, but had a myoclonic seizure, completely unrelated.

That VERY nearly turned from 'ugly' to 'just kill me quickly and get it the fuck over with already'

[Queen Victoria]

Thanks Lestat.  The PR doesn't feel up to bowling today, so even 12 hours later it's telling on her.  I am going to make sure she takes her meds, even if it makes me a mean, evil mother.

[odeon]

I did. I think.

[Lestat]

Sort of.

But for pain control I've been stuck with poppy pod tea. Although I did just finish cooking up a shot of home-baked 6-monoacetyl (mostly) and some, but less, diacetylmorphine black tar skag. Testing the pod isolate I've been working hard at all day. Nice fucking rush to say the least

Should be good when its refined down to something white and crystalline, and propionylated in place of acetylation...should be REAL good.

['Butterflies']

After my epic snotfest of a week ago, Ive managed to remember to take my hayfever pills every day

[Queen Victoria]

Most of them.

[Lestat]

Why she bitch about taking her meds? I'd have thought seizures were the lesser of two evils.

I don't mind taking my antiseizure meds (chlormethiazole), as I don't get any side effects from it at all, other than it helping me sleep, and making alcohol phenomenally potent. (a few pints of beer, and I'm on the floor, compared to being able to drink a pint and a half of spirits in a single shot whilst not having the med in my system)

[Queen Victoria]

Why she bitch about taking her meds? I'd have thought seizures were the lesser of two evils.

I don't mind taking my antiseizure meds (chlormethiazole), as I don't get any side effects from it at all, other than it helping me sleep, and making alcohol phenomenally potent. (a few pints of beer, and I'm on the floor, compared to being able to drink a pint and a half of spirits in a single shot whilst not having the med in my system)

She's been taking epilepsy meds for 21 years (since she was 3).  We're both tired of it.  And I agree, the seizures are the lesser of the two evils. 

The epilepsy meds are lamotrigine (Lamictil) and Zonegran (zonisamide).

[Lestat]

Lamotrigine isn't too bad, at least, unless you are one of the tiny minority who's skin all falls off. That sounds like it pretty much sucks ass

My former housemate was on it for bipolar, and it got left here when i kicked her out for being a psychotic devilbitch borderline fuckweasel. So I've ended up using it a few times when trouble was going to happen. No experience with zonisamide personally though. Chlormethiazole and an alpha2 adrenoreceptor agonist (clonidine, although this is by no means an anticonvulsant, but I think what might be causing my myoclonus and myoclonic seizures, is an overproduction of (nor)-adrenaline) and even on its own it helps a great deal. Not a typical case though.

I hope PR is feeling better after that last one. *hugs*

[Lestat]

No I didn't. I haven't got a bean.

Just going to pick up my refill now, having taken my last doses last night (plus a pot of pod tea, as the oxy wasn't doing enough, and my leg was really hurting badly, cramping like a bitch. The pod brew though helped ease that pretty well, thanks to all that yummy morphine/codeine/thebaine goodness:))   (thebaine is actually not much of an opioid, rather, it is a strycnine-like convulsant poison, but its present in small quantities, and like small doses of strychnine, give poppy pod tea its stimulating, peppy properties that oral morphine or/and codeine on their own do not possess.

[odeon]

Not yet, but I will.

['andersom']

yes!