Life can be a Pain

[Former-Member]

Hi @Owlunar, this pic looks exactly like me every other day, ouchy!! How about you?  What a pain grr  Actually found this article about a pain medication... Oh best just cut & paste:

[Former-Member]

SCIATICA MEDICATION 'P' A PLACEBO
by Penny Timms, The World Today, abcnewsonline, 23 :03:2017

A drug commonly used to treat the painful condition sciatica is no more effective than a placebo, researchers have found. Sciatica is an uncomfortable condition that causes searing pain, tingling or numbness to shoot along the sciatic nerve, and is usually felt in the lower back and limbs. The drug used to treat the condition,
P# has been available through PBS since 2013, and has been successfully used to treat certain nerve conditions. However, its effectiveness in treating sciatica was unknown, a fact that worried researchers, especially given its popularity.
R#esearchers at the George Institute for global health recruited a group of patients for a test to uncover its
E#ffectiveness. "We randomly
G#ave half of those people the
A#ctive medication, and half of the people the inactive medication," associate professor Christine Lin said. "What we found was that in
B#oth groups of people, they improved over time. "But there was
A#ctually no difference on the important clinical outcomes in those two groups of people." Pofessor
L#in estimated that between 200,000 and 400,000 Australians are affected by sciatica.
"I# think this speaks to the unfortunate situation that most treatments we've used for sciatica don't actually work," she said. "So when this drug first came on the Australian market it became the
N#ew hope."

Drug 'may have harmful effects'
Professor Lin said one of the concerns they had, which led them decide on conducting the study, was that when the drug became available in Australia it turned out to be more popular than anyone had expected. "It's been widely used by prescribers — in its second year of listing the use was about 30 per cent more than the government predicted," she said. "So it just shows how popular it has been. "And there's also information suggesting that this drug may have harmful effects for patients." Twice as many people from the group taking the active medicine reported side effects, compared to those on the placebo. Dizziness was the most common side effect, though in rare cases the drug has also been associated with SUICIDAL THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS and actions. "We hope that this study sends a strong message to doctors and patients out there who are considering using this medication for sciatica," Professor Lin said. "Because what we found was the patients do not get better with this medication, but they actually had more side effects."

Professor Lin said it was important that patients currently taking P... do not take themselves off the medication cold turkey, or without consulting their doctor first, as it needs to be done in a controlled environment.

The study has been published in today's edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.

[Former-Member]

Hi @Owlunar, just wondering what you thought of this post above? And did you worked it out? I've used this drug but didn't help my pain just made me dizzy and now I know it was prescribed by a Dr who knows my struggle with SI. Just negligence! Incompetent! Glad I had the nouse to go off it when she told me to stay on it until you get use to the side affects grr Anyway, where'd you go Dec?

[Owlunar]

Hi @Former-Member

Ouch on the pic of the guy with back pain - I guess that's where it hurts for you too and I don't have my back pain there - my spine hurts lower down and right in the middle - I rarely get sciatica - and I know the pain from sciatica - that is like a fire burning down your leg - that is a blast and for me it happens so fast I could not get to my medication in time to help because it's over so fast - ye-outchie

The pain in my back is from DDD - or degenerative disc disease and spinal cord canal stenosis and the pain tends not to run down my legs - it is pretty much in the same place all the time - L4/L5 and L5/S1 - right in the middle and low down

Yes - I worked out your puzzle and I know what you are saying there and I have heard of that one but I don't know anything about it - but one thing I think about giving people placebos is that it is cruel -

Chronic pain is really hard to treat - and people suffer a lot - in the US which is supposed to be the best country in the world - which is impossible because Australia is - um - the US has a really cruel and paranoid attitude toward people with chronic pain and let's say I am glad I don't have anything to do with the website I used to be in - I could go on and on about that but choose not to - it hurt for a long time after I left but I am over it now

Even so in Australia Pain Clinics vary a lot - and some doctors are very harsh in their attitudes and I can tell you one thing I am told often which makes no sense to me

I have been told that if people take pain medication for chronic pain it makes the pain worse. I have been told that the pain is worse when people stop taking it. Well - my answer is that the pain was there and bad when a person starts taking pain medication and if they stop taking it of course the pain comes back - but the PAIN was there FIRST and it was bad FIRST

That has to be one of life's stupid ideas about pain medication - and it makes me furious and I am told often

I am shoving my soap box under the table again now - enough said

I got what you wrote Tawnz

Dec

[Former-Member]

Hi @Owlunar, thinking of you 🙂

[Owlunar]

Hi @Former-Member

I like your new pic - I am trying to figure out how to get another one up for myself

Today I feel as flat as a tack and the back has a permanent uncomfortable feeling - oh gee - I get so tired when the weather is going to change and that is about to happen

Otherwise I am fine - just thinking about my bossy cat - if feels about to rain and maybe thunder - she is so bossy at times I am amazed that she feels so powerful when she is so little

I hope you are okay - thanks for the tag

Dec

[Former-Member]

Thanks @Owlunar, Sorry you're feeling flat, weather affects me too and wounds like your bones are reacting to a barometer drop. I can't tell you anything you don't already know about pain. Hang in there!

. I had urge to do few outside things before the rain sets in today (tropical low from cyclone), may have over done it, poor ankle bad. Back not so much, mostly just when I first get up.

You're the first one to comment on my new profile pic, dasies by the water, looks happier I think, and I like the water - re 'Flower on the water' affect re last weekends Flower Ceremony by the river.

While clucking around outside the parrots were singing overhead - 3 king parrots, yellow Rosella and rainbow lorekeets - maybe just that time of day. Stopped for a break and looked at my legs - noooo! So many mossies, run!

Anyway, you be kind to yourself and chatty putty tat, chin up xox

[Owlunar]

Hi @Former-Member

The change has just come through - down here they come across thousands of km of Southern Ocean from the South Pole so they are kinda chilly - but I am glad I kept my bossy chatty cat inside -

Yeah - we have been taking it easy today

I don't know how near you are to TC Debbie now it has moved inland - I have heard it was very destructive and slow moving - let's hope it has blown most of it's energy out aleady

Gotta close the doors and windows but the salty air smells so good and there are a bunch of sea birds blown off course by the wind

I went outside to look and oohh - after all the heat it's really a bit cold out there - and no rain yet

Dec

[Shaz51]

Hello @Owlunar

how are you today my friend

[Owlunar]

Hi @Shaz51

Thanks for asking - I do appreciate that

I am feeling better than I did earlier - and I decided to look here to write up my feelings earlier today - because today it is one year since I first joined as Decadian - and for the same reason I feel a bit down-in-the-dumps - though it is not as bad as it was this morning

Last Easter I had a fall and I spent the whole of Easter in one chair with my foot elevated in the other and the weather was lousy and it was Easter so nothing happened and no one came except the paramedics to help me up after the fall - and I would not go to hospital about it - it was okay just resting

But Easter 1986 fell on the same weekend - and it was something I could not shake off - never can because I have the story of the anniversary to tell - my 20th wedding anniversary actually - though our marriage was long over and we were two people sharing a house because neither of us could manage the kids alone and they wanted to be together

Easter Monday was the 31st - wedding anniversary - I did not expect even a happy anniversary from anyone - but here we were - son due to go into the Juvenile Justice Centre after Easter (I have no idea where he was at the time) and then-h working Sunday night and Sunday morning on the cabs and I get the bang on the door from hell in the middle of the night

It was the father of my daughter's friend - was she at our place? - was our daughter at home? - neither of them were - we rang the police and it turned out three of them them were running around the neighbourbood at about 3.00am - so there were other parents in my lounge with the police when they found the kids and brought them in to talk to us - they got a talking to from the police and this I went on with when everyone until everyone left and my dd went to bed - and after all that I went to sleep -

What!!!!!

Yeah - another phonecall - this time it was daylight and then-h rang up - his vehicle broke down - could I come and get him - I told him to get public transport like other people and I would tell him what happened overnight when he got home - and all this time son was still missing

I broke my glasses - I forget how now - but wearing old ones for the rest of the day made the world look strange - and I found I was getting sinusitis - and by this time then-h and dd had been brought up to speed in everyone's book and son was still missing and I planned an early night - but was cursed for that - the police had my son and wanted me to get him.

I said no - but after arguing with the police for a while I went down to the police station and told the police he would be going into the Juvenile Justice Centre the next day and could they keep him where he could not run off for the night - short story - they did - but it was late before I got home.

I like to keep my rants to the fewest I guess - but tomorrow is the anniversary of that terrible day - expecting that call from the police at any time - all the time - it happened all the time - and I do admit that there were times when the local police were my best friends

Life does go on - but this anniversary happens ever year - and I guess last year I did not feel like I knew anyone well enough to tell this story or if I did I have forgotten - but that was what happened last year

Sorry Shaz - you are the only one I tagged - but the story is for anyone who reads it - who finds it -

I start getting very tired at this time of year

Dec

😒