No Relief At Sight

I told my orthopedic surgeon this morning about my breathing problems and he said it is unlikely Pregabalin would have caused it unless I am allergic to it. So now he is prescribing me a new but stronger medication, Neurontin.  This time round, I am not buying the medication from the hospital because I can buy from external pharmacies for 40% cheaper! Furthermore, I thought of buying smaller quantities of the medicine at a time in case I may have problems with it. The doctor said unless a MRI is performed, he would not know which particular nerve is giving the problem. He said my nerve problem is unlikely to be caused by a slip disc. He said if the nerve is not important, he can then inject a drug directly to the affected nerve to numb it. If medication cannot help, then it is most likely there is nothing that can be done about it. Perhaps this is where I think a chiropractor can help unless the nerve pain is due to a nerve inflammation. I am thinking of trying out the new medication for one week first before proceeding with the MRI which I plan to take sometime next week.

I got up much earlier than usual today to prepare myself for meeting the doctor. I had my morning enema, brekfast and then prepare and pack some juices before I left for the hospital. The nurse had told me to come at 9am for the appointment but instead I chose to go at 10.00am. When I arrived the doctor was not in and he was doing his morning rounds in the hospital ward. After consultation, I went home quickly because I was having some stomach discomfort. I was also hungry, took some lunch and went back to my room to rest. I was also feeling tired and sleepy. I thought I will go out later in the afternoon to buy my medication after resting.

I  need to get my legs in order because I will be going to India around mid November for my Buddhist pilgrimage. When I planned the trip in March 2011, my legs were fine but an unfortunate turn of events since then, I am having difficulty walking.

About Neurontin
Pain is one of the most unpleasant feelings of human body. Nervous excitability, if abnormally increased, leads to various disorders. Medicines are available to relieve such impairments. Neurontin is a drug that was initially designed to mimic the action of GABA, a naturally found neurotransmitter inhibitor. Neurontin is an effective drug that provides cure for epileptic syndrome and pain.

Neurontin, chemically called as Gabapentin, was expected to neutralize the nerve impulse at the point of its transmission which is the normal action of GABA, but it differed in its mechanism of action. Although its role in the neutralization of nerve action potential was quite positive, it acted in another way by effecting calcium channels. GABA is natural inhibitors of action potentials that regulate the chloride and potassium channels in a way to neutralize the negativity of the action potential across the neuronal cellular membrane thus causing hyper polarization. Neurontin or Gabapentin affected the calcium channels instead and inhibited the release of the neurotransmitters thereby reducing the excitability and countermanding the increase in the excitatory levels in epilepsy.

Some of the side effects of the medicine include drowsiness, peripheral edema. Children of age 10 were observed to be susceptible to hostility, mood swings and hyperactivity. It may cause toxicity of liver and kidney. Overdosage of the drug might lead to blurred vision, slurred speech or even coma.