Reply To: Cold weather and muscle weakness

I was diagnosed with GBS in 1981. I was lucky enough to be accepted into the experimental plasmapheresis studies that proved to be successful for a treatment instead of the high dose corticosteroids (prednisone, etc…) which tended to make things worse and have horrible side effects. I’ve insisted ever since that I can tell when large low pressure gradients like cold fronts and especially tropical and nor-easter type systems came close to me. I’ve told people days before it was going to rain, just by the pain increasing in mainly my feet (they never recovered completely and I have dealt with pain in them always). The pain always gets worse a couple days before rain and continues through until the front passes. Winter time has always been hell for me. I complained since the early ’80’s of my problems noted. The doctors didn’t know too much about GBS and it’s variants then. I’ve noticed that most people tell me the same exact thing on the boards. Winter (cold weather) does seem to make things, especially pain, much worse than any time of year. I’ve though seriously of moving to a climate that doesn’t have “seasons”, just to avoid winter. So far I’ve just grinned and bared the pain. I can’t tell you the times I’d be curled up in tears because my feet hurt so bad. Although there are many treatments for the chronic pain that can come along with the residuals. I still have those horrible days of pain that I just sometimes can barely take. Opiate narcotics I’ve found have little to no effect on the neuropathic pain. I have found a new one that does seem to offer significant relief. Getting your insurance company to cover it is a different story. Nucynta, which is the active component that your liver turns tramadol (Ultram) into seems to have great effect. It’s very pricey, but if you can afford it or can get insurance to cover it you might give it a try. I only take it during the extreme days, because it is addictive like other narcotics. Demerol and methadone, I’ve been told has similar effects but, not as strong as Nucynta. Not everyone can take methadone or Demerol either. I know Demerol really messes up my senses, and I definitely can’t drive on it. Nucynta, I personally, never found any “euphoric or other mind altering side effect” like the others. I hope this helps. I am taking the highest dose of Lyrica and I can’t tolerate Cymbalta. I did find that Brintellix had a strong effect on the chronic pain after trying it as an antidepressant. It is not listed for use in neuropathy, so it would need to be prescribed for depression. It is worth a try if Cymbalta or High dose Effexor aren’t tolerated. I hope this is of help to you and others that are seeking help in residual pain.