buckthorn

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  • October 20, 2019 at 8:21 pm

    Update: the doctors added Flexeril (cyclobenzaprine), as well as a sleep aid (trazodone) to my bedtime meds and it seems to have worked. I have slept 6-7 hours each of the last three nights without waking up in the middle of the night with pain. When I do wake up, there’s usually some pain. The doctors have changed my dose of baclofen to three scheduled doses spread through the day. The early morning dose of baclofen helps to head off some of the pain. So I do have some discomfort when I get up in the morning, but usually with time and a little physical activity, the pain completely subsides within an hour or so. And, most importantly, I get a good night’s sleep.

    October 13, 2019 at 9:36 pm

    Thanks @Jim-LA. I have no doubt that the nerves are a deep cause, since nerve damage is what GBS is all about. But treatments that focus on nerve-based pain, such as gabapentin, have no effect. The only thing that seems to help is Baclofen, which is not mentioned in many recent threads. Maybe more people get nerve pain than the leg muscle “freak-out fest” (my term) that I am experiencing. Apparently it’s not easy to figure out the best dosage for Baclofen, since everyone is different. It has a half-life of about 5 and a half hours, which matches my experience exactly. Baclofen also has the added advantage (for me) of causing drowsiness, although that could be a potential problem if you take it too late in the morning and have a demanding morning therapy schedule. I had a sit-down with my rehab doctor today, and we agreed on increasing the initial dosage and two optional supplementary doses overnight. I am also considering moving from the bed to a lounger to see whether that helps.

    Apologies for being a bit long-winded. Thanks for your suggestions and for listening.