Question! 911

Hi Mike! Nerve pain is a b*tch. I've used gabepentin in the past for nerve pain and it helped some. There is also Lyrica, Topamax, and other such meds. Working in a primary care office for over a year has gotten me used to drug names, haha. Naproxen is nice, but it's an anti-inflammatory and not really used for strictly nerve pain. Hope you are taking it with food every time.. stomach ulcers are no fun. I take 500mg etodolac twice a day these days for my newly fun torn shoulder pain, another strong anti-inflammatory. I also take the dredded opioid as needed and only at night when the shoulder gets real bad. But, once it's fixed up in January I can say goodbye to pain meds!

Typically while you are still active in treatment your oncologist is the one to deal with side effect management. Your primary care doc should be informed of any new medications or treatments, but anything directly related to cancer should come from the oncologist. Post-treatment it would defer back to the PCP to be your main point of contact for health issues and medications. I didn't stick around Kaiser long enough once I was diagnosed so I am not sure if they do it a little differently there.

Hope you had a great turkey day yesterday! 

I've always dealt with my oncologist's office for Nivo side effects. They know what to expect and how aggressively to treat. Nerve pain can't be fun. Is acupuncture an option?

I think it depends on the side effect. When I got whacked with Type 1 Diabetes as an adverse effect from Nivolumab, I was referred to an endocrinologist. If you go through your PCP or another doctor, just make sure that the other doctor and your oncologist are in communication. 

Hi Mike,

My mom (nerve pain after shingles) finally got good relief from a combination of gabapentin, duloxetine, and occasional tramadol. The tramadol is a synthetic opioid but lower addiction potential than the oxycodone/hydrocodine which don’t really work welll for neuropathic pain. 

Hope you find some relief soon.

Hey Mike, like everyone else I use gabapentin For the nerve pain in my foot. I still get those sharp stabbing pain’s and gabapentin usually does the trick and my oncologist Said it is perfectly fine to take with treatment.  Nerve pain is the worst, I hope you can get some kind of relief! 

Kris