I feel as if my body is gradually surcumming to MS. I am stiff and have tightness from just under my ribs, through to my tummy, it can be very painful. Also it seems to be creeping up from my feet through my legs and each day some other part of me seems to feel like it’s numb or at any rate has Neuropathic feeling.
I take Baclofen and Amitriptyline for this; does anyone know of other drugs that could help with the tightness and pain. Do you think Sativex (or derivative) could help?
Tolerance isn’t a huge problem with Baclofen, so you don’t usually have to increase because of that. However, I don’t need to tell you MS is a progressive disease, so the same dose won’t necessarily be enough forever. Do you have some margin to increase, or are you already at or near the max?
If you’ve been getting on well with your existing meds, I would think a first step would be to find out if the problems can be eased by a simple tweak in dose.
I would get the OK from GP or MS nurse first, Wendy - not least because if not, you’ll need your repeat prescription sooner than expected, and they might think you’re flogging them on the black market, or something!
But you’re on quite a modest dose, so I wouldn’t have thought raising it should be hugely controversial. Just tell them what you’ve told us: that the spasticity seems worse, and your usual dose isn’t doing the trick any more.
I too take Baclofen but noticed when the temperature drops my stiffness and spasms increase? Could it be according to blood flow I wonder? Anyhow I commented today that as the weather gets colder I get stiffer and none other msers stated they did.
Perhaps your going through a wee bit of relapse? Im definitely walking stiffer. I would try keeping warm whilst your feeling like you are and hope in a short time your back to your normal level without these symptoms.
Bren: I’m stiffer in the cold, too, so you’re not alone. October 'til about March are dreadful for me. I’ve already resorted to thermals and hot water bottles, and we’ve not even reached “proper” Winter yet. Goodness knows what I shall be like in January and February. I know I’m wishing my life away, but I’m already trying to think ahead 'til Spring, when it will be better again. I just don’t want to think about four or five solid months of cold.
That’s interesting, my stiffness has definitely been tighter and more painful since the onset of autumn. Also worse when i get overheated. I will speak with my doctor about raising dose of Baclofen, and perhaps give my MS nurse a call.
I have thought that MS symptoms do seem worse except for my bladder which is behaving itself (touch wood), I would have thought it was a relapse but old symptoms have come back so I feel it could just be part of the progression.