can withdrawal pain mimic sciatic pain?

Hello.  Does anyone know if withdrawal pain can feel just like sciatic pain??  My wife has terrible pain in her right buttock, and on the outside of her right thigh, and on the bottom of her right foot on the tendon that bends her big toe downward..  It hurts all the time and taking neurontin and ambien a few times a week at bedtime doesn't even help much at all..  She's losing lots of sleep.  She is now about 14 weeks past the end of a 14 month benzo taper..  This pain she has has been going on for at least 3 months.  The pain goes away if I massage it for her but it starts hurting again as soon as I stop massaging..  Does this similarity to sciatica sound familiar to anyone??  Thank you.  dan.

snowplowman-

 

It sounds familiar to something my mom experienced, to the "T" actually which was caused by a bulged disc pressing against nerves in the L4 & L5 area of the spine; this went on for years for my mom until Oct. of 2008 when she had a less invasive surgery done to chip part of the bulged disc away from the nerve. The outcome is no more sciatica pain, leg pain, back pain but she does have some numbing at the bottom of her left foot which the doctor said could and probably would happen.

 

Has you wife had disc/back problems before? My mom went through so many things before having the surgery including taking Vicoden for years(and they made her sick), not sleeping for months on end, epidural steroid shots(30 of them atleast), Acupuncture and a failed Percutaneous Disc Decompression surgery until we got down to business and sought 3 different opinions and solutions. BTW, the one that was chosen was the least invasive of the three and from a Neurosurgeon. In my research I found that a Neurosurgeon compared to an Orthopaedic Surgeon, chooses procedures that are in general, less invasive and have an easier recovery time. Mom was back to herself in 2-3 weeks and is doing well..also, was not benzo related at all.

 

Have you taken you wife in to see a doctor?

 

Just Breathe

She went to the orthopedic dr. last week.  They x-rayed her spine and said it is in normal alignment but said she has sciatica and gave her a prescription for prednisone which she has been taking for 8 days and it isn't helping at all.  She has another appointment on monday to see the same dr. to possibly get an mri and maybe some kind of injection ..    I just thought maybe it was withdrawal related.   

snowplowman-

 

 

An MRI is really needed to see what is going on and also an in office evaluation from the doctor where they have the patient do certain movements, forward bends as such, IMO and from my experience with my mom, she had multiple MRI's done. The Prednisone is a steroid(a heavy one at that) and if it is not helping, I hope your wife's doctor is not keeping her on it. Check to see what the injection contains and I can't stress enough to get more then one opinion...my mom did the "pain management" thing for years...she put her body through alot with the injections as they had to put her to sleep everytime...until I researched more and found a better solution once the actual issue was confirmed. Hope you can get to the bottom of things and that your wife feels better.

 

Just Breathe

Hi Snowplowman:

 

I did wonder if I had managed to injure my sciatic nerve because it have very much the same type of pain as your wife.  Buttock, thigh, bottom of foot.  However, the coinicidence of timing right with benzo withdrawal was too great and since the cure for both is basically the same:  Time.  I am just waiting it out.  I do find that a hot bath is magic.

 

ntw

Hi Snowplowman~

 

I just visited 'Ladyh48's Success Blog' in Buddie Blogs and interestingly she has a lot to say on this.

Maybe you two should hook up on here? Just a thought......

 

 

s

 

    I have two bulging discs in lumbar spine from my accident. I have had the injections. I have also two discs fused in my neck that herniated from the accident. I use a tens unit when the pain is too bad. It is an electric box with two leads that you stick on either side of where the pain is. It short circuits the pain signal to your brain and I am able to sleep. It is a drug free non surgical way of relieving the pain.

    I find withdrawl has kicked this pain up a bit as does bad weather. My neurologist gave me a scrip for the unit and it came in the mail. Maybe she could look into this.But it sounds like she really has something going on in the lumbar region.It feels like a knife in your bum going down you leg into your foot. My therapist showed me an exercise to help it. Lay flat grab your knee and gently pull it into your chest. Hold for count of 100.Do this each leg twice a day and it will help a bit to get pressure off the nerve.

    The injections really helped me for about two months each time but insurance would only pay for 6.I found the post very interesting about the lady whose mom got such relief from surgery.Like she said I would go to a good neurosurgeon.

 

Hi SPMan,

 

Sciatica pain sounds more like a back problem, than a postwithdrawal problem.  I've seen a chiropractor for a year, since I first started tapering off Klon.  My muscles kept going into spasm because of Klon w/d's, including my neck, which really messed things up in my neck vertebrae. 

 

With a chiropractor, no drugs are needed!  And it can really help.  Also, any kind of "relaxation" will help.....a massage of the back muscles, hot bath like ntw said, heating pad, anything along those lines.  When I was a massage therapist, I often found that sciatic pain came from the sacral area (lower back) so that might be a good place to start.  I find that starting with the easiest things first, (like heat, ice, and massage), then working up to the most complex solutions.....works pretty well. 

 

adelia

What a coincidence. I was going to ask the same question tonight to the forum.

 

I am tapering off Klonopin. I was on 4 mg a day for 12 years and am now down to 1.75/day. At the last cut I began having leg cramps that progressively got worse and now every night all night long it feels like someone is pulling my sciatic nerve out of my feet. It is mildly painful but very irritating. It wakes me up and I cannot sleep anymore. I have noticed during this time as well that my lower torso and my leg muscles are very tight. If I am keeping tension in my body in the past, it has always been in my neck and shoulders. Now the bottom half of me is giving me fits! 

 

I discovered by accident that if I put a heating pad on my legs at night it is better. Not sure why that works for me but so far it does. Problem is... the heating pad turns itself off after 45 minutes. It's like an alarm clock going off all night long because the pain comes back. In the daytime I am without pain, can do my yoga exercises, and have full range of motion. I think in my case it is from muscle tension in my lower torso with referred pain to my legs.

 

I feel for your wife and wish her the best, hoping it it not L4-L5 problems and just a very fast passing withdrawal symptom.

 

-Spy