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What Causes Pain In The Right Side Of The Rib Cage?
Question: I went to my GI doctor for a burning pain under my right rib cage which extended through out my entire rib cage. I initially thought it was my gal bladder and later found out it was not. My doctor then thought it was shingles, but noticed I did not have any bumps around my body. He then thought it was neurological and still prescribed me 300mg of Gabapentin three times a day. I am not sure if this was an appropriate diagnosis and the right medication. I've never really been a sickly person and have always been known to take care of myself with excersise and food. I was also recently diagnosed with Graves Disease. My thyroid Doctor had to change my medication twice because my body kept rejecting the mediation. I kept having horrible side effects such as losing a lot of hair and blisters inside my mouth. Is the pain around my abdomen a result of my thyroid medication? Should I go to a Neurologist and get a second opinion? Gabapentin medication kind of scares me. It seems too much of a strong medication to be taking.
Thanks,
Ms. XXXXXXX
Thanks,
Ms. XXXXXXX
Brief Answer:
Hello
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Good day.
The pain in the right side of rib can be due to a number of reasons. It is not easy to diagnose a neurological pain. Usually neurological pain is confined to a particular area ( dermatome) or it can originate from spine and circle around abdomen like a belt.
Grave's disease doesnt cause this kind of pain ( except in rare situations, where long standing untreated grave's cause osteoporotic fracture of spine and then resulting in neurological pain). Grave's disease present as hyperthyroidism and commonly cause peripheral neuropathy if untreated.
In your cause it is unlikely to be due to Grave's disease.
Gabapentin is used for these kind of pain and can cause number of side effects like dry mouth, instability of gait, etc in high doses. Your dose is not that high. However, it is safe to start with a small dose and slowly build up the dose. If the pain is due to neurological condition, it should respond to gabapentin.
Getting a second opinion from neurologist really sounds good and i think it is certainly a good idea.
regards
Binu
Hello
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Good day.
The pain in the right side of rib can be due to a number of reasons. It is not easy to diagnose a neurological pain. Usually neurological pain is confined to a particular area ( dermatome) or it can originate from spine and circle around abdomen like a belt.
Grave's disease doesnt cause this kind of pain ( except in rare situations, where long standing untreated grave's cause osteoporotic fracture of spine and then resulting in neurological pain). Grave's disease present as hyperthyroidism and commonly cause peripheral neuropathy if untreated.
In your cause it is unlikely to be due to Grave's disease.
Gabapentin is used for these kind of pain and can cause number of side effects like dry mouth, instability of gait, etc in high doses. Your dose is not that high. However, it is safe to start with a small dose and slowly build up the dose. If the pain is due to neurological condition, it should respond to gabapentin.
Getting a second opinion from neurologist really sounds good and i think it is certainly a good idea.
regards
Binu
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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