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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Should I Stop Taking Pain Medication For Spinal Stenosis?

I m a 55 year old male, 170lbs. Other than my neck, back & joint pain from spinal stenosis osteo-arthritis/neck; (numerous whiplashes and heavy lifting/sedentary work).. I am in general good health. I walk, stretch, and eat closer to healthy than not. I have been taking Norco (strongest) and Gabepentin inhibitor for almost 3 years. It was accompanied with severe sciatica most of that time; however, the sciatica has recently more or less subsided. Naturally, I am concerned about prolonged use of pain meds. I woke up today with almost no pain. Whereas before I was basically no more than 6 hours into my day and would need the dose. (and it s been like clockwork for the last few years) My prescribed dosage is 4-5 X day. It s been 13 hours!!! Also, recently I forgot to take my meds at night time and woke up about 4-6 hours past the time again. Only that was accompanied by sweat and the pain returned. Maybe my body is healing? Can inflammation pass out of the body? I m thinking about giving it a go to kick it. Thoughts?
Mon, 3 Feb 2014
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Orthopaedic Surgeon 's  Response
Hello.
Thanks for writing to us.
The spinal stenosis is a gradually increasing problem with age. The inflammation can gradually decrease but nerve compression is not likely to heal with tine.
I hope this information has been both informative and helpful for you.
Regards,
Dr. Praveen Tayal ,
drtayal72@gmail.com
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Should I Stop Taking Pain Medication For Spinal Stenosis?

Hello. Thanks for writing to us. The spinal stenosis is a gradually increasing problem with age. The inflammation can gradually decrease but nerve compression is not likely to heal with tine. I hope this information has been both informative and helpful for you. Regards, Dr. Praveen Tayal , drtayal72@gmail.com