[hangingon]

I have been having really bad burning pain in my right inner thigh that goes from my calf up to my groin. It comes and goes sporatically. Sometimes it lasts 7 days or sometimes three, it's unpredictable and I am now trying to see if there are any aggravating factors.

My doctor has sent me for lots of testing and so far nothing. If the dang pain was not so bad I would think it was all in my head.

I was diagnosed with depression last year but never told my doctor or the specialist about that. Kind of want to keep that secret, nor have I shared this medical issue with my T. Maybe I should talk to her about it some. Maybe the depression could be the cause, or maybe it's a somatic thing, I haven't got a clue.

My neurologist just perscribed me Cymbalta because it's approved for nerve pain as well. Again, she has no idea about the depression. I have never taking daily meds before so I am a bit nervous about this. Cymbalta is known to help with depression and anxiety as well, and a side affect is weight loss lol...who wouldn't want that The neurologist still has a few things to rule out such as lyme disease, and also wants to do some bone scan as well.

I asked the doctor if I can stop the cymbalta med if it doesnt seem to be helping. She said give it at least two months or longer but don't stop cold turkey, we will need to taper you off. That just sounds wonderful....NOT...
I don't know, I am more into natural/organic stuff and the thought of taking meds makes me a bit nervous, not that I wouldn't take them if it was emergent ect, like antibotics things like that. (In fact, I just took the Cymbalta this morning)

So the big question is, althougth this med may help, I am afraid its going to be worse in other areas, for instance I have such a hard time expressing emotion as is, do antidepressant's affect that more, cause more supression?

[KUREHA]

That sucks they haven't found anything yet - or maybe that's a good thing.

You know how I feel about meds lol

I'm sure someone here would know but could you ask your doctor about it or maybe the pharmacist.

Anyway sending you

[deliquesce]

hello lovely .

anti-depressants don't "suppress" expressions of emotion, or feeling them, or anything. but (sometimes) they do change what you might otherwise feel - so less depression, more normality in life!

my concern with you taking this cymbalta is that your dr's don't know you have depression. this really is vital info they need to know, sweetie. because there are different types of depression, and different types of anti-depressants that may help. i have certainly been on some ADs where my depression got worse because it wasn't the right fit for the sort of symptoms i have (e.g., most ppl with depression have trouble sleeping, so a lot of anti-depressants help with that. my problem is that i sleep too much [over 14hrs!] so taking that just made things worse). so it really is vitally important you tell your Dr at least, so they can help monitor your depression - that last thing you want is for it to get worse!

as for why you're not telling them... is it because you're afraid they will dismiss your concerns as just being a mind/body thing? i think things will go in one of two ways with this - they will dismiss your concerns, in which case they aren't being professional and you should find new treating professionals (you can't rule out physical causes unless you do the physical tests!). or, they will still take your concerns seriously, but have more information in helping you, which can only be a good thing.

e.g., last year i got really really bad stomach cramps. i think my dr suspected it was just in my head/related to stress (i certainly did!), but she sent me off for preliminary tests nonetheless. all of them came back clear, but the cramps persisted so she eventually sent me off for surgery. surgeon found the cause, all is now better . but them knowing i had depression helped at lot, because they were able to sift through the symptoms also and figure out a treatment for me. and just as an aside - the surgeon was a whole heap nicer because of it, too. i could seriously hire him as my new T .

[ECHOES]

I'm sorry you're having this.

How is your back
When I had groin pain, an MRI of my spine was done. I had a bulging disk in my spine, pressing on the nerve that goes to that area. It was not ruptured, and apparently caused the pain when it was inflamed enough to press just enough on the nerve to be painful.

Whatever it is, I hope they figure it out soon and you find some relief soon too!

[phoenix7]

((hanginon))) im with Echoes - it sounds a it like the sciatica I get from a lower back injury .

With the Anti-d's - like Deli said - they dont suppress emotions - they can actually help with therapy as they can put you in a place where you can cope a little better and so idnetifying the emotions becomes a little easier - I have just started Cymbalta too - still waiting for it to kick in (2 weeks so far) prescribed by my pdoc.

I hope things work out for you - I would prob tell your dr about the depression so they have a full picture of your health - but thats up to you - take care

[hangingon]

Thank you all ,

Ah well the Cymbalta was not good lol. I took it at about 11:40, with food at that and an hour later started getting really dizzy, so I thought whatever, part med. At about 4:30 I got up and started feeling really crappy. I walked into the kitchen and the vomit just came up, like in my hands, ran to the bathroom and did it again. I almost passed out as well. I still feel really cruddy, shaky, clammy, ect....I won't be taken that again.

I see my regular doctor next week and maybe will finally mention the depression to her. I guess I just don't want all this stuff in my records for whatever reason.

Oh, I did have an MRI, and saw an orthopedic surgeon, everything was fine with my back. I had nerve conduction studies in both legs, dopler testing for blood clots ect....all fine.

Its just getting to be a pain to keep doing these tests lol

[phoenix7]

I take my cymbalta at night before I go to bed - the first 24 hours I felt a bit dizzy and sick but it got better after that - hope you feel better soon

I didnt want depresssion or ptsd on my medical record.. but then I figured she needs to know whats going on to help me - take care

[hangingon]

Phoenix,

Did it make you feel really jittery two. I laid in bed last night and was racing, even woke up a few times during the night, and had really bad dry mouth and a bad headache in the back of my head. I drank lots of water and it did nothing. Today I was pretty shaky. I took the first pill at 11:40 am yesterday but have not taken it today. I called the neurologist and left a message about the reaction I had, haven't heard back yet.

[deliquesce]

hope the neurologist calls back soon (((hangingon))).

i think you're right that you shouldn't take it until you know what's going on - if this is normal, or if it's something worth putting up with for a while because the benefits will soon kick in.

[hangingon]

My Neurologist did call me a little while ago and told me not to take it. Even though she hadn't heard of it affecting someone like that, she said it's better not to risk it.

Thanks for your input all

[deliquesce]

when do you see your neurologist next? i really hope you can find something that works out well for you .

[hangingon]

I don't see her again till June. She said lets just see if you can handle the pain in your leg until then, as that is what I have been doing for awhile anyways.

[lifelesstraveled]

(((hangingon)))

Jeeesh what a rough couple of days.

I had something similar happen about a year ago. Tons of tests were done, blood work, MRIs, CT scans....and the doctors didnt come up with anything. I was beginning to think it was in my head so i stopped seeing my doctor and did my best to ignore it. I was in pain for sure, but I was certain my doctor thought i was crazy and I thought i was crazy...I told my T about it today and she think its could've been tension and stress. I tried to think back to how stressed I was and it could've been stress. But since this is happening to you now, are under any extra tension and stress? These are just guesses really b/c this sounds similar to something I experienced--among other things that have now dissipated(thankfully) but still come back every now and again..

I am glad you have stopped taking the cymbalta sounds like your experience was H-E-Double Hockey Sticks.. I hope you feel better soon. it sucks when your body is in pain but the docs cant figure out what it is....i've been there...very frustrating.

[hangingon]

Thanks LLT

Actually, I am under a good amount of stress. I'm in my last year of nursing school and its been tons of work, non-stop.

This issue started over a year ago, so its weird that its been going on so long. I ignored it for almost 8 months before finally going in to see the doctor because I had one night where I couldn't sleep the pain was so intense.
They have me going for a couple more tests, I wonder if its in my head too, but the pain gets so bad thats its hard to believe it's in my head. The doctor's are stumped right now, so am I lol...

[phoenix7]

Sorry it didnt work out for you - yes I had same reaction is settling a bit - now its week 3 - hope you find somthing that works for you P7

[sittingatwatersedge]

this may not have anything to do with it but has anyone checked yr magnesium level? Couple yrs ago we tried the Rosedale Diet , which is radically low carb

about a month into it my DH and I both started getting odd and quite severe muscle cramps in various places including what you describe - Rosedale said in his book that this might happen (!!) and to increase yr magnesium intake.

It works, but maybe low carb screws it up permanently, I don;t know. It has been two yrs at least since we ditched that crazy diet and I still get the muscle cramps if I don't take additional magnesium on a DAILY basis.

anyway, who knows if this will help you, thought I would mention it just in case. <<hugs>>

[hangingon]

Thanks sitting,

My doctor did draw all different labs on me; she thought about the magnesium as well. But nope, all my labs were perfectly fine. Good thought

Thanks again for all of your input. I appreciate you all sharing your experiences.
I see my regular doctor Tuesday so I will talk to her about what happened as well. Maybe she has a different suggestion.
I was even thinking that maybe it just so happened that I got a silly one day bug and thought it was the med causing it. Who knows....I have been perfectly fine since Except for the leg pain but I can bear that.

[lifelesstraveled]

((((((hangingon)))))))

Let us know how everything goes, okay?

[Simcha]

Originally Posted by hangingon

Thank you all ,

Ah well the Cymbalta was not good lol. I took it at about 11:40, with food at that and an hour later started getting really dizzy, so I thought whatever, part med. At about 4:30 I got up and started feeling really crappy. I walked into the kitchen and the vomit just came up, like in my hands, ran to the bathroom and did it again. I almost passed out as well. I still feel really cruddy, shaky, clammy, ect....I won't be taken that again.

I see my regular doctor next week and maybe will finally mention the depression to her. I guess I just don't want all this stuff in my records for whatever reason.

Oh, I did have an MRI, and saw an orthopedic surgeon, everything was fine with my back. I had nerve conduction studies in both legs, dopler testing for blood clots ect....all fine.

Its just getting to be a pain to keep doing these tests lol

I'm sorry your having such a rough time and having to do all this medical stuff to figure out what the origin is probably only makes it more stressful!

The first thing that comes to mind is that the depression is NOT the cause of this pain you are having in your leg, so I'd put that thought to rest to ease your anxiety. Secondly, I would not recommend mentioning your depression to your GP unless you are planning on trying antidepressants. There is no other reason to tell him or anyone else unless you are seeking treatment from him for it. If therapy is working for your depressive symptoms than there is no need to resort to medications. Those all have side effects and can cause adverse reactions, so you don't want to take any medicine if you have another treatment plan (like therapy) for it.

Do you have other health problems that could be related to the pain in the leg you are having? Are you diabetic (diabetic neuropathy is something that comes to mind.You might also be dealing with something related to injury. Is the pain stable, or getting worse over time? I would consider keeping a health journal to record when the problem starts after you awake, what makes it worse, the time you take your meds, if movement of some kind exacerbates it, and try to find any correlation.

I would talk to your T about the depression and antidepressants before you go to your GP (or other doctor) about them.

[hangingon]

Thanks (((((LLT))))

Simcha,
No, no other medical problems at all. I have been very healthy, all my lab work has been fine. I don't have any chronic conditions ect...

I was thinking about with holding it from my doctor because she will probably suggest antidepressants as well and with my crazy school schedule as it is, I don't want to risk any more crappy side effects right now. If things are bad over the summer then I may check into something.

As far as the pain, it's worse this year than last, but it comes and goes. I haven't been able to track what sets it off or when I notice it most, so I will try to pay more attention to that as well. I don't take any meds for it now. Just an over the counter antiinflammatory when it gets bad but it doesn't help much. I have pretty much just been riding out the pain. But that stinks to because I would like to find out what in the world is causing it.

Thanks for your sharing your thoughts.