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Stick with my pain doctor or Switch to a new pain doctor

Hello,
I have t2 and t3 spinal fractures and myofascial pain syndrome from a car wreck a few years ago
I was getting trigger point injections for a while but it don’t seem to help anymore. My pain doctor has also tried occipital nerve blocks and botox injections but that didn’t either, he prescribed muscle relaxers which are not helping me with the pain. He refuses to prescribe anything else to help with the pain. My question is, Should I try to stick with this doctor or find a new pain doctor?
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Avatar universal
I was on flexeril 10mg for 10 years and then cut down to .5 (halved) for about a year… Then I started a very slow taper, taking it every other night and then every two nights. My understanding is that it works similarly to tricyclic antidepressants and definitely can cause withdrawal. I had increased anxiety during the taper but it worked out… I have learned the hard way after Cymbalta withdrawals to be very careful coming off any drug that acts on the brain/nervous system and I wish doctors would be upfront about this!
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Avatar universal
I'm going tbru the exact thing. Ive begged to let me go to the ER for a morphine shot just to have a break. It's been 8 months. I'm going to check into someone else. Something  is very wrong a d I'm  sick if being bed bound
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20803600 tn?1546262537
COMMUNITY LEADER
How long have you been seeing this particular pain management doctor?
Insurance companies typically dictate protocols, meaning steps/treatments that must be done before the next treatment option is used.
The fractures should be healed if they occurred several years ago. When is the last time xray, MRI or CT scans were done to check their status?
I am a bit confused why occipital nerve blocks would be done for thoracic fractures? Or botox for that matter? Those are usually related to migraine/chronic headaches/TMJ.
Muscle relaxants are used to treat muscle spasms/tenderness, not typically pain, unless its directly related to ongoing muscle spasms.
As far as going to a new doctor, you always have that option, but be aware that many pain management doctors are shying away from ongoing opiate use, and you may find that the new PM may want to retry things previously done. In fact, that's typically the case.

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I have been seeing this doctor since 2015,  and I have chronic headaches also, however he was doing the  trigger point injections and the occipital nerve blocks to treat both, however the injections and the muscle relaxants are not helping anymore, really I don't care if he prescribes me opiates or not, I am just tired of the pain.
oh and I have not had xray to check the fractures
Most pain management drs do not provide pain meds for chronic headaches, because they cause rebound headaches , and seem to worsen frequency of them.
There are many other medications used to treat chronic headaches, abortive, preventative, and it might be worthwhile seeing a neurologist who specializes in treating chronic headaches.
How long ago did the fractures occur? If it was more than a few months ago, I would assume they are healed by now.
The current PM may want to order an xray to see how they are healing.
It seems that the pain you are discussing is related to either the headaches or myofascial condition. If you do choose to see a headache specialist, make sure you talk with your PM and let him know about the consult and any meds or treatments he recommends.
Okay  long story short, I had a car accident in 2013, in that accident I flipped over 3 times and suffered a concussion and injured my neck. I am seeing a neurologist for chronic headaches, she has ordered botox injections and has me on nortriptyline and naproxen. ever since my accident my neck pain and headaches has gotten worse. I have been telling my PM that my neck is hurting me and he says he can't do anything else but injections or muscle relaxants which are not helping anymore
A PM treats pain, and some will order further testing but many won't.
Since this stems from your car accident, you probably should consult with a board certified spine surgeon to see if they think that there is anything surgically that requires treatment, and to see if they see any structural cause for the neck pain/headaches, such as nerve compression, misalignment, or something that may be causing the issues.
Seeing a slime surgeon doesn't mean the dr will recommend surgery, most often they do not, but they are the drs to diagnose any spine related conditions and needed testing.
Im having the same problems. I think all I  can  do now is see if insurance will send me to a headache clinic.
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