Pain Management Siatica

Lindsayj1
Lindsayj1 Member Posts: 2
in Chat to our Helpline Team

Having severe pain when walking and when I sit have pain spasms in my buttocks but no pain when I sit for a few minutes.Medication I have tried co codimal morphine patches which did not help. I have been now prescribed amitripline 10mg which can be increased to 25mg.Have been taking them for 10 days pain not much better Could I have some advice on the effectiveness of this medication or is there something better

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  • Lindsayj1
    Lindsayj1 Member Posts: 2

  • helpline_team
    helpline_team Posts: 3,752

    Hi @Lindsayj1

    Thanks for posting on the Helpline Online Community and sorry to hear you're experiencing ongoing symptoms from sciatica.

    When the sciatic nerve in the spine is pressed or squeezed, it can cause back pain and other symptoms like leg pain, numbness and tingling. Amitriptyline may be prescribed to relax the muscles surrounding the nerve, and can also help improve sleep. Starting with the lowest dose possible is an approach to lower the risk of possible side effects, however, if the starting dose has been ineffective for you then it would be wise to review this with your doctor. Gabapentin and pregabalin are some other drug options you could discuss with your doctor as they are sometimes prescribed for sciatica to reduce irritation of the nerves.

    Everyone is different when it comes to the type and dosage of drug treatment that they find effective in managing pain and other symptoms. It may be worth also discussing with your doctor the option of physiotherapy if this physical therapy hasn't already been explored. There are also some gentle exercises on our website that may be helpful.

    You may find the following information on our website useful to read:

    https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/back-pain/#back-pain_treatment

    https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/drugs/amitriptyline/

    I hope this helps.

    Best wishes,
    Helen, Helpline Advisor

  • Cara123
    Cara123 Member Posts: 31

    Hi,

    have you tried going to a physio? I had sciatica in the past and found the exercises from a physio really useful.

  • helpline_team
    helpline_team Posts: 3,752

    Hi @Lindsayj1

    And thank you @Cara123

    Often learning back stretches and movements that you can put into your daily routine can help you self-manage back issues long-term. Often physios focus more on gentle stretches initially (to help you during a flare up) and those are added to with strengthening exercises as a long-term strategy to improve back health.

    Using heat and or cold packs can be helpful to help with pain. And if you are having more complex problems with pain, you may want to talk to a GP or specialist.

    There's more detail on back exercises in the back pain information that was posted by my colleague, and to see videos and more on exercises, see these links below.

    Exercising with arthritis | Top tips, specific exercises

    Versus Arthritis - YouTube

    I do hope that helps

    Guy - Helpline Team

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