Nicotine and nerve pain

[Kurt]

Having nearly torn my tricep from the elbow and a monstrously huge crushing injury to my cubital nerve right at the elbow. I suffered from tons of pain, burning, cold, electric jolts and aches.
For about 2 years I could not use my left hand in a functional fashion. I chain smoked, it assisted at least getting my mind off the pain.
Tons of PT and a few MD that should have their certs stripped for improper near lethal prescriptions later. I was able to some what use the middle ring and pinky fingers again.

When my current job gets going hard long hours IT does flare up.. advil and nic do seem to curb the pain..

HOWEVER! Since vaping I have far fewer aches and pains in general, I also suffer from FM. Not nearly as many bad days with the cleaner nic.

I have been told that bad FM is very similar to GBS pain, so I certainly empathize! Cool that it seems nic is working for you too. I agree with your statement about maybe the nic provides a distraction, maybe simply by increasing focus on whatever task is at hand, and not on the pain. When it is bad with me it is almost impossible to get distracted from it, although I sure try. It has always been clearly pain killing.

Of course there are other alkaloids that work for nerve pain too...nic just happens to be the most legal...unless I lived in CA...

[Kurt]

Years ago I lost my arm in a car wreck and nicotine and the distraction of smoking has always helped the phantom pain. More recently I was shot in the leg during a robbery car jacking attempt that resulted in serious sciatic nerve damage which has turned out to be more painful than the trauma amputation. Until e-cigs came along I had just given up on quitting and decided to live a shorter life as a smoker with less pain. Oh the quit smoking stories I could tell.

It’s hard to make my heart doctor understand. I’ve had a triple bypass and still smoke 3 packs a day. I try to explain that the smoking and nicotine is tied to my pain and is psychological on some level and that’s why it’s so hard for me to stop but he just gives me this look like I crazy.

It’s still early in my e-cig smoking but I’ve got a newfound hope that e-cigs are going to be the miracle that gets me off analogs for good.

Wow. You have been through way more than I ever want to experience. Please keep us posted on the results of vaping as opposed to smoking. I for one would really like to know, because you have been through some really awful experiences, and I truly hope vaping helps you. It would be especially interesting if you got pain relief if you vape high-strength but not with low-strength. Please keep sharing your results! Make sure you are getting the most out of your PV...this forum is beyond great for that.

I wonder if nicotine is EVER prescribed for a medical condition. Seems several states are now allowing medical ........., but I've never heard of nic being perscribed.

[yvilla]

I am fully aware that in stating this usage of nicotine, I am describing my 510 as a drug delivery device. However, nicotine is still over the counter, as are 1000s of other natural supplements, some of which are inhaled medicinal vapors, without FDA approval. Nicotine usage is as old as we are as a species. Been there from the beginning.

Kurt, thanks for sharing your story. I quoted (and highlighted) just that one part of it to make this point: I don't think what you are saying is "incriminatory" at all. Because your described use of your 510 is, at bottom, no more as a "drug delivery device" than were all those tobacco cigarettes you smoked for years. Tobacco products are drug delivery devices, and always have been. They have simply been accorded exemption from treatment as such, and been given their own special category in law and in regulation. So why not ecigs as well?

[Kurt]

Kurt, thanks for sharing your story. I quoted (and highlighted) just that one part of it to make this point: I don't think what you are saying is "incriminatory" at all. Because your described use of your 510 is, at bottom, no more as a "drug delivery device" than were all those tobacco cigarettes you smoked for years. Tobacco products are drug delivery devices, and always have been. They have simply been accorded exemption from treatment as such, and been given their own special category in law and in regulation. So why not ecigs as well?

But if they are after SE and Njoy for stating that the PV is a smoking cessation device, which they claim is then a medical device, then using it for pain cessation is most certainly a medical device. Of course, we are trying to apply logic to an argument with the FDA that is void of logic. For me the issue is primarily medical, being both analog and pain cessation, with recreational being important, of course, but secondary to the above.

How odd. If they were simply marketed as party toys, this would not have been an issue. But as soon as we find that they may actually be useful, or heaven forbid medicinal, then we are in big trouble. Express a real need, and the controlers start circling. No different than organized crime.

[telsie]

TMJ pain is not from damaged nerves, I don't think. It is to my knowledge more of a connective tissue strain pain, not fundamental nerve pain. Anti-inflamatories are probably better, but I'm not an MD. There are special oral appliances that help with that too, supposedly, although anyone I knew that had to wear one of those said they don't really work well. Good luck!

Not from damaged nerves, no, but the trigeminal nerve is involved. And by the way, just having pain along one nerve branch has been miserable enough, so I can't even begin to imagine how agonizing your situation was. Given the choice between that and smoking, the health problems associated with cigarettes would be worth the trade-off! I'm so glad vaping now works just as well for you.

[frankie1]

I wish every anti smoker out there had to read the life stories I have read on this and other forum threads. They would surely hang their heads in shame for trying to ban nicotine use.

[Allestaria]

Hi Kurt,

I can in a simular way understand what you are dealing with. Not myself but with my mom. She has major nerve damage. Her's is partially do to bone spur's pressing on her spinal cord. And a fall that happened many many moons ago.
Doctors can't fix the problem. Predizone and nic help my mom. Along with caffinee. Without those she is in major bed ridden pain.

My story is a little different. I also suffer from TMJ, but the TMJ, comes from my sever case of Anxiety/Panic attacks. Nicotine has a calming effect. A natural muscle relaxation as well.
My first panic attack happened when I was between the ages of 6-8. I woke up freaking out that I was dieing. I cried for hours. Had horrible nightmares for weeks. Sleep walked. Parents had to put an extra lock on the door so I couldn't reach it. It lasted for several months and finally subsided.
Well it came back as a teenager but again only lasted a few months. Years later it showed its ugly head at the age of 19. And I have dealt with it everyday since. (I'm now 35)
From 19 to 22 I didn't smoke. Instead I paced, freaked out, was just out of control with my emotions. I started truly smoking at 22. And some of the effects of the panic attacks and anxiety settled down. I was able to function. Became a Restaurant General Manager. I would notice that if I did not have my nic every hour I was on edge. Jumpy, short tempered, and pacing. I would crawl inside myself and OCD would show its ugly head.
I would have a smoke and calm down. I could regain control of myself and return to work for another hour.
When I became pregnant with my 3rd child. And decided it was time to quit smoking. And get into a much more healthy life style. I got myself down to 4 smokes a day.
Had my son and worked 9 months longer. And had to quit. My anxiety got the best of me. So I took a part time job driving a school bus. Again back to smoking every hour. Just to keep my self calm and collected. This worked for me for 5 years.
I again tried to quit. Was not smoking. Became housebound.
As of today. Because I tried to quit. I am now stuck at home. Not working and unable to function a normal life.
Because of not getting the nicotine my body needed it went into shock. My mind could not handle the anxiety/panic and shut down. Major depression. Uncontroled thoughts, actions and emotions.
I started smoking again. I regained most of my daily functions. I can go down to check the mail and I'm 'ok'. I still can not work. Leave the house without someone with me is impossible. I live in a prison of my own mind.
Without nicotine I do not function. The calming effect from it helps me deal with my anxiety/panic attacks.
This same effect happened to my dad when he quit. He also became house bound and had major anxiety/panic attacks for years.
The same happened to my baby brother. And my oldest brother.

Will this ever be studied. No it wont. To many doctors blow off anxiety as 'stupid' or call it a lack of self control. When infact it is a chemical imbalance in the brain that nicotine helps rebalance it. It does not fix it. But it does have some major effect in helping reduce it.
Yes I have tried 7 (yes 7) different drugs to help with the off balance chemicals. My last one I almost commited suicide. Jumping off the balcony while I was on an out of town field trip. But I collected myself and locked myself in my room to never step out on a balcony again.

Without nicotine I would not be able to leave the house. I can't handle being gone for long. I am not able to leave the city limits. Or drive by myself. But I can at least function again. With the help of the PV I was able to go see a movie. And sit through the entire movie without having a panic attack. Its the first movie I have been able to watch in 5 years. I cried. I was so missing these things. The joy of sitting with my family for the first time in 5 years was just amazing.
You forget the little things. And this was major. I can function a little more now. Planing a trip to the mall with my teenage daughters!

If only the people who are supposed to care about our health and wellness actually cared. More studies would be done about nicotine and what it actually is capable of doing. If they would actually listen to a lot of us who are not only addicted to nicotine but the reason why. And what it actually does for us.

[Vocalek]

I don't use nicotine for the treatment of pain, but I've been experiencing some bad TMJ pain since I quit analogs and vaping hasn't helped (unless maybe it would've been worse without vaping?). Anyway, just throwing that out there.

The TMJ is caused by "jaw clenching", also known as "bruxism". I had it so bad when I quit all nicotine about 20 years ago that I needed to get a "night guard" made by the dentist and a prescription for muscle relaxants. The pain was blinding.

You won't find "jaw clenching" in the list of nicotine withdrawal symptoms, but it has been observed in nicotine abstinence. Also, take a look at this book page:
Smoking: psychology and pharmacology - Google Books

Yes, if you are one of the people who experiences clenching, I would guess it would have been tons worse without the vaping. You might try increasing your nicotine in some way and see if that affects it. Options are to try stronger liquid, vape more often, or add another source such as nicotine gum or snus.

[Kurt]

Allestaria, thanks for sharing such difficult personal details! I am interested in communicating with you further, as I went through some similar sleep issues which led to multiple meds and docs that didn't have a clue. I finally got the treatment I actually needed and it had nothing to do with nicotine, and it rendered the meds superfluous. Since it is not related to nic or PV, I would rather not fill up threads here. Can I PM you about this?
cheers
Kurt

[Kurt]

AngusATAT, check your PM from md on BigJim's board. Something's up over there. testing if it is here tonight.