I have had severe low back pain from a slipped disc for years. Do you think carbamazepine may help?

Many people have chronic back pain for which there is no good therapy. While there are potent narcotics available, most doctors will not prescribe long-term narcotics because they are addictive, have serious side effects and there is always a hassle with the DEA. For many people with chronic back pain, it is a real struggle to lead a decent quality of life.

In the last 2 decades, many doctors have been prescribing a variety of other drugs for pain. One of these drugs is carbamezepine. This anti seizure drug is widely prescribed for a variety of chronic nerve pain syndromes but the question remains, “is it effective?”

Review of the literature indicates that carbamazepine does work for chronic nerve pain, at least in the short term. Most people report moderate pain relief. However, at least 1/3 of patient s also developed minor side effects ranging from skin rash to abdominal cramps. Therefore, if you have chronic nerve pain, perhaps you can ask your doctor for a trial of carbamazepine. The drug does take a few weeks to become effective and is not cheap.