For those of you who may not know, I have recently been diagnosed with sciatica. Sciatica is a very painful condition that occurs in the lower lumbar region of your spine. It simple terms, my sciatic nerve is being pinched between my vertebra. I have always suffered from back pain, but it has always tended to subside on it's own. However that is not the case this time. For the past four weeks or so I have been dealing with severe back pain and numbness in my legs. I went to the doctor and was prescribed two medicines. One was a steroid and the other an anti-inflammatory. The pharmacist told me to make sure to take the steroid at the exact times specified and to not stop taking it until all the pills were taken. I had to take six the first day, five the next and so on. A digression to ween me off the pills slowly.
Well, on Tuesday, I missed taking my two pills and when I went to bed on Tuesday night, I had no idea what was in store for my body as I slept. Starting at around 1 in the morning, I woke up with a splitting headache. Then around 3 am, I awoke to cold sweats, severe pain in my back, extreme dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, and felt as if I was going to black out. This continued for several hours until the early morning.
What was happening to my body was withdrawal from the steroid pack that I was prescribed. The fact that I didn't take the two pills on Tuesday resulted in my body reacting the way it had. I missed work and ended up trying to rest all day but without success. With the condition my back is in, there is not a comfortable way to sit, stand, or lay. I am still feeling the effects today (Thursday) but they have lessened.
As I am getting older, taking prescriptions for various pains is scaring me more and more. Simply not knowing what actually is happening in my body when I take that pill frightens me.
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