Lisa;
I don't blame you for not wanting to up your meds . . . it's scary thinking about all the stuff we put in our bodies. I know I personally do so much "self-medicating" with OTCs or increasing my dosages on an as-needed basis . . . I concern myself sometimes . . .
As for the Lidoderm patches, I'ce tried them, and I found them to be totally useless. And very expensive ($8 each after insurance). The pain doc gave them to me when he saw me wearing the Salonpas patches (OTC arthritis patches les than $0.10 each) on my hands and feet . . . the Salonpas patches work WAY WAY better for me than the lidoderm. The Lidoderm basically numbed my skin really, really well. If my pain was in my skin . . . (I gave them to a coworker who had Shingles - she was very grateful). Basically, they didn't do crap for me. I adore the Salonpas patches, however. But I'm still on the quest for A Kick-As Topical that will REALLLLLLLLY help my hands and feet (hands mostly).
good luck,
-Bridge
