What Is A Treatment for RSD If You Are SIP?

Pills don't always dull the pain.

Reflex Sympathetic Disorder (RSD) is a neurological disorder that affects nerve receptors and causes unfathomable pain. Doctors often treat RSD and accompanying Sympathetically Independent Pain (SIP) by temporarily turning off pain receptors, which often doesn't work. A last resort is to place patients in a coma to reset their nervous systems.

History

Some patients undergo a medically induced coma.

The term RSD was first used in the medical field in 1946, but doctors are still mixed about its treatment. Two separate clinical trials---during which patients were put in medically induced comas---were undertaken in Germany and Mexico in radical attempts to treat them and learn about the disorder.

Expert Insight

The coma is designed to reboot the nervous system, but it is not an instant fix, says Robert Schwartzman, MD, chairman of neurology at Drexel University's College of Medicine. He has been researching RSD for 30 years, and refers patients to the treatment in Germany.

Considerations

The treatment is a last resort, and is costly. In 2009, a patient reported total expenses to be as much as $50,000. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not approve this treatment, so insurance isn't likely to cover it.

Time Frame

Coma patients spend up to five days under treatment. Patients generally report a slow recovery.

Warnings

Ketamine, the drug used to induce the coma, is also a street drug. During the coma, doctors regulate the amount of the drug given to patients and slowly wean them from it.

References

• American Academy of Pain Management
• Dr. Tim Lubenow, Rush University Medical Center
• Pain Medicine Journal

Resources

• RSD Assocation
• Read Brandy Sachs' story