Pain relief with Alpha-Stim?

[broncovet]

One of our hadit Vets had emailed me about the Alpha Stim, for paid/depression relief.    Apparently VA is/may consider one for him.  I dont know if these work or not, but I may just ask my PCP for one.  Of course, that takes weeks or months.

Is anyone else familiar with http://www.alpha-stim.com/

?  

[Vync]

Hi Bobz,
I was prescribed it initially for depression, which ironically was secondary to my chronic pain. The lady at the VA said they were not, at the time, authorized to prescribe them for chronic pain. They figured the I would get benefit of both. The effectiveness against depression is fairly decent, but sometimes it doesn't make a dent. It is definitely better than nothing on both fronts.

There are actually a couple of models. The base model only has one port for the ear clip leads, but the upgraded model has that, a second port, and the leads/probes for local use. I got the latter. I use it every morning for about an hour. If I use it in the evening, I'm awake all night.

The only drawbacks I have seen is the need to use pricier lithium batteries and I have to remove one or they will drain quickly over time. Using alkaline batteries works, but they drain way too fast.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.

[Vync]

I had my first "alpha-stim" treatment today. At first, I thought it was just some alternative form of VA snake oil. Within the first minute of wearing the device, I started feeling a bit woozy and more relaxed. After the session, I could tell a difference. Yeah, I still hurt and had the feeling like the world's largest rubber band ball, but it wasn't as bad. It was like having the volume turned down a couple of notches. The lady said I might even sleep better tonight. She also said the treatment might only last for a couple of days. If it works out, I might get my own to take home eventually. I am not sold on it yet, but it does appear to be a promising alternative to the declining quality of VA treatment. I go back next week for another treatment and will let everyone know how it goes.

[Navy04]

I went thru this treatment a year or so ago. It did nothing for me, I even have one at home. Other Vets have had great success. Hopefully it works for you. Good luck

[Vync]

Hello everyone,
I had my second treatment two days ago. This time they left the unit on me for 40 minutes instead of 20 minutes. The effects are gradually waning, but so far it seems very promising. I have two appointments for treatment next week.

Additionally, I asked some questions. Apparently the VA will only use it for treatment of chronic pain. They said it is not yet approved for treatment of the other advertised conditions, however any improvement in those issues is considered a bonus.

[Navy04]

Glad the treatment is going well. The VA actually used this to try to Cure my PTSD, which it made worse, and did not lessen the pain. Keep up the good work bud. Good luck

[Vync]

After having my visits increased from one per week to several per week, I finished the initial evaluation sessions. The therapist mentioned that I looked like I was in less pain from when I had my first treatment. They placed an order for the device to be shipped to my house and it should arrive within the next week or so.