I deal with chronic pain and have found that occasional use of Memantine at sub-dissociative doses provides significant relief, both physically and mentally.
T+0:00 - Oral dose taken with ginger tea to help absorption and reduce nausea.
T+0:30 - First effects. The constant background pain that I normally experience began to recede. Not disappearing entirely, but moving to the periphery of awareness.
T+1:00 - Full effects. Pain level dropped from my usual 6/10 to about 2/10. More importantly, the emotional weight of chronic pain — the frustration, the exhaustion — lifted. I felt like my normal self for the first time in weeks.
T+1:30 - Used this window to do gentle stretching and physical therapy exercises that are normally too painful. Also journaled about my relationship with pain and developed some new coping strategies.
T+3:00 - Effects wearing off but pain didn't immediately return to full intensity. There seems to be a residual analgesic effect.
T+24:00 - Next day, pain levels still slightly lower than my baseline. Mood improved.
I use this approach maybe once every two weeks, always with careful dosing. It's not a cure, but it provides meaningful temporary relief and helps me maintain perspective. I work with my doctor who is aware of this approach.