Chronic pain can be mild or severe. It can hurt all the time, or it can come and go. Unlike acute pain, it is often more difficult to find a cause for chronic pain. In addition chronic pain can last an indefinite period of time, in some cases years or decades. With the upper right quadrantr abdominal pain which is experienced by so many porphyria patients, usually in a matter of hours of the administration of glucose, pain will subside or go into complete remission.
Neuropathic pain is also a part of porphyria.
This pain can be somewhat reduced by the use of Neurontin which is used to curtail seizure activity in the porphyria patient. Some specific chronic pains comes is located in the mouth, and jaw. Having chronic pain often causes the porphyria patient to experience inactivity. Inactivity can cause weight gain and loss of strength and stamina. Loss of sleep can cause irritability, fatigue and dependency on medications and alcohol in an attempt to facilitate sleep.