ALA Supplement recommendation

I tried taking ALA for a while, but it didn’t seem to improve my symptoms so I stopped after about a year, but I have either idiopathic small fiber neuropathy or suspected autoimmune, and I think the strongest research showed it benefited diabetic and chemotherapy induced neuropathy.

But since you had a positive experience before, hopefully you might again.

Perhaps you could consider a higher dose? It’s been a while but I was taking 600 mg because that was the dose that I saw had been studied. Just looked it up and found this: “ Taking 600-1800 mg of alpha-lipoic acid by mouth or by IV seems to improve symptoms such as burning, pain, and numbness in the legs and arms of people with diabetes. Lower doses of alpha-lipoic acid don't seem to work. IV products can only be given by a healthcare provider.”

From Web MD: https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-767/alpha-lipoic-acid

I used Vitamin Shoppe at the time because I read that it has a positive review from Consumer Lab but that was years ago now, and it wasn’t R-ALA.

So I can’t really recommend a “good” one that’s worked for me, since I don’t think it worked for me…

However, my PCP is an integrative medicine doctor and she recommends with supplements to go for reputable brands that are GMP certified. Thorne is prescription grade, used in studies, but it’s usually super expensive and I don’t think they have R-ALA.

She also approved of me taking a Jarrow Formulas supplement and that tends to be much more economical, and they do have R-ALA.

I didn’t know there was a difference, but I see that R-ALA is more absorbable so that could make it easier for our bodies to put it to use. Thanks for pointing that out.

I think it makes sense if you decide to do another trial, possibly with a higher dose, why not try R-ALA to give yourself a better chance it might work?

As tp which Alpha lipoic acid to get, I suggest you do your research at home before making any purchase. Read the fine print on the label. Look for a brand that has certifications from various groups. Look up the names of the certifying groups to find what standards they are certifying their product meets. Good luck!

I did try a R-ALA product once but it made my lips feel like they were swollen and I was worried that it might cause an anaphylaxis reaction but maybe I’ll just try a different brand as I don’t even care if it does at this point.

Hmm, strange. Good call though. Maybe you can try another brand with fewer additives and hopefully that won’t happen.

The only side effect I had with regular ALA is it caused burning in my throat, if I didn’t take it with enough water and sometimes something to eat, but that makes sense since it’s an acid.

When I first came to Connect a couple of years ago, I learned about R-ALA and also Benfotiamine, and I have been taking both supplements ever since. I have always purchased via Amazon. Not advising anyone to take the same dosages.... or to take any at all.... but to share, I take 1200mg of R-ALA daily and 600mg Benfotiamine daily. Recently, I found a vegetarian brand that contains 600mg of R-ALA and 300mg of Benfotiamine in each capsule, so I take one capsule in the morning and one in the evening to get my daily totals. Having both in one capsule is convenient. Again, this is just what I do....and I cannot recommend supplements or dosages to anyone else. I would suggest to Google and read about the beneficial effects of R-ALA and Benfotiamine. Watch youtube videos. Read about them here on Connect. Read about any possible side effects. Then, decide if you think they may help with your symptoms. At this point, I can't say my symptoms have greatly improved... but I like to think that my taking the supplements may be preventing symptoms from getting worse. I'm fortunate in that my neuropathy/radiculopathy causes tingling and numbness in my feet, which leads to some balance issues ... but I have no terrible pain as many do. I am NOT diabetic. My symptoms began following a lumber laminectomy L2-S1 two years ago. I wish you well. Mike

I tried it swelled up huge and I could not urinate. Threw all my labs off.

Hi Mike, I am new to this group and everyone has such detailed descriptions about medication’s and different methods and doctors that they have gone through. I was diagnosed with neuropathy about four years ago, started out as a neuroma in the foot way before that, all of it on my right side. It has now entered the left side. I also do not have pain just a lot of numbness, tingling and weakness. I now take B12, niacin and magnesium. They’re all supposed to work on the nervous system and I will say I feel as though it helps me sleep better. I also take two 100 mg of gabapentin nightly.
My main concern is how much worse will this get? I am seeing an upper cervical specialist as I suffered a Vertigo a year ago this past August, which when I would have an episode, large or small, my neuropathy would flare up. He has helped me with the vertigo and I’m going to put my neuropathy ailment in his hands. I just finished laser therapy for neuropathy with no results.
So many of the comments mention pain even chronic pain, and it is scary! I appreciate any comments that you would have! Nancy

So interesting that you said your started out as a neuroma in the foot. I started developing PN about 2 months ago, and what started as tingling in my right foot eventually spread to the left foot...and then to the back of my hand and arms. Now, the tingling is mostly gone but in its place is a constant burning sensation.

What baffles me is what triggered this. All these symptoms started about 48-72 hours after a podiatrist shot my right big toe with liquid nitrogen to try to address what he said was a plantar wart at the bottom of my right big toe. I had gone to see him because it felt like there was a splinter under that toe and I could not see it (or any evidence of anything else), but he quickly said it was a plantar wart. Within a day of the liquid nitrogen, that spot under the toe turned into a neuroma...and from there the tingling experience that spread to the other foot and arms followed.

The podiatrist disclaims any linkage between the liquid nitrogen treatment and the onset of the PN, but the timing is simply too crazy for me to dismiss it as a coincidence. Until your comment, I'd never heard of anyone whose symptoms started with a neuroma....

Hi, Nancy @nct12 I spent a half hour writing a long detailed reply.... then it failed to go through. Note to self: Always copy the text before hitting send.... so. it won't be lost if there is some glitch with the site. I was diagnosed with lumbar stenosis in 2021. I jumped through all the hoops required by insurance.... I had steroid injections.... I did PT.... As nothing helped, I had a laminectomy in Nov. 2022 (L2-S1). Immediately following that surgery, I could WALK again, which was great! But I also began to notice the burning and tingling and numbness in my feet. I went through several months of PT but I was still have problems with balance. The surgeon suggested an MRI of my Cervical spine. There he found a disc pressing against my spinal cord. He felt this was causing the trouble with balance.... and I had a fusion of C4-5 in May of 2023. That did NOT resolve the balance issues. If I'm out walking in the neighborhood or on a track in a straight direction, not much problem. The balance issues are worse inside my home or in a store setting where I have to maneuver around corners or furniture. So far, no major falls, and I often use a cane or hiking sticks just to insure balance. I have found that Barefoot shoes (I ordered mine on Amazon for around $40... brand Grand Attack) give my toes more width to spread out and their thin soles allow me to feel the floor/ground better.... thus helping proprioception... and balance. I do have steroid injections in my lumbar spine several times a year.... and those help for a short while. I took Gabapentin (made me loopy) and Lyrica (gained 30 pounds) and neither one was really a help. As I said, I don't have real "pain" .... rather just numbness, tingling, burning.... and I am thankful I don't suffer from the excrutiating pain so many describe. I began taking RALA and Benfotiamine.... and also Acetyl L-Carnitine and Magnesium supplements shortly after learning about the neuropathy. I did finally see a neurologist in February, and after a number of exams in his office he concluded that I more likely had radiculopathy rather than neuropathy. Radiculopathy is compression of the nerves in the back "after" they exit the spinal column... and radiculopathy can mimic the same symtoms of numbness and tingling as with neuropathy. The neurologist had no solution to offer. At 73 years old, I'm not ready to stop living.... and I know I need to keep moving. I try to exercise each day, either in the pool, or by walking. I need to keep moving. I did have my PCP check my B6 levels and they were HIGH.... and B6 toxicity can also cause these same symptoms.... so I do not take any supplements that contain B6. I do take B12, just as you do. Through several different health issues during my lifetime, I have learned that I have to be my own advocate for my health care. I don't hesitate to read and research and ask my doctors about new treatments or techniques. I am more than happy to answer ANY questions you may have. Connect is a great place to find others who truly UNDERSTAND. You are NOT ALONE!!! Hang in there... My best wishes! Mike

Interesting that you mention radiculopathy verses neuropathy. Now I need to have a talk with my chiropractor and neurologist . I'm 74 and floundering around doing endless research and documenting my daily symptoms and food intake. When you have 15 minutes with a doctor, and they want to send you away with drugs and tell you "see you in 3 or 6 months", you know your screwed. My PC doctor calls me the "medicine minimalist" and I refuse to take Gabapentin. It's not pain, just a pain in butt to have tingling/numbness of feet and calves. Also I took time to learn what supplements to take when and with what. And I bought a scale that measures body composition, take my BP everyday. I take pictures of every crumb I ingest so that I can feel and see any changes in foot numbness, calf numbness, and this debilitating imbalance. I won't say dizziness. It's immediately misinterpreted as an inner ear problem. And on my own I asked to have an Insulin blood test and it was over the limits. 30.8 < 18. So I'm guessing there's insulin resistance, so I'm addressing this. 4 small meals within 9 hours then 15 hours fasting. No sugar, coffee, white refined flours and foods, no boxed or preserved or processed foods. And I had a chiropractic adjustment 2 days ago, and this morning the burning is almost gone. Our bodies are mysterious and miraculous. I'm losing 1/2 lb a day and drinking teas I made myself from the Quince Shrub and Mulberry tree growing in my organic gardens. I've intuited these leaves would help me and didn't know why. Trust yourself. Google benefits of Mulberry leaf and Quince leaf tea. My cardiologist is ignorant to anything I've told him about these teas. He wants to give me a drug for plaque. The ct scan shows some but nothing to be considered life threatening and I'm going to clear the plaque out myself. Lower cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL. I have a strict food plan and can't wait for the next blood work in December. I love this connect discussion board. Thanks for your insights and health journey. Linda pictures are crushing Quince leaves that I dried in a fine mesh bag and made my own teabags.