Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy: What helps get rid of it?

Posted by taxlady @taxlady, Jan 31, 2023

I finished chemo April of 2022
I have neuropathy in my fingers and feet. It doesn’t seem to be going away. What are treatments I can do to help get rid of it.

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@dlydailyhope

@sh0rtie
My suggestion is to do everything you can to learn about nerve health and healing. You may benefit from seeing a dietitian/nutritionist who knows about neuropathy and nutrition to heal nerves and reduce inflammation.

You can also try Acetyl l carnitine and alpha Lipoic acid supplements plus magnesium to help calm nerves. It works for me (I have small fiber neuropathy and spinal stenosis/spinal cord injury causing full body nerve sensations that disrupt sleep).

You can use neuropathy creams and lidocaine patches to help with localized nerve pain (like in feet, legs, back, etc.). Here are some of the things I have bought on Amazon that helped me. I hope you find relief soon.
Have you been to a pain management center to help you manage pain? Have you ever been prescribed Cymbalta or Lyrics for nerve pain?
https://a.co/d/hqD3VnJ
https://a.co/d/0YcSwGx
https://a.co/d/h3DTpAI
https://a.co/d/7POG60g

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*Correction, Lyrica (not lyrics 😉)

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@sh0rtie

my name is Laura Henderson and I have peripheral neuropathy. I believe mine stems from chemotherapy and radiation for cancer. My left side (my hands while driving and the outer side of my left leg) was numb. I went to a neurologist for testing and sure enough my nerves were damaged. I took gabapentin for 2 years and it was no help at all. That was in 2013. In 2017 I learned I had a left bundle branch block and had to have a pacemaker/deliberator. In 2019 I lost the use of my left kidney. Now my feet are numb and it moves to different areas in my legs. Can't sleep at night for the pain and tingling. Does anyone have any idea of what I can do for help?

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If you can tolerate warm water get in a warm water therapy pool. I get tremendous relief by just walking and floating in the water at the YMCA

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@sh0rtie

my name is Laura Henderson and I have peripheral neuropathy. I believe mine stems from chemotherapy and radiation for cancer. My left side (my hands while driving and the outer side of my left leg) was numb. I went to a neurologist for testing and sure enough my nerves were damaged. I took gabapentin for 2 years and it was no help at all. That was in 2013. In 2017 I learned I had a left bundle branch block and had to have a pacemaker/deliberator. In 2019 I lost the use of my left kidney. Now my feet are numb and it moves to different areas in my legs. Can't sleep at night for the pain and tingling. Does anyone have any idea of what I can do for help?

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Hi! You have really been through a lot in addition to Peripheral neuropathy. I have not tried Scrambler therapy yet, but I am anxious for my husband to. It is a series of 10 one hour treatments that treats the receptors in your brain not to recognize the pain that is being caused by certain nerves causing the neuropathy. Look up Calmare Scrambler Therapy or Scrambler Therapy. There are support groups on line………said to help 70-80% patients and is used at the Mayo Clinic; papers written on it by doctors at Johns Hopkins hospital. It’s something to look into.

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@sh0rtie

my name is Laura Henderson and I have peripheral neuropathy. I believe mine stems from chemotherapy and radiation for cancer. My left side (my hands while driving and the outer side of my left leg) was numb. I went to a neurologist for testing and sure enough my nerves were damaged. I took gabapentin for 2 years and it was no help at all. That was in 2013. In 2017 I learned I had a left bundle branch block and had to have a pacemaker/deliberator. In 2019 I lost the use of my left kidney. Now my feet are numb and it moves to different areas in my legs. Can't sleep at night for the pain and tingling. Does anyone have any idea of what I can do for help?

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I've got peripheral neuropathy in my feet too, due to chemo. My bedside table and bathroom counter are like display cases for so many lotions, potions and creams I've tried to alleviate the pain and annoyance of neuropathy.
Here's what I have found that are most effective in providing some relief for me. And although it's temporary, it does provide some relief. When it wears off, I just apply more.

This is my greatest hits list as of right now.

Penetrex. It comes in cream and a roll on. I use both but the roll on is easy to apply.
https://www.amazon.com/Penetrex-Pain-Relief-Therapy-Experience/dp/B0026HDURA/ref
https://www.amazon.com/Pain-Relief-Roll-Penetrex-Accelerate/dp/B071NWDQQ7?ref
Wise Men Healing Balm.
https://www.amazon.com/Wise-Men-Healing-Frankincense-Essential/dp/B01BW9YW9C/ref
Frankincense & Myrrh Foot Pain Relief Cream. This comes in oil form too. It's messier but provides good relief as well. I use both.
https://www.amazon.com/Frankincense-Myrrh-Foot-Relief-Lotion/dp/B08HPGPSJX/ref
I've also a bunch of CBD balms. I've found these two from BATCH, a company in Wisconsin to be most effective. I got them both to try them out. They both work well. And, they come in roll-up container like deodorant which makes its easy to apply.
https://gethellobatch.com/collections/all/products/cbd-balm-fire-ice
https://gethellobatch.com/collections/all/products/cbd-balm
I know! So many. You should see the ones not on this list. I'm an impatient patient. I wanted to find things that worked for me. I have a saying I use a lot to help explain my manic behavior with such things: Desperate people do desperate things. When it comes to this darned neuropathy, I have been desperate to find how best to deal with it.

Check out this string of comments on Mayo Clinic Connnect for lots of good info too:
Neuropathy: What works and what are scams? ... misleading adverts and down right scams.What ... which were useless/helpful or obvious scams
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/what-works-and-what-are-scams/
I also did acupuncture which seemed to be somewhat effective and a physical/occupational therapy program designed for chemo patients that used a series of exercises, ultrasound and lasers. It helped some.

Still waiting for that cure all that will make all the neuropthy go away---immediately. It's that impatient patient thing.

Hope you find something that helps. SOON!

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@sh0rtie

my name is Laura Henderson and I have peripheral neuropathy. I believe mine stems from chemotherapy and radiation for cancer. My left side (my hands while driving and the outer side of my left leg) was numb. I went to a neurologist for testing and sure enough my nerves were damaged. I took gabapentin for 2 years and it was no help at all. That was in 2013. In 2017 I learned I had a left bundle branch block and had to have a pacemaker/deliberator. In 2019 I lost the use of my left kidney. Now my feet are numb and it moves to different areas in my legs. Can't sleep at night for the pain and tingling. Does anyone have any idea of what I can do for help?

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Hi,
I have polyneuropathy with numbness and tingling on my feet and legs. I use Magnalife Relaxing leg cream on my legs at night and the Magnalife Pain Relieving Foot Cream on the bottoms of my feet at night. It helps me sleep. I purchase them from IHerb - they are very inexpensive and the shipping is fast. Hope this helps!
Susan

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@suzzi

Hi,
I have polyneuropathy with numbness and tingling on my feet and legs. I use Magnalife Relaxing leg cream on my legs at night and the Magnalife Pain Relieving Foot Cream on the bottoms of my feet at night. It helps me sleep. I purchase them from IHerb - they are very inexpensive and the shipping is fast. Hope this helps!
Susan

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Warning: Magnalife products are "homeopathic" meaning that the amount of active ingredients in them is so incredibly tiny that the products are worthless. Homeopathy is psuedoscience, invented in the early 1800s. It has been totally discredited. Any benefit felt is imaginary.
Please read this definition: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathic_dilutions

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@sh0rtie

my name is Laura Henderson and I have peripheral neuropathy. I believe mine stems from chemotherapy and radiation for cancer. My left side (my hands while driving and the outer side of my left leg) was numb. I went to a neurologist for testing and sure enough my nerves were damaged. I took gabapentin for 2 years and it was no help at all. That was in 2013. In 2017 I learned I had a left bundle branch block and had to have a pacemaker/deliberator. In 2019 I lost the use of my left kidney. Now my feet are numb and it moves to different areas in my legs. Can't sleep at night for the pain and tingling. Does anyone have any idea of what I can do for help?

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@sh0rtie, you've received many helpful replies. I moved your question about cancer-treatment related neuropathy to this related discussion so you can read more tips shared by members:
- Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy: What helps get rid of it?https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/chemotherapy-induced-neuropathy/

Not getting a good night's sleep must be hard.

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@crossette

Warning: Magnalife products are "homeopathic" meaning that the amount of active ingredients in them is so incredibly tiny that the products are worthless. Homeopathy is psuedoscience, invented in the early 1800s. It has been totally discredited. Any benefit felt is imaginary.
Please read this definition: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathic_dilutions

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I didn’t expect to find such hostility on this website. I merely stated what has helped me to sleep better and I stand by that.

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@suzzi

I didn’t expect to find such hostility on this website. I merely stated what has helped me to sleep better and I stand by that.

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@suzzi, I'm glad that you found something that works for you and helps you sleep better.

There are many many products and therapies that claim to help or even cure neuropathy. Unfortunately, people have spent a lot of money on false claims, hoping for relief. It is wrong that such companies profit from hope and hype.

Luckily members and mentors on Connect help dig through the research and the medical evidence. @crossette's warning is such a post, meant to alert "Buyer beware" about Magnilife homeopathic products. The message is not directed as a criticism of what works for you.

What might work for one person may not for another.

To all:
Here's is more information about homeopathy.
- What do we know about the effectiveness of homeopathy? https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/homeopathy
- "There’s little evidence to support homeopathy as an effective treatment for any specific health condition.
- What do we know about the safety of homeopathic products?
Some products labeled as homeopathic may contain substantial amounts of active ingredients and could cause side effects and drug interactions."

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Try acupuncture administered by a well-trained practitioner. It improves energy and circulation, so it will likely make you feel better in any event...Nothing lost, possibly something gained in terms of reducing neuropathy. Another good thing to take is homemade bone broth - for energy -- also and making you feel stronger pre- and post- chemo treatments. Activities that require movement of fingers and toes, knitting, for example, or one of the other contributor's suggestions of walking in a thermal or hot-water pool -- are great.

I have not heard of any good creams, lotions or tonics that might work. Activity and movement seem to work best, from what I have heard.

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