Diagnosis: Idiopathic Peripheral Neuropathy and Restless Leg Syndrome

I am an 80 year old female. Diagnosed with neuropathy about 3 years ago. I had all the test so it was confirmed and they put me on gabapentin. In the last couple of years I have reduced the gabapentin down to 300 mg only at night because that's the only time it bothers me is at night. I contend that the only reason why it may have not advanced further up my legs because I walk about 2 to 3 miles a day, of course that depends on the weather so there are some days I'm not able to walk. Those are the days that I feel more pain in my feet at night when I'm trying to sleep. So my treatment, has been 300 mg gabapentin and trying to walk as much as possible.

I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Poly Neuropathy in my feet and lower legs several years ago, and like you, I experience more pain in my feet than the numbness and tingling. The numbness is still there, it causes my balance issues, since I can't feel the bottom of my feet any more.
It is definitely frustrating. I'm taking 3600 mg of Gabapentin a day to help dull the pain, but it's only marginally helping.

I am sorry that you and so many others(like myself as well)have to go through such terrible pain. Perhaps, some day, the medical community will take our plight more seriously and come up with more comprehensive answers to the pain we suffer.

3600 mg of gabapentin! I thought that my 1800 mg was a lot. Didn’t your doctor feel reluctant to prescribe that much for you?
Keep well!

Hi i am male 79 and also have pn and r leg trouble one thing that helps me at night was something an accupurnist advised me get up get into the shower put tap on cold ans drence both legs and feet for 2 or 3 mins then gradually move to warm not roasting warm just warm dry off this helps get the circulation going and helps me get back for some more sleep i also weae compression socks in bed i also aa iv posted b4 use compression boots on both legs foe 60 mins b 4 bed all of these things may not work for everyone ? But qorth a try im on amptidripline does it work i dont know helps me keep a bit relaxed perhaps but i feel we all must keep trying personaly i know that none of these things will not stop pn during the day aa when we are out we are out as it were but they help me get through the long long sleepless nights james irwlabd

James ireland sorry

Mike, not to be unsympathetic or anything, but, perhaps reflect that you have made it thus far relatively unscathed. That said, I would also recommend a second (and third- why not?) opinion and to take the expert opinions of neurologists with a grain of salt, all while doing your best to self-educate. Since being diagnosed with both those conditions at various times by the half-dozen or so neurologists that I have visited since I was 55, I have learned that there is much to learned about the medical profession as a consumer, and the variable pronouncements known as diagnoses, which in my opinion are more for the benefit of insurance coverage than patient health. Take care and don't let worry interfere too much with judgement.

He was a little hesitant for a couple of years and would only prescribe 2400 mg for me. Eventually it got to the point where that dosage wasn't doing anything to help dull the pain, so he bumped the dosage up to 3600 mg, which is the maximum dosage he'll ever prescribe to anyone.
As of this moment, it's not doing much for me anymore.

Sorry to hear that. Have you done trials of the spinal cord stimulator and the morphine pain pump?
Many seem to get a measure of relief from them.

Good evening, Chris!
First off, I really like that you shared the Bible verse. A shared point of view is often the day's best medicine.
I've been pondering how to answer your question regarding when I really felt better. The complication is that within 4 months of the EMG which diagnosed my P.N., I had a 7-hour lumbar surgery (the reason for which that EMG was prescribed) and also fell, breaking my right hip and requiring 2 corrective surgeries, the second of which replaced it. This was all Jan.-Apr. 2022. Because my pain doc has me on meds that work for me, my main daily challenges are mobility, gait, and fatigue. For instance, yesterday when I got up and into my morning routine, I felt so incredibly good I couldn't believe it (even hobbling around with my cane and/or walker, depending). So, I way overdid it with errands, some of which involved expending extra energy afterwards at home, and so even before it was evening I was feeling so ill I really couldn't do anything but lay on the sofa. My own doing!
In the end, the short answer to your question is actually about two years, and with the use of lots of different approaches to treatments, not the least of which is prayer.
~Barb

You’ve certainly had your share of challenges! Thanks for your reply. I never thought in a million years that I would be in this situation. But, as my wife tells me, at least I wasn’t twenty five when it all happened.