How can a person be diagnosed with Neuropathy if they are not Diabetic

@lorry I actually don't see a problem with the article although I'm not sure I would have used the "Green light" image next to topic "Generally Safe". It does go on to explain the conditions it's safe for taking and then specifies the safety, side effects and interactions below that along with a note saying to check with your doctor for supplements, etc. I do find it a little misleading if you have neuropathy because it's a no no to take unless you specifically have a deficiency. I had that discussion with one of my Mayo doctors early in my diagnosis of neuropathy. That's also when I stopped drinking any of those sports drinks that are loaded with B6.

Back in 2021 when I was first diagnosed with hypercortisolism I also had issues with spinal stenosis and lower back pain. Unfortunately the 2 coincided with the result that I didn't know what was causing what. I ended up with right foot drop because of the nerve damage. By sometime in October I was having difficulty walking and gave up driving. By Christmastime I was finally able to get the lumbar surgery stuff out of the way. Seems like it was nearly 3 months till I could walk or drive again. I was decent for maybe a year and then it got increasingly difficult to do any adequate amount of walking. I still have lower back pain [more than one issue IMO] that may or may not be related to the original stenosis. I can do my exercise bike to help keep my lower legs useable. Not being able to walk well makes it difficult to get the exercise that everyone says that you need to get. Frankly, I don't look forward to the amount of walking that one needs to do during their visits to Mayo Clinic

@debbieod
I have the same, no diabetes but neuropathy that started @5 yrs. ago. I have been going to pt since, although my pt closed so I’m trying to do it on my own. In the beginning I was able to walk on my own but a couple of yrs in needed a cane. I am now dependent on a walker. This year my balance went making everything different. It has gotten bad. I have given up driving, hardly being able to walk very far which just started this week. Last night I fell AGAIN just walking to the bathroom. I hardly slept thinking everything I have given up and worried for the future. My son and his wife have the cutest 2 yr old ever, something I’ve waited very long for. Very saddened now that it’s here I can hardly do anything with him. This past week has been a challenge to keep my spirits up. Trying hard to work harder and improve but I’m finding my left foot is turning in and that leg is hard to function. I have much to be thankful for and need to get my head straight…just scared for what’s ahead.

Hello @gcapling, Welcome to Connect. Another member @txflower2023 asked the same question a couple of years ago in another discussion but I didn't see any responses so hopefully they may have some information to share. I did a quick search of Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/) and it turned up quite a few different research papers if you want to scan through them or change the search phrase for more specific articles - https://scholar.google.com/scholar.

Did you read something about MMP-13 inhibitors that sounds promising?

I am not diabetic either. Nor do I have PAD. I've been diagnosed with polyneuropathy. No known cause, but there it is.
It mainly affects me below the knee and causes numbness, occasional toe/foot area electrical zings and some balance and walking issues.
Nothing the docs can do, so I'm addressing it with exercise, stretching, massage, topicals and supplements.
Everybody hange in there and happy holidays!

@johnbishop agreed. If you read the detail they mention caution. Caution to me is yellow light. Knowing what I know I’d say red light. The green light and ‘generally safe’ are inconsistent with what I am seeing here. If it were an older article, I’d understand, but a recent update should have enough data points to know this is not a green light item. IMO.

@lorry I actually don't see a problem with the article although I'm not sure I would have used the "Green light" image next to topic "Generally Safe". It does go on to explain the conditions it's safe for taking and then specifies the safety, side effects and interactions below that along with a note saying to check with your doctor for supplements, etc. I do find it a little misleading if you have neuropathy because it's a no no to take unless you specifically have a deficiency. I had that discussion with one of my Mayo doctors early in my diagnosis of neuropathy. That's also when I stopped drinking any of those sports drinks that are loaded with B6.

@johnbishop I started a thread about this almost a year ago when I was diagnosed with B6 toxicity (taking 25mg in a magnesium supplement). I had my 12 month blood test a few weeks ago and the woman who took my blood noticed the ‘history of B6 toxicity’ on the form. She exclaimed “you too?!” And went on to explain that after many years of collecting blood for testing, in the past year she had seen what could only be described as an epidemic. Once the problem started to appear on news programs, people got tested and an alarming number had very high readings.
Because toxicity symptoms mimic deficiency symptoms, some people were even being prescribed supplements.
With new laws coming in here, I thought I’d google and see if other countries were doing the same thing.
I was astonished to see a Mayo clinic update August 2025 with ‘safe’ and a green light!
http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-vitamin-b6/art-20363468

@bajjerfan

I was told by a neurologist that the nerve damage in my lower legs came about from being pre-diabetic. The numbness and tingling is indicative of peripheral neuropathy. I get relief from PreGabalin. Currently I am undergoing endovenous chemical ablation to deal with my CVI in the lower legs. We'll see what changes when that is completed.

@gcapling presently I am receiving regular treatments of laser light therapy and shockwave therapy as well as intermittent electrical therapy. I presently visit for this therapy x2 each week.