Does any neurologist prescribe Alpha Lipoic Acid?

Posted by bigjohnscho @bigjohnscho, Sep 25, 2024

R-ALA features very heavily on this forum as a potential remedy for peripheral neuropathy. Does any Neurologist actually prescribe it.

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jchet | @jchet | 2 days ago

In reply to @joanihm "@jchet I take 1200mg of ALA and find it helpful with PN, allowing me a good..." + (show)

@joanihm Do you take 1200 mg at once before bed, or 600 in morning and 600 before bed?

joanihm | @joanihm | 2 days ago

The latter, 600 in morning and 600mg before bed
At night I use NervivePM which has a small amount of melatonin.

arflmi33 | @arflmi33 | 1 day ago

My neurologist's PA recommended Nervive, and Nervive contains alpha lipoic acid, so to me that means my neurology group is recommending it. A prescription is not required for ALA or R-ALA.

mikead63 | @mikead63 | 1 day ago

In reply to @raebaby "gabapentin works for me. I take 300mg 2 to 3 times a day." + (show)

@raebaby When you take it during the day do you get sleepy at all? I have only taken gabapentin at night - two 300mg capsules. I also take 1/2 capsule of ibuprofen PM at the same time and my nightly sleep has been so much better. I did meet with a local hospital's Doctor of Pharmacy who went through my complete list of over the counter drugs and prescribed drugs; when I took them; and what I took together (I have added a lot of OTC since being diagnosed with IPN). He approved the 600mg of gabapentin along with the 1/2 of the ibuprofen PM. He did say to stick with the 1/2 capsule and not increase it which I haven't needed to.

SusanEllen66 Susan McMichael | @SusanEllen66 | 13 hours ago

In reply to @cleveland26 "@SusanEllen66 Do you take R ALA?" + (show)

@cleveland26 no I don’t

raebaby | @raebaby | 13 hours ago

In reply to @mikead63 "@raebaby When you take it during the day do you get sleepy at all? I have..." + (show)

@mikead63 No, the gabapentin I take during the day doesn't make me sleepy. In fact, within about 30 minutes after I take it, I get a little 'high.' I've been cutting back to only morning and evenng now and it doesnt seem to make much of a difference in the numbness in my feet getting worse.

cleveland26 | @cleveland26 | 12 hours ago

In reply to @SusanEllen66 "@cleveland26 no I don’t" + (show)

@SusanEllen66 Thanks for the reply. The reason I ask is your stating that you take 600 mg of ALA twice a day.

I have read from several sources that the R form of ALA is the biologically active form. So the so-called racemic mixture of ALA which contains both the the R form as well as the S form, provides half the ALA the body can use.

As you may know, R ALA is quite a bit more expensive.

I take 600 mg of R ALA at night, which has allowed me to decrease my gabapentin daily dose from 2400 mg to 900 mg. And I am trying to decrease it further.

isamuel | @isamuel | 11 hours ago

In reply to @cleveland26 "@SusanEllen66 Thanks for the reply. The reason I ask is your stating that you take 600..." + (show)

@cleveland26 Would this help small fiber neuropathy? I ask my Dr. to recommend natural med but he only wants me to take gabapentin but anything prescribed make me miserable.

cleveland26 | @cleveland26 | 6 hours ago

In reply to @isamuel "@cleveland26 Would this help small fiber neuropathy? I ask my Dr. to recommend natural med but..." + (show)

@isamuel I don't know if R ALA would help small fiber neuropathy. But it seems to me it is worth a try. There are several videos on YouTube from physicians (MD's) who endorse it for nerve pain. Also quite a few articles on the web have information about it. All the best.