Anyone experience muscle loss due to neuropathy?

Yes. My legs and arms have atrophied badly. I lost 50 pounds rapidly. The weight loss surprised me when I noticed it happening one day in the mirror.
The veins in my arms bulge hugely in my forearms and are highly visible at times. They never were before so I put it down to muscle loss. Its actually pretty scary looking at my calves,legs and arms. Look like sticks compared to before. My left ankle is also extremely weak.

So I mentioned this to my doctor and a friend when I first noticed this and funnily got the same lame response of it can be good to lose weight and was ignored. However, when I had a second emg a year later the doctor performing it asked if I had been losing weight and or muacle and confirmed it was from neuropathy. He said it was due to motor nerve involvement. Typing this just reminds me of how bad this disease really is.

At age of "82" I fight daily with pain in my feet. All this started in my 70's and was caused by Peripheral Neuropathy, According to my Doctor. Now I have pain in my neck, back and some fingers. Is this cause by Peripheral Neuropathy as well?

I acquired PN in my lower legs [right one is worse with noticeable muscle loss] concurrent with some lumbar stenosis issues. Couldn't or didn't sort them out until it was too late. Not sure if the PN could have been prevented. After the lumbar surgery there was some relief. I could wiggle my toes better, but not as well as with my left foot. The nerve damage was likely due to excess cortisol production, but who knows. I have noticeable leg weakness so I'm screwed that way for the rest of my days. I hope eating more protein can prevent further loss. Poultry is a good source of ornithine which is supposed to be good for muscle buildup. I prefer the small 6 ounce cans of salmon or tuna [wild caught thru Costco] which supplies creatine too.

@bajjerfan

I almost bought a jug of creatine the other day than decided not too. It crossed my mind awhile ago and I have wandered if it would be of help. I know many that used it twenty years ago but they were in their prime and healthy. I dont think I can do the proper weight training for it to be of benefit.

I would say to give creatine a try. Every time I go on creatine I gain weight. It really just causes your muscles to retain more water. Stay hydrated when taking it. It’s really the cheapest and easiest thing to do to retain muscle as we age. I am 57 and have been losing leg mass noticeably for the past 5 years. I also was diagnosed with neuropathy, but I am certain it is caused by my severe lumbar stenosis diagnosis. I already had a minor decompression surgery that fixed my right side sciatica, but now my left side is worse than my right side because I started going to the gym only 2 weeks after my surgery. What an idiot! I really think a lot of people with neuropathy have compressed nerves somewhere and should resolve that problem before saying oh well I guess I have neuropathy for life. Unless you’re a diabetic of course.

@megidigo

Someone at Costco at one of those little sampler booths was pushing the stuff.

I tried creatine a couple years ago, caused kidney problems that were detected in a blood test. At this point I am still able to lift heavy weights with my legs, just concerned about the loss in muscle mass in my legs. The only symptoms have been balance and walking issues and difficulty standing up.

@jum13 My creatinine and BUN blood test are also elevated slightly when I take creatinine supplements. My doctor says it doesn’t mean my kidneys aren’t functioning well. It just means they are working more. Ask for a Cystatin C test. It’s a more accurate test for kidney function. I also cycle creatine on and off for a month on and a week off usually. Of course who doesn’t miss a day here and there also.