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Just Diagnosed with Small Fiber Neuropathy

Neuropathy | Last Active: Jul 4, 2023 | Replies (235)
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@strikeanerve

Taking 50mg of Benadryl a few hours before bed helps me, I take it at 6, bed by 11. If I know I'm going to have a busy day, I take 800mg ibuprofen before activity. Doc wanted to put me on gabapentin 200mg at night, after researching it, I decided not to try it. I have more fatigue and muscle tightness more than anything. An electric blanket also helps. I switched to the doctor Scholl's brand of shoes, made a huge difference in the leg pain.

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Replies to "Taking 50mg of Benadryl a few hours before bed helps me, I take it at 6,..."
Hank | @jesfactsmon | Oct 14, 2020

Hi @strikeanerve looks like you are new here. Do you think your fatigue and muscle tightness are peripheral neuropathy (PN) related? Do you have other symptoms? What is your overall history with respect to PN? My wife has had PN for 6 years (caused by chemo) and I have been her advocate, online researcher as well as sometime caregiver. She's overall much better now health wise than she was after chemo but her PN is still quite bad. She hated gabapentin and now does not take any drugs for pain. Best, Hank

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Leonard | @jakedduck1 | Oct 14, 2020

@strikeanerve
Good morning,
Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect.
I noticed you’re taking Benadryl to help you sleep. I don’t know whether you’re taking this long-term or not however it wasn’t designed to be taken long-term for sleep. The particular drug classification Benadryl belongs to has been associated with dementia. Not all drugs in the classification Benadryl belongs to has been directly linked to dementia with Benadryl being one of these. You may want to discuss the continuation of Benadryl with your physician and perhaps your pharmacist especially if you are taking it on a regular basis.
You also mentioned that the research you did persuaded you to not take the drug Gabapentin. I was just curious why exactly you decided against trying this medication.
I took the maximum dose (3,600 mg) of this medication only I took the brand name Neurontin. It didn’t help my neuropathy or my seizures. My brother takes the same dosage of Neurontin and gives him relief.
Take care,
Jake

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