Neuropathy & Exercise

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I can not handle too much Gabapentin at 1 time because it makes me tired & sleepy so the dr. has me take 1 100 mg after breakfast & 1 in the afternoon & 300 mg at night & I sleep very well. They wanted to increase me to 200 mg at a time but I was getting headaches & nauseated so I'm just on 500 mg which is low. I don't feel it helps with the pain but I guess it does to an extent because I am functioning & doing my house work. I do notice I forget things a lot & I think that is part of the side effect. I also take Cymbalta & i think that helps me to not get depressed over this. I now wear low shoes instead of high heel & my life style has changed a lot. I'm pretty much home bound. I would talk to your dr. about it. Best of luck. Tigreyes

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I have been a part of this thread of polyneuropathy for several months. Mine is sensory and I do wonder about a connection to my first Shingrix shot. My first concern was to see if anyone has found the symptoms improve over time. But, alas, I am just living with this. I have found Gabapentin has helped with my neuro pain, the creepy/crawly feeling under the skin of my calfs and the overall pain in both legs. All my sleep symptoms disappear as soon as I am on my feet. Disordered sleep was my main problem, though now that I know what to look for I have numbness on the underside of the toes of my left foot. I have kept my Gabapentin at 600 mg. First I was dividing it to 300 mg at bedtime and 300 in the middle of the night. I have now found the 600 mg at bedtime is holding me quite well without leaving me too ‘foggy’. I also take Amitriptyline 25 mg in the evening. I have started taking this in the last afternoon as it has a half life of 20 hrs and holds me better through the night. All this to say, I am 77 yrs and have not taken much or required many meds. This is a new existence for me and I feel it is paramount to get adequate restorative sleep. I know I am on low doses of both Gabapentin and Amitriptyline and it takes a while to get adjusted. It is so difficult to be patient with these changes.

I still run on the beach 4 or 5 miles a day. It helps with pain - it distracts me, the beach is new and different every day and there are animals: we have beach foxes here as well as the usual sea gulls, sandpipers, crabs, sometimes we see dolphins, sand-sharks, sea glass, jellyfish, all kinds of stuff. I take 150 mg Lyrica at night and lately 600 gabapentin twice during the day. I tried taking lyrica during the day but it made me sleepy. Laying down and sitting down make my legs/feet worse, I'm getting those 'wasp sting-like' pains in my arms, back, and face now too. Some days it's better and I wonder what I did right but I do the same things and eat the same things every day so I haven't found anything that correlates. Some days are worse and I have to take 1/2 of a Tramadol. I'm still trying every lidocaine and cbd product but having only a few minutes of relief. I asked my Pain Doctor about low-dose naltrexone for Neuropathy - he is looking into it, we'll discuss it again next time. I will also ask him about Shingrix - I don't know what that is but I'll try anything that you guys are trying. This forum is terrific - when any new treatment for neuropathy is invented, I'm sure we will be some of the first to hear about it. Thanks, Peggy

Hi, @pfbacon - this Mayo Clinic article has some useful information on Shingrix https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-new-shingles-vaccine-recommended-for-most-adults-over-age-50/

Oh yes, now I remember, I'm on a waiting list to get on the waiting list to get the shot(s). None of my pharmacies in Delaware or Virginia know when they will get it in. I wonder why the company who makes it is so slow about producing it. Pharmaceutical companies spend a lot of money on research and development, they usually want to make their money back asap. Peggy

Hey there, @southwind. I am checking on you and your walking program now that everything is on the table regarding what the real subject is here. How is your health right now? Any new findings? Are you feeling less pain? I do like your positive endorphins solution. So hoping you are moving forward unconditionally. Be safe and protected. Chris

I have a serious case of CIDP, with major nerve damage in my legs, so just stumbling around the house with a cane or walker is difficult. (Away from the house, I have to use a wheelchair.) Unfortunately, I also have serious back problems and constant pain. I need exercise for both conditions, but pain makes it difficult. I do stretches and other exercises for my back, but I can’t ride an exercise bike and do any exercises that require being on my feet without support. I can’t get down on a floor mat because I wouldn’t be able to get up again, so I do the lying-down exercises on the bed. I have some atrophy in my legs, which two neurologists have told me will happen with CIDP regardless of whether you walk and exercise. Next week I’m having a peripheral nerve stimulator put in, and I hope it will control my pain well enough to let me exercise more. A friend who is a yoga instructor has given me guidance to moves that won’t over-tax my depleted muscles or cause injury.

So, in addition to IVIG, you also partake in additional strength building and a self discipline lifestyle? Amazing you are, my friend! Keep your positive spirit...it must be very difficult some days.
Rachel