Supplements - What helps nerve pain and/or neuropathy?

Posted by newzbug @newzbug, Nov 15, 2019

I was diagnosed earlier this year with "Sensorimotor Peripheral Neuropathy" over my whole body, though I am not yet showing symptoms everywhere. I do have numbness in all my toes, feet, a large section of my upper right thigh, large section of the side of my left calf, occasional ... numbness in my hands in the middle of the night. Anyway, my neurologist did suggest Alpha Lipoic Acid (otc supplement) to help with the neuropathy. She said that although studies suggest people who also have diabetes have had some success with taking this (I don't have diabetes), she said I might get some help from it. So, yep, it's been about 8 months I have been taking 600mg/daily and it seems to have helped lessen my feelings of 'burning feet'. I am going to increase my dosage to 800mg when I finish my current bottle. I use a brand that has no additives (colors, flavors, etc). Brand: Best Vitamins. Though I don't have diabetes, and it may be helpful only because I believe in it, that is something.

My husband periodically gives me massage on my ankles, tops of my feet and calves which seems to offer some help with the emptiness feeling on that lower part of my body. I am doing some reading research on any other supplements which could be of help. I try not to think about neuropathy too much, because I have since been diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension and CTEPH. I stick to reputable sites like the Mayo Clinic and PubMed as well as those of us who have personal experiences. Thanks to everyone here for your help. Maybe someday there will be a definitive cure for this wicked torture.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Neuropathy Support Group.

@madison2023

My neurologist recommended magnesium. I have only been taking it for a month so I am not sure how well it is working. For the most part I have been sleeping well which apparently magnesium helps with.

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Getting enough magnesium is difficult through regular diet for most people. Spinach is rich in magnesium. I do spinach salads in my diet pretty regularly, and also take magnesium supplements, but haven’t noticed any effect it has on my neuropathy, nor was ALA and I tried all kinds. I do seem to get some benefit in reduced burning from some full spectrum CBD supplements I have been taking.

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@dave130

Getting enough magnesium is difficult through regular diet for most people. Spinach is rich in magnesium. I do spinach salads in my diet pretty regularly, and also take magnesium supplements, but haven’t noticed any effect it has on my neuropathy, nor was ALA and I tried all kinds. I do seem to get some benefit in reduced burning from some full spectrum CBD supplements I have been taking.

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Same for me. Neither ALA nor magnesium of any kind helped me, only medical marijuana (topical and tinctures).

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@mikaylar

Magnesium good as a laxative too. I use the powder. If you take too much you will get diarrhea. So you can play with it until you find what works for you.

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Also alpa lipoid acid

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In reply to @judithfraser000 "Also alpa lipoid acid" + (show)
@judithfraser000

Also alpa lipoid acid

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Alphalipoic

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In reply to @judithfraser000 "Also alpa lipoid acid" + (show)
@judithfraser000

Also alpa lipoid acid

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Good to know. thanks.

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@cookierockwell

Same for me. Neither ALA nor magnesium of any kind helped me, only medical marijuana (topical and tinctures).

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mulltivitamins and B 12 and hallf a pill of Effexor twice a day have helped me -also exercising 3 times a day under the guidance of a pt who specializes in neuropathy is essental for helping my neuropathy-Mike storman

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@jesfactsmon

Hi @robtlhughes , there are a few other things people have used topically for their PN which have been mentioned by people here on Connect. A couple that my wife Linda has tried, in addition to the 2 Old Goats, which, as I said, did not do much for her, were Wisemen's Healing Balm, which Linda only used briefly for some reason. I believe @lorirenee1 has liked that product and other's on Connect swear by it as well. You can search Connect to find references to it. Another thing that was mentioned just in the last day in the "burning hand" discussion is Uber Numb which has lidocaine in it. Linda has not tried that yet. The only thing she has tried and has gotten relief from is Penetrex roll on (there is also a cream but the roll on is way less messy to use), which has a lot of ingredients, including a homeopathic based ingredient. One other thing I remember being mentioned by somebody (I am wracking my brain at this point) is Topricin. Know nothing about it except someone said they have used it. Everything I have mentioned can be found on Amazon. Thought maybe this info might be useful. Best, Hank

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FYI, here is a Walmart add for Penetrex that indicates that it helps with Neuropathy. I have not tried it as Im testing another recommended product for now, with limited success.
I have been seeking pain relief from IPN for over 10 years and recently purchased a product called Frankincense Intensive foot Therapy lotion. It has a rather spicy odor that you get used to and it seems to calm the burning for a few hours, however, I wake up with the burning sensation every night about 3:00 am, in both feet. I also have recently been experiencing sciatica pain in left leg. I tried the same lotion but does not help sciatica.

One thing that has helped both PN and Sciatica is Prosage Nano percussion massager. http://www.EVERTONEPROSAGE.COM. I use the round foam head and run it up and down feet top and bottom and around sides. I think it confuses the nerve function and relieves the pain as well as helps muscles relax so that tight/restrictive feeling goes away. Relief lasts for an hour or so, if Im awake on a recliner, watching TV. Its great in the morning when my feet are on fire and very stiff. The massager is wireless and very portable so you can take it with you in car or have it near by around the house. USB charge overnight or an hour or two.

For sciatica pain, I press it hard against leg and it rattles the heck out of your whole body. You have to be careful around neck and would never use on head. Otherwise its a great pain tool.
Hope this is helpful info. Rick B.

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@hotfeet

FYI, here is a Walmart add for Penetrex that indicates that it helps with Neuropathy. I have not tried it as Im testing another recommended product for now, with limited success.
I have been seeking pain relief from IPN for over 10 years and recently purchased a product called Frankincense Intensive foot Therapy lotion. It has a rather spicy odor that you get used to and it seems to calm the burning for a few hours, however, I wake up with the burning sensation every night about 3:00 am, in both feet. I also have recently been experiencing sciatica pain in left leg. I tried the same lotion but does not help sciatica.

One thing that has helped both PN and Sciatica is Prosage Nano percussion massager. http://www.EVERTONEPROSAGE.COM. I use the round foam head and run it up and down feet top and bottom and around sides. I think it confuses the nerve function and relieves the pain as well as helps muscles relax so that tight/restrictive feeling goes away. Relief lasts for an hour or so, if Im awake on a recliner, watching TV. Its great in the morning when my feet are on fire and very stiff. The massager is wireless and very portable so you can take it with you in car or have it near by around the house. USB charge overnight or an hour or two.

For sciatica pain, I press it hard against leg and it rattles the heck out of your whole body. You have to be careful around neck and would never use on head. Otherwise its a great pain tool.
Hope this is helpful info. Rick B.

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Penetrex - interesting name. The first search hit was to a prescription drug for treating certain infections so not related. The next hit was to the product you saw at Walmart and it has some usual vitamins and minerals and ApresFlex Boswellia Serrata which I believe is Frankincense. It also has bioperine which will unfortunately kill me. I do take Boswellia Serrata on its own as it helps control IL-4.

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@mikaylar

Good to know. thanks.

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It everyone gets relief from ALA, I did not. There is no medication to cure neuropathy, but there are numerous studies using supplements. I wanted a cure, not just pain relief. I read one study from the Cleveland Clinic that showed good results and have been following their recommendation with good results. They recommend taking 400 mg of CoQ10 and 20 mg of PQQ daily. The neuropathy in my hands is completely gone and my feet are much improved. The majority of the pain in my feet is gone, but I still have numbness in some places. I started this a year after chemo. The hands showed improvement quickly, the feet were slower. But the worst of the pain was gone in 3-4 months. Not an overnight cure, but my pain is gone, I stopped taking it when I quit getting improvement of the numbness. None of the pain as returned.

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@jldavis823
How much benefit did you receive from the numbness?
Jake

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