Has anyone tried treatment for diabetic neuropathy?

Posted by beetlejeuse @beetlejeuse, Apr 25, 2022

My dad (age 60) was recently diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy and I have been researching all about it this past week. I know there is no cure but I have run into multiple treatment centers that claim they can help alleviate the pain. My dad lost so much weight recently, I could barely recognize him and it scared me half to death, and he can't sleep through the night because of the pain. Has anyone tried Loma Linda's INF treatment or HFX spinal cord stimulation? The meds given by his doctor don't seem to help much so I am also going to try to give him some medicinal edibles to sleep through the night.

Thank you to anyone who can give me some insight.

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

lalan | @lalan | Apr 11, 2023

Take 100 mg of gabapentin, but doesn't help much. I now have swollen feet and hands.

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Apr 12, 2023

In reply to @lalan "Take 100 mg of gabapentin, but doesn't help much. I now have swollen feet and hands." + (show)

Welcome, @lalan. Do you have type 2 diabetes? Has your pain been diagnosed as diabetes-induced neuropathy?

Cheryl, Volunteer Mentor | @cehunt57 | Apr 18, 2023

In reply to @lalan "Take 100 mg of gabapentin, but doesn't help much. I now have swollen feet and hands." + (show)

@Ialan, I too want to welcome you. I am diabetic. What type are you? Neuropathy can be a complication of diabetes (any type of diabetes). There are also many types of neuropathy. The kind that causes pain in your hands and feet is peripheral. I had that too. I was also prescribed gabapentin and it didn’t help me much either. What helped ease my pain was experimenting with temperature changes to the areas with pain, like warm water foot soaking &/or cold packs. You can alternate to find if either help you. Another thing that helped was gently massaging my feet and hands. Extend and flex your fingers and toes as best you can. If you have a loved one to help with this, that is even better. Most of all, if this is caused by diabetes you need to get to the root of the problem with by increasing blood sugar control. What kind of provider are you using for your diabetes care?

lalan | @lalan | Apr 18, 2023

In reply to @lalan "Take 100 mg of gabapentin, but doesn't help much. I now have swollen feet and hands." + (show)

Actually it is my 45 yr old son with type 2 diabetes. Was close to death before he knew he had diabetes. He is doctoring with go at Health clinic. I think he should see someone at Mayo

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Apr 20, 2023

In reply to @lalan "Actually it is my 45 yr old son with type 2 diabetes. Was close to death..." + (show)

@lalan, if your son would like to seek a second opinion with Mayo Clinic experts, he can request an appointment starting here: http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63

It sounds like he may be experiencing diabetic neuropathy. @artistwagoodi recently posted about this a study about diabetic neuropathy:
- New study for pain relief of diabetic neuropathy https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/new-study-for-pain-relief-of-diabetic-neuropathy/

Has he ever been told he has neuropathy related to his diabetes?

lalan | @lalan | Apr 20, 2023

He was told nerve damage due to diabetes. He is taking hydrocodone for pain. Not sure that is good.

Cheryl, Volunteer Mentor | @cehunt57 | Apr 20, 2023

In reply to @lalan "He was told nerve damage due to diabetes. He is taking hydrocodone for pain. Not sure..." + (show)

@Ialan, I got a bit confused in that the original post of April 2018 was someone concerned for their dad. Yours is a concern for your son? The pain from neuropathy can be miserable. I’ve had it. A few days ago I suggested some temperature related things to try that helped ease my neuropathy pain. Also massaging these extremities was helpful. I did not find medication to be beneficial. I’m especially concerned with pain medication such as hydrocodone as it can merely mask the symptoms and can be addictive. Who do you have among your providers to help monitor the use of this med?

lalan | @lalan | Apr 20, 2023

In reply to @cehunt57 "@Ialan, I got a bit confused in that the original post of April 2018 was someone..." + (show)

The Dr who prescribes the meds

yowchies | @yowchies | Aug 24, 2023

Early this year, after complaining of stabbing pains in my groin, I was found to be diabetic with an A1C value of >14%.
I changed my diet, started excercising, and began metformin 1000mg twice a day.
My A1C three months later was about 7%.
Apparently, this rapid shift in sugar levels can lead to extremely painful neuropathy.

Has anyone developed severe neuropathic pain as they made large, quick reductions in A1C values?

It seems uncommon, but this has destroyed my life, I am desperate for better relief than what I have found with Lyrica 75mg three times a day (swapped from 1200mg gabapentin three times a day) and 40mg Cymbalta once daily.

My body still burns, stabbing bolts shoot through me, sleep is hard, focus is bad, sitting is uncomfortable, etc.

Surely someone has navigated this awful pathway before me and can point me toward something, right?

Ray Kemble | @ray666 | Aug 25, 2023

In reply to @yowchies "Early this year, after complaining of stabbing pains in my groin, I was found to be..." + (show)

Good morning, yowchies (@yowchies),

My PN is not diabetes-linked, but I thought I'd ask if you've visited the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy's webpage, perhaps even more so the Foundation's YouTube page. On their YouTube page, under Videos, you'll find recordings of the Foundation's many hour-long webinars, a number of which (if I recall correctly) deal with diabetes-linked PN.

I would give you more precise information on finding these sites, but at the moment my computer's browser blocker prevents me from going anywhere on the Internet other than to Mayo Connect.

I wish you the best of success in finding a bucketload of useful help! –Ray (@ray666)