Supplements

Hello @jerryw, Welcome to Connect. I take R-Ala as part of my supplements for neuropathy but I only have numbness and no pain. I posted my story in another discussion here - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/310341/. @bobcardi63 started a discussion on Nuphoria but so far no members have shared their experience - Has anyone ever used 'Nuphoria' products?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/has-anyone-ever-used-nuphoria-products/.

If you have a specific product that you are looking at you might want to do a search at the top of Connect to see if others have posted on the topic. There looks to be 38 discussions and 1,125 comments found when searching for neuropathy supplements - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/search/?search=neuropathy+supplements.

Unless I can find a science related reference or study on a product and my doctor or neurologist says it can help, it's a no for me. The Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy does list supplements that some people with neuropathy have found helped some but I think it's probably different for each of us depending on vitamin deficiencies or other medical conditions we may have whether or not they will help -- https://www.foundationforpn.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Complementary-and-Alternative-Treatments-Revised-2020-final.-1.pdf.

Do you mind sharing more about your neuropathy diagnosis and the symptoms you have?
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@johnbishop
Does ALA help your numbness?
I was under the impression nothing helped the numbness?
Jake

Not that I can tell Jake. I think all of the supplements I take together including the R-ALA do help some but I still have some numbness. It’s not quite as bad as it was when I first started taking them back in 2016. I have had some feeling come back in the bottom of my feet.

I have been having burning in bottom of feet for the past 3 1/2 months. Sometimes in shins and calves. TERRIBLE. I am finally going in next week for EMG. Took 3 months to get in. Appointment with Neurologist not until March, there waiting list was 6 months out. I do take medications that apparently can lead to neuropathy, Amlodipine 5mg, stopped it. 40 mg Statin for just 9 months, only had 20% and 40% clog in artery, stopped it. Eating very healthy now and exercise. Also for 3 years a PPI for acid reflux. Tapering off that now. Have not had heartburn in over a year actually. Ambien for sleep, will be stopping that in February. Right now tapering off of Valium, about another 2 months for that. But I have seen alot of research, even from Government websites that say all these meds can possibly lead to neuropathy. I am hoping for the best.

@johnbishop -- John, what dosage of R-ALA do you now take on a daily basis? Leonard (@jakedduck1) raised a good question. I am back and forth on the ALA and R-ALA, trying both at different times for 9 - 12 months at a time. I have tried both types, 600 mg. to 1200 mg. daily and can't determine if it helps. Odd thing is that neurologists have told me to try ALA and see if it helps. Neuro doc at Mayo did not say it. What helps one might not help someone else.

Hi, I tried ALA but gave me nausea, so I stopped. Also it was at the time when I wasn’t diagnosed yet what kind of neuropathy it is. Doctors thought it is CMT, but it turned out it is HSAN. Different neuropathy might need different treatments and supplements. For example my type of hereditary condition needs L-serine in high dose as the nerve does not pick that up from the body.
I think all nerve condition can benefit from very clean and healthy diet, anti inflammatory supplements as ginger and turmeric, garlic.

Ed @njed, I take 1200 mg daily (600 mg morning and evening) of na-R-ALA which is a better form of R-ALA. I'm not sure the ALA is helpful since most sold as ALA contains 50% synthetic ALA (s-ALA) which is not as bioavailable as R-ALA or na-R-ALA. The labels should show the content of the s-ALA on the bottle when the product is labelled ALA. Then na-R-ALA is just one of the supplements I take for the neuropathy. The full list is in the Protocol 525 discussion here - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/have-you-tried-the-new-protocol-525-product-for-neuropathy-relief/. The supplement is no longer called the Protocol 525 since they've reduced the number of capsules to 4 in the morning, 2 at noon and 4 in the evening.

Here are a few reference articles on R-ALA on the topic.

--- (R)-Lipoic Acid: Unique ‘Mitochondrial Antioxidant’ Fights Premature Aging: https://nutritionreview.org/2019/07/r-lipoic-acid-unique-mitochondrial-antioxidant-fights-premature-aging/
--- Analysis of the Enhanced Stability of R(+)-Alpha Lipoic Acid by the Complex Formation with Cyclodextrins: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6723188/

Hi Jerry @jerryw, I'm hoping you find some answers at your upcoming appointment. I think it's great that you are eating healthier and exercising. I think that can really help. I know that a lot of different medications have neuropathy as a side effect but I'm not sure it's a good idea to stop taking them without discussing it with your doctor for possible alternatives. Have you discussed stopping the meds with your doctor?

Hi @krisztina, ALA does cause stomach issues for some folks. One of the recommendations I've seen was to start taking it at lower doses like 100 mg daily for a few weeks and build up to your therapeutic dose. Also taking it with food or part of a banana. I agree with you that all of us including those with nerve conditions can benefit from a clean, healthy, anti-inflammatory diet. I also take a turmeric daily and treat myself to some Trader Joe's Ginger and Turmeric tea on those cold days like today.

Hello John. So na-r-ala is better than r-ala? I know reading about regular ALA learning that it was kind of worthless, first time learning about na-r-ala. Well, I believe burning in feet is ruining my outlook on life terribly. Can't even focus anymore, this burning is totally different than numbness. Also I am probably going to get a new Dr. In the past few months when this feet burning started, my Dr first put me on Xanax , 1/2 mg a night for 90 days. Well after just 4 1/2 weeks I noticed I was having withdrawal symptoms during the day. Bad ones. Confusion, plugged ears, heart palpitations, etc.. almost every symptom possible. I had to research myself to find out that I was having something called interdose withdrawl. I have had same Dr for 13 years. He knows my history of taking 60 mg a day of opiates due to back pain and several different surgeries through body from being a concrete worker for 26 years. I tapered myself off of the last year. So he knows my history of a physically dependent body. I went to his office a couple weeks back and was telling him about my blood pressure being low, 93/63, and still taking losartan 100mg. Why am I taking blood pressure med on that it is so low? He literally said to me , well Jerry, your taking Gabapentin, Ambien, and Xanax, all sedatives, part of reason pressure is so low. Immediately my thought was you gotta be kidding me, you just said that, you are prescribing them to me. Well, went to a psychiatrist and the Doctor agreed with me that I should have never been prescribed Ambien, or Xanax with my background, and She never would have prescribed me these medications unless it was short term, 2 weeks or less. Trusting Doctors is tough for me right now.