Alcohol Neuropathy???

I don't know where to begin to keep this concise. I have small fiber neuropathy, pain, pins and needles all over my body, lack of balance and coordination, and I believe (although I need to confirm with a new EMG), it's now large fiber too. It's slowly but surely progressive.

I'm 44. It started when I was 22. Burning pain first felt when stretching hamstrings, muscle cramps and twitching. Severe change in lifestyle, from a super active outdoor person to hardly being able to do anything without paying a large consequence...you know the deal. It has since spread to my feet, my arms, and hands, pretty much everywhere.

I have been tested for pretty much every possible cause (at least that was known of 10 years ago) and no answers. A Cleveland Clinic neurologist, possibly because they couldn't find another cause, possibly because I told them I am a craft brewer and enjoy drinking, has suggested that it is actually from the drinking. I felt defensive, that this was both a cop-out as to their lack of ability to find a cause, and also they wanted to take away my creative passion and one of my only remaining sources of relaxation and relief.

But...I tried going 3 months with no drinking at that time, around 2013, and didn't feel any better. My drinking was never at alcoholism levels. Not even close, although I did have some time when I was young, like most people, when my friend group was partying a bit hard, and drinking hard some nights. And my neuropathy did start shortly after I turned 21 (although to be honest we were drinking a couple years before that). None of my friends at the same partying level had any signs of neuropathy or any other health issues, though.

Because my alcohol break wasn't that long, I was always left with a doubt as to whether I had given it long enough to have an effect. And because, over the years, I actually did slide a bit into dependency (using alcohol as self-medication for pain, anxiety, and depression), I decided to take another, longer break in 2022. I was going for 1 year. After 8 months, I felt not 1% better. At this point, I felt like I had learned what I had set out to learn, that alcohol probably was not the cause, and that stopping completely was only punishing myself unduly. I started consuming some alcohol again, and so far I have done great at keeping it at a healthy level that I don't even think a doctor would blink at. 1-2 servings of alcohol (as defined by the medical community )a night, maybe 3 once a week, and at least a few nights a week where I drink no alcohol. That seems pretty reasonable to me.

I'm still looking for an answer for this. A few days ago I read this link which lists some symptoms of neuropathy caused by alcohol. Some of them sound eerily like mine. https://www.foundationforpn.org/causes/alcohol/
Specifically, not to get gross, but incontinence (leaking urine or having trouble peeing) and diarrhea (I'd categorize it more as loose stool). I don't have nausea or vomiting, never did, because I wasn't ever drinking that highly. But it's sending me back down a rabbit hole of rumination that maybe for some reason, I'm just way more susceptible to alcohol damaging my nerves than other people are.

That's the only way it could be from alcohol. If I were like, 2-3 times more easily damaged by it than other people. But hey, maybe that is actually possible. Sounds at least plausible.

I'm still looking for a definitive cause. I have a new round of neurology consultations, and I'm going to go back over every single possible cause, including any newly identified autoimmune or genetic indicators. But I'm still left wondering about alcohol.

Here are my questions, if anyone can help shed light on alcohol and neuropathy:
-Those 2 specific symptoms of incontinence I mentioned: Are those actually specific to alcohol-caused neuropathy? Are any other folks whose neuropathy is from other known sources having those issues?
-Is there any way to prove or disprove that neuropathy is from alcohol? It is driving me nuts that it remains such a huge question mark.
-Is there anything scientific to suggest that some people may have nerves that are highly susceptible to alcohol damage? I feel that my neuropathy can ONLY be from alcohol if I'm some sort of special case. I'm just not drinking that much. I don't want to give it up if I don't have to. I want to know, like actually know, what my neuropathy is from.

Thanks for your time if you read this far.

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I'm sorry you're experiencing all that...it doesn't sound like it's from alcohol intake to me.

I have had B-12 tested, that's not it. Been tested for pretty much everything under the sun you can get tested for by the Cleveland Clinic. Still looking at some of these newly found indicators and working on getting tested for them.

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I also have idiopathic neuropathy. You referenced “newly found indicators”…
I’m curious what those are?
Thank you.

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I also have idiopathic neuropathy. You referenced “newly found indicators”…
I’m curious what those are?
Thank you.

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@stallen
After having normal lab panels an EMG NCS and skin biopsy with only an abnormal skin bx I requested autoantibody panel offered by Washington U in St Louis. There is a lab req online and my blood mailed there for testing. There are panels depending on type of neuropathy. Im still waiting for my results. Good luck!

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Could you post a link to how to start this lab request? I'm having trouble figuring out that part. Thank you.

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I don't know where to begin to keep this concise. I have small fiber neuropathy, pain, pins and needles all over my body, lack of balance and coordination, and I believe (although I need to confirm with a new EMG), it's now large fiber too. It's slowly but surely progressive.

I'm 44. It started when I was 22. Burning pain first felt when stretching hamstrings, muscle cramps and twitching. Severe change in lifestyle, from a super active outdoor person to hardly being able to do anything without paying a large consequence...you know the deal. It has since spread to my feet, my arms, and hands, pretty much everywhere.

I have been tested for pretty much every possible cause (at least that was known of 10 years ago) and no answers. A Cleveland Clinic neurologist, possibly because they couldn't find another cause, possibly because I told them I am a craft brewer and enjoy drinking, has suggested that it is actually from the drinking. I felt defensive, that this was both a cop-out as to their lack of ability to find a cause, and also they wanted to take away my creative passion and one of my only remaining sources of relaxation and relief.

But...I tried going 3 months with no drinking at that time, around 2013, and didn't feel any better. My drinking was never at alcoholism levels. Not even close, although I did have some time when I was young, like most people, when my friend group was partying a bit hard, and drinking hard some nights. And my neuropathy did start shortly after I turned 21 (although to be honest we were drinking a couple years before that). None of my friends at the same partying level had any signs of neuropathy or any other health issues, though.

Because my alcohol break wasn't that long, I was always left with a doubt as to whether I had given it long enough to have an effect. And because, over the years, I actually did slide a bit into dependency (using alcohol as self-medication for pain, anxiety, and depression), I decided to take another, longer break in 2022. I was going for 1 year. After 8 months, I felt not 1% better. At this point, I felt like I had learned what I had set out to learn, that alcohol probably was not the cause, and that stopping completely was only punishing myself unduly. I started consuming some alcohol again, and so far I have done great at keeping it at a healthy level that I don't even think a doctor would blink at. 1-2 servings of alcohol (as defined by the medical community )a night, maybe 3 once a week, and at least a few nights a week where I drink no alcohol. That seems pretty reasonable to me.

I'm still looking for an answer for this. A few days ago I read this link which lists some symptoms of neuropathy caused by alcohol. Some of them sound eerily like mine. https://www.foundationforpn.org/causes/alcohol/
Specifically, not to get gross, but incontinence (leaking urine or having trouble peeing) and diarrhea (I'd categorize it more as loose stool). I don't have nausea or vomiting, never did, because I wasn't ever drinking that highly. But it's sending me back down a rabbit hole of rumination that maybe for some reason, I'm just way more susceptible to alcohol damaging my nerves than other people are.

That's the only way it could be from alcohol. If I were like, 2-3 times more easily damaged by it than other people. But hey, maybe that is actually possible. Sounds at least plausible.

I'm still looking for a definitive cause. I have a new round of neurology consultations, and I'm going to go back over every single possible cause, including any newly identified autoimmune or genetic indicators. But I'm still left wondering about alcohol.

Here are my questions, if anyone can help shed light on alcohol and neuropathy:
-Those 2 specific symptoms of incontinence I mentioned: Are those actually specific to alcohol-caused neuropathy? Are any other folks whose neuropathy is from other known sources having those issues?
-Is there any way to prove or disprove that neuropathy is from alcohol? It is driving me nuts that it remains such a huge question mark.
-Is there anything scientific to suggest that some people may have nerves that are highly susceptible to alcohol damage? I feel that my neuropathy can ONLY be from alcohol if I'm some sort of special case. I'm just not drinking that much. I don't want to give it up if I don't have to. I want to know, like actually know, what my neuropathy is from.

Thanks for your time if you read this far.

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Hello @seanywonton. I think the chronic/consistent, long-term use of alcohol is the part where it would be feasible to point to alcohol neuropathy, and likely why your neurologist suggested it.

You will notice that I have moved your post into an existing discussion on this same topic, which you can find here:
- Alcohol Neuropathy???: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/alcohol-neuropathy/

Unfortunately, as you know, quitting drinking will not reverse already damaged nerves and neuropathy symptoms. However, will benefit you by not increasing your symptoms and/or making things worse. Regardless if your neuropathy is classified as alcohol neuropathy or not, consuming alcohol going forward could contribute to additional nerve damage.

With that said, congratulations on your two breaks from drinking! I know the challenge of sobriety is day-to-day, as my spouse just celebrated his 10th year. It has required him to change many of his hobbies centered around alcohol and drinking or at least look at doing them differently. For him, it has been worth it 100% and he is the healthiest he has been since his 20s, probably largely in part because he replaced drinking with lap swimming.

Perhaps @pippy023 @texasflyboy @tomm547 and @casey1329 could join you here to share their experience with alcohol neuropathy and what they have learned and the treatment options they are using.

Would it be more freeing to think less about how this came on and more about what choices you can make going forward now that you know you have neuropathy?

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Hi Amanda,

I don't really want my post to be moved to the alcoholic neuropathy section. I feel that while that is part of my question, it also seems that you are making a judgement of why I have neuropathy and jumping to the conclusion that it's from alcohol. And that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying it could only be from alcohol if I am like, 2-3 times more easily damaged by alcohol than other people are.

If people could get neuropathy that easily from alcohol use, 50% of college graduates would also have neuropathy.

I'm going to keep looking for an answer that isn't alcohol. It doesn't make sense to me...I know full-on alcoholics that aren't suffering what I'm suffering.

I'm happy for people that quit drinking, if that's what they need to do. Creating beer is my creative passion and my livelihood. I like to drink beer. I'm not cutting one more source of pleasure out of my life without good reason. This disease has already stolen far too much from me.

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Hi Amanda,

I don't really want my post to be moved to the alcoholic neuropathy section. I feel that while that is part of my question, it also seems that you are making a judgement of why I have neuropathy and jumping to the conclusion that it's from alcohol. And that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying it could only be from alcohol if I am like, 2-3 times more easily damaged by alcohol than other people are.

If people could get neuropathy that easily from alcohol use, 50% of college graduates would also have neuropathy.

I'm going to keep looking for an answer that isn't alcohol. It doesn't make sense to me...I know full-on alcoholics that aren't suffering what I'm suffering.

I'm happy for people that quit drinking, if that's what they need to do. Creating beer is my creative passion and my livelihood. I like to drink beer. I'm not cutting one more source of pleasure out of my life without good reason. This disease has already stolen far too much from me.

Jump to this post