Does anyone treat their neuropathy without big pharma drugs?

I take Alpha lipoic acid 600 mg daily. I retired from nursing and two days later I woke up with full onset of pinpricks from head to toe and in my eyes. I specifically asked my neurologist how many of his patients woke up with full onset of pinpricks. He said none. It’s rare. When Covid first started I got my first shot then 3 weeks later my second shot. January. First week in March is when I retired. Ask your Dr about Alpha Lipoic Acid. I only take 600mg and it really helped. I get occasional pinpricks. Do not double your dose (I read about that and it says not to take more than 600 mg. Always Talk to your Dr. first if you have pin pricks and see about it. I have small nerve fiber that’s idiopathic (no known cause). It does not run in the family. I believe the Covid shots caused it. I continue to take Covid shots. It did leave me with a burning pain that comes and goes in my left hand. Quite frequently. @rnlorena

@annashby I actually went to another neurologist just to see if they could tell me anything else. I asked him the same question I asked the first one. He said, “that’s weird”. I swear. I wasn’t expecting that. He decided to give me gabapentin but I decided not to take it. For me the alpha lipoic acid is fine. I am definitely not telling you to take something or not take something. I am suggesting things that have helped me. That is between you and your Dr. What works for me alone may not for someone else. I do understand frustration because I have it. They tested me for everything. 20 tubes of blood in one visit. I had no symptoms except the pinpricks and burning sensation in my hand. I have done a lot of reading about autoimmune diseases of which I had none. But through reading I found out you can have one without symptoms. You learn something new always. Mine small nerve fiber was diagnosed by skin biopsy. I have three discs that are leaning down one without symptoms n annular bulge of 25-50 percent. The Dr I went to said, “My back issue will affect me.” I could guess that on my own really after seeing the film. Sometimes I think Doctors should think before they tell you certain things. How much pain do you have? On a scale of 1-10 how bad is it. Is it constant? Did he discuss that with you? I had a Lumbar laminectomy this past year. I was getting ready to see my brother and sister in Texas in November. I moved the wrong way and had a horrible pain. I saw my surgeon and he said he could give me a steroid shot. Not always guaranteed to work. I was lucky. It worked. I drove to Texas. One big problem though. My Blood pressure had been good. I woke up and I started noticing my BP was higher than normal. I woke up the next day and my nurse brain kicked in and my first thought could it be the steroid. I called and talked to a pharmacist. She said I needed to get the dose and how much. I called my Dr. and got the info. I did ask one more question. How long could it affect my BP. The girl said two weeks. I called back the pharmacist and told her she said 5 weeks. It lasted 5 weeks. They should have informed me of what could occur. But they didn’t but I always suggest for people to write down questions before a Dr visit. I have to. You really have to be your own advocate. Talk to a pharmacist. I have utilized a pharmacist often. I ask if there could be any issues if I take other meds. Talk to your Dr. about the medication. They do have to list all side effects that could occur on meds. Every persons pain tolerance is different. I do understand when you look at the side effects of some pills it could be overwhelming. Not everyone gets side effects. I wish you good luck with this.

My doctor told me to take 600mg of Alpha Lipoic Acid twice a day, which I've been doing for a few weeks, and it seems like it helps a little with the nerve pain.