Does anyone treat their neuropathy without pharmaceutical drugs?

Posted by annashby @annashby, Feb 1 3:56pm

I’ve recently been diagnosed with neuropathy and given gabapentin for pain. I am concerned about the many side effects of this drug. I don’t know why I have this condition as I am not diabetic and have no pinched nerves in my spine. I’m 78 and pretty healthy except for this. I exercise at the gym 4-4 times a week and walk several miles when I don’t go to the Y.
Anyone have suggestions for me?

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

Profile picture for fltutu @fltutu

I have peripheral neuropathy with numbness as a symptom, not pain. Makes balance and walking difficult. I was on gabapentin, then duloxetine and got off both because of debilitating side effects.I have been following information about research in molecular studies. One study found that benfotamine, a compnent of vitamin B1, has a positive effect on neuropathy. Other B vitamins, magnesium, Alpha Lipoic Acid also were cited. I suggest you talk to your doctor about these alternative treatments. (Don't try to self-medicate -- there may be interactions you don't know about.) This approach seems to treat the source, not just the symptoms, of neuropathy.

Jump to this post

What kind of doctor treats neuropathy?

REPLY
Profile picture for CaliforniaGal @califirniagal

What kind of doctor treats neuropathy?

Jump to this post

a neurologist

REPLY

I use Alpha Lipoic Acid for my neuropathy. I get it from Amazon. I take 600mg twice a day. It helps a lot, but it does not cure it. I started out taking 300mg twice a day. Don't bother me if I take it with food. If you take it on a empty stomach, your stomach might burn a little, but drink water and it will stop. It works great to help with my feet burning. Sometimes they burn some, but nothing like they used it. TRY IT. It is not expensive; you can also get it with other things in it. But I just take the Nutricost brand. God bless everyone who has this problem. It is terrible. I feel like I have socks on all the time. feels weird. Anyone else feel that way?

REPLY
Profile picture for CaliforniaGal @califirniagal

What kind of doctor treats neuropathy?

Jump to this post

Everyone tells me you can't do nothing about it. Just live with it, but I take Alpha Lipoid Acid from Amazon and it helps with the burning. 600mg twice a day. may increase it if needed.

REPLY

I don’t have pain. Does it help with numbness?

REPLY
Profile picture for joannehart @joannehart

I don’t have pain. Does it help with numbness?

Jump to this post

I take ALA and benfotiamine (which seems to help the most), do exercise, massage Voltaren gel and topical anesthetics.
So far these have addressed the pain and tingling, but nothing has touched the progressing numbness.
One of those electrical foot stimulators had no effect.
I'm hoping the exercise is at least slowing it down.

REPLY
Profile picture for John, Volunteer Mentor @johnbishop

Hello @annashby, Welcome to Connect. Sorry to hear you have joined the neuropathy club. An 80+ year old neurologist that I had an opportunity to listen to at a Minnesota Neuropathy Association meeting back in 2018 commented that if you live long enough you will develop neuropathy as nerves die like any other cells in the body. Mine started in my late 40s but I am fortunate that I just have the numbness and no pain. Before I was diagnosed in 2016 or so one of my PCPs had started me on gabapentin but it didn't help the numbness so I stopped taking it only to find out later from the neurologist that there aren't any drugs that help with the numbness. I shared my neuropathy journey along with other members in another discussion here - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/member-neuoropathy-journey-stories-whats-yours/.

Best suggestion I have is keep doing what you are doing with a healthy diet and exercise and learn as much as you can about your symptoms and what treatments are available that might help. A great site for learning more, including complementary and alternative treatments is the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy - https://www.foundationforpn.org/living-well/.

You might also want to scan through the different discussions in the Neuropathy Support Group to learn what others have shared helped them - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/neuropathy/. Connect has a really nice search function if you want to give it a spin. Here are the search results for "neuropathy what helps" - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/search/?search=neuropathy+what+helps

Have you done any research on complementary or alternative treatments?

Jump to this post

Hello I am new here and do not want to use meds, did chemo and rads, and will check out your suggestions tks

REPLY
Profile picture for newtoni48 @newtoni48

I take ALA and benfotiamine (which seems to help the most), do exercise, massage Voltaren gel and topical anesthetics.
So far these have addressed the pain and tingling, but nothing has touched the progressing numbness.
One of those electrical foot stimulators had no effect.
I'm hoping the exercise is at least slowing it down.

Jump to this post

Lidocaine was suggested to me did you try it?

REPLY
Profile picture for dlydailyhope @dlydailyhope

@annashby
If you have nerve pain, burning, pins and needles, etc., you can try alpha Lipoic acid, Acetyl l carnitine and magnesium supplements. They have helped me when my small fiber neuropathy was really bad in my feet. Also, capsaicin and lidocaine creams and patches can help with localized nerve pain. Compression socks can help some, too, if your neuropathy is in your feet/calves.

Jump to this post

mine is going into calves now. so will start with capsaicin.. not sure of that lidocaine and voltaren does nothing

REPLY

I have been using this product with good results for the past few months:
https://youngnutra.com/products/mirica-advanced-high-absorption-formula-60-capsules-palmitoylethanolamide-pea-and-luteolin
It was recommended by Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum in his book “ From Fatigued To Fantastic”.

I have had reduction in pain with Alpha Lipoic Acid, but had to stop it because it aggravated acid reflux.

I still take pain medication, but I was able to reduce it pretty dramatically. Good luck to you!

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.