..... They have no idea what causes it (i.e. peripheral neuropathy - emphasis by g8rb8) when you're NOT diabetic. I also have no idea if the problem worsens with age or if it's reversible. .......tingling ....and some loss of feeling....... gavapentin (sp) (correct spelling is gabapentin - emphasis by g8rb8) ...... I tried it the first night and had some of the worst dreams. I got up in the morning feeling terrible. ..........experience and ideas for relief other than these pills?
cmore - I have this also and I found that an over the counter pill called Alpha Lipoic Acid.....
chaparrito - ......blown disks and nerve compression. .... I use an inversion table. When my back gets to hurting my feet will start buzzing a lot more. The inversion table really decompresses the spine..... The advice to check out your back is a good one......
Gunhacker - I'm type 2 diabetic... ...
Some good fitting, comfortable shoes... I switched to "diabetic approved" shoes, which has a roomier toe box....New Balance makes some that have the least amount of "dork factor" ...
Radco - Re: TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator) - g8rb8 emphasis ........ Sends low voltage electric current to help block pain, ... It is a drug free way of dealing with pain helps some but not everyone.....
Texas Star - Gabapentin/Neurontin.............
Do not drink alcohol if you use Gabapentin....
Double-O-Dave Krell1:
Gabapentin ....works great for some people, but not me:
Three things I learned that helped reduce the peripheral nerve pain for me:
1. ALWAYS wear shoes when you are out of bed.... some type of (real) shoe with arch supports, etc. ... New Balance makes a good, affordable shoe.....
2. Stretching the muscles in the feet and lower legs, especially before you go to bed, really helps me........
3. Potassium supplements are helpful for me.......
zzzippper - It sucks........ I ...just live with the pain.
hoc9sw - ... side effect of chemo-class ..meds for .. cancer. .........alcohol can cause it as well, but mine goes away in the periods between treatment cycles
There is a lot of good information I quoted above.
Peripheral neuropathy is a frustrating condition for patients and doctors and the symptoms of numbness, tingling, burning, and pain more often affect the feet but can also affect the hands.
As alluded to by the above posts there are many causes of peripheral neuropathy - diabetes, chemotherapy, and regular overindulgence of alcohol. Other causes can be vitamin deficiencies (vitamin B-12 most notably and possibly folic acid, i.e. folate, vitamin B-1, i.e. thiamine, vitamin B-6, i.e. pyridoxine, niacin, i.e. vitamin B-3, and possibly vitamin E), autoimmune diseases, chronic infections, thyroid disease, and fairly commonly, idiopathic (i.e. no detectable cause). I am not aware of potassium deficiency causing peripheral neuropathy symptoms but Double-O-Dave Krell1 makes good points about figuring out what works for you and feet cramping is a symptom that could potentially mimic peripheral neuropathy and potassium, magnesium, and calcium supplementation may help those cramping symptoms. Symptoms from a pinch nerve in the low back are not technically peripheral neuropathy but can mimic the symptoms and can be misdiagnosed so those encouraging S&W Forum members to ask their doc to at least consider their low back as the source of their "peripheral neuropathy" symptoms make good suggestions. Most people do NOT need MRI's of their low backs or a battery of blood tests or an EMG to confirm the diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy but it's worth discussing these possibilities with your doctor. Vitamin deficiencies, other than B-12 deficiency, are uncommon, if not rare, as are chronic underlying infections or autoimmune diseases. EMG (electromyogram) is a test using tiny needles or patches placed along the skin to assess nerve function occasionally used to help in the diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy.
There are a number of prescription oral medications that can help the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy but they are roughly only 50% effective and can have side effects. A few of these medications include Lyrica, gabapentin, carbamazepine (Tegretol), amitriptyline, and imipramine. They key thing to trying all of these medications is to avoid side effects and the key to that is to start at a very low dose and very gradually increase the dose. Anyone paying cash for their meds needs to check out goodrx.com. I have no affiliation with and receive no benefit from goodrx.com.
I have never seen anyone successfully use TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) to successfully overcome the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy but in theory it should work.
Topical treatments might possibly help symptoms, maybe around 50% of the time. Capsaicin cream is over-the-counter and is approved to treat lingering nerve pain from the Shingles. Be careful - it is fairly potent and should be used with care and initially tested on a small area of skin. It probably won't absorb well or seem very effective on the soles of the feet but should potentially be effective on the dorsum (i.e. top) of the feet. Topical lidocaine (i.e. like Novacaine) may be effective but it is prescription and insurance coverage is spotty but a cash price using a goodrx.com coupon might make it a reasonable cost. There are a few "compounding" companies that "compound" combinations of prescription pain relieving/anesthetic medications into a cream to rub into the skin/feet that can help pain but these can be expensive and insurance coverage is spotty and there is no coupon for this at goodrx.com.
A B-complex vitamin supplement containing the above mentioned vitamins may be helpful.
High quality, good fitting (i.e. plenty of toe room), supportive, well-padded shoes are a good idea.
Yes. Peripheral neuropathy is frustrating because there are a number of causes and it's frequently impossible to determine exactly the cause and there is no one single slam-dunk treatment and frequently the treatments have side effects, are inconvenient, or costly. Hang in there and take care.
