Is there anything you can do about neuropathy?

[Holly In RI]

Some mornings, my feet/toes hurt so bad.

Is there anything you can do?:confused:

[notme]

Neurontin has been the only thing that helps neuropathy for me. I am going to talk to my doctor about Lyrica. Anyone tried it?

[mzizgayle]

Talk to your doctor about some meds to help control the pain. Before I was diagnosed, my feet would send me to tears some nights...I used capsasian (sp)cream on them and with continued use it would help. There is a cream also sold at the drug stores for "diabetic feet" and it has this in it. If you do decide to use this, do make sure you wash your hands extra good to get off the cream since if you touch your face, etc, the cream will cause a burning sensation. Now that my numbers are in control my feet are getting much better, tho I know they are still there

[princesslinda]

My BIL is now on Lyrica after being on Neurontin for some time. He's not sure that he likes it as well as the Neurontin, but it takes less of the Lyrica than the Neurontin. Also, there is a euculyptus (?sp) spray that he said helped with the localized burning. He uses it at bedtime and the covers don't irritate his feet as much.

[parrotletzoo]

Neurontin didn't help me at all. I know some people swear but it but for me it was like taking a placbo. no effect at all. Elavil helped though.

My neuropathy is gone now. What helped the most was tightening my control. At first expect symtoms to get worse with tighter control, thats fairly common. It took about a year for the symptoms to go away.

[Cyborg]

I also was having neuropathy in my feet until a fews months on the pump with tighter control. There are several prescription medications available that are designed to help with neuropathy.

[FTW]

Doctors in Germany having been treating neuropathy by IV with Alpha Lipoic Acid.

You can get ALA in pills at your local drugstore. The oral doseage is 200 mg 3x daily.

Here is a link to a study by the Mayo clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2003-rst/1733.html) confiming ALA is effective in improving diabetic neuropathy.

A collaborative study between Mayo Clinic and a medical center in Russia found that alpha lipoic acid (ALA) significantly and rapidly reduces the frequency and severity of symptoms of the most common kind of diabetic neuropathy. Symptoms decreased include burning and sharply cutting pain, prickling sensations and numbness.

The findings appear in the March 2003 issue of Diabetes Care, Diabetes Care (http://care.diabetesjournals.org/).

"There appears to be a rather large effect on the pain of diabetic neuropathy with ALA," says Peter Dyck, M.D., Mayo Clinic neurologist and peripheral nerve specialist. "The magnitude of the change is considerable. We also found some improvement in neurologic signs and nerve conduction. We were surprised by the magnitude and the rapidity of the response."

When patients were given ALA, also known as thioctic acid, the researchers found statistically significant improvement in the symptoms of diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSPN) damage to multiple nerves caused by diabetes. The researchers measured improvement by a total symptom score, a summation of the presence, severity and duration of burning and sharply cutting pain, prickling sensations and numbness. The patients who took ALA saw a 5.7-point total symptom score improvement from the start of the trial, while those who took placebo, an inactive substance, only improved 1.8 points. ALA produced no unfavorable side effects in the patients taking this substance.

"It’s very safe," says Dr. Dyck. "There have been no known complications."

From what I understand, you need to get your blood sugars in control first, then the ALA is effective.

FTW

[trekbear]

I myself went from Neurontin to Lyrica. I have had better response to the Lyrica... But also since beginning Byetta my BGL is steady and has not spiked above 140 since going on the Byetta. So, keeping tighter control on the BGL is most important it appears but the Lyrica is definitely working better than the Neurontin did (but that's like everything else with this disease..) what works for me, may not for others.

Isn't life GRAND! :)

Cheers,
Tom

[wiseguy]

ALA has helped me to some degree and soon I will start taking Acetyl-L-Carnitine (http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_269/ai_n15929286).

[Holly In RI]

thanks for all the great responses!

Since I am not on any kind of meds for this yet, is there anything that can be done? Soak feet, lotions, etc?

[dgrilli]

I've been using a form of ALA called R-ALA under the brand name Insulow.

It has significantly cut down on the amount of Insulin I now use.

I just wonder what the long term affects of using this is?

R-ALA is significantly better and much more potent than than what you can purchase normally in a US Pharmacy.

As I understand it R-ALA is only by Prescription in Europe but no Prescription is needed in the good old US of A.

You can purchase Insulow for about $28.00 a box of 180 from Amazon.com. They sell out frequenlty.

My Insulin use has almost been cut in half. But I caution please check frequently your BG's and it took me about 6 weeks to begin to really work.

I really like it and I'm almost done with my second box and I have another to start.

Make sure you are supplementing with Biotin if you are doing another brand of R-Alpha-Lipoic Acid. It robs your body of it.