To cuby - Peripheral Neuropathy

cuby,

This morning at Sunday School, I spoke to my friend who has peripheral neuropathy in her feet and ankles, She told me that she had taken a couple of different prescription drugs over a lengthy period of time with no real relief. Not only did the medicines not help, she said that she had side effects that were just about as bad as the neuropathy.

She is virtually cured at this time. She said that her neurologist had prescribed a natural supplement named "Metanax Medical Nourishment". She said that her Medicare coverage would not pay for it, but that it has been a "wonder-drug" for her. She walks virtually pain free and no longer agonizes at night when she's in bed.

I have no idea personally about the stuff. Generally, I don't put much trust in supplements, but she spoke glowingly about the results that she has achieved. So, if you are seeing a neurologist, you might ask him/her if he/she thinks it might help you.

Good luck finding a solution.

Tom in TN

The supplements that I take has let me reduce the amount of pain pills I take a day. Medicare does not pay for them is correct. The combo of the supplements in one mixture is more costly than buying the individual pills on line in bulk. Dixie orders over six months worth at a time. She found out what combo of pills to buy and how many to take from a Neuropathy treatment center in Texas.

I"ve taken Gabapentin by prescription for at least a year, for neuropathy in my legs. Pretty well eliminated the pain, but the balls of my feet were painful, and walking was often difficult. Recently, from this board, I learned of using cherry juice. I started using an ounce a day, and a week later I had my VA annual. Told the dr about that, and how the pain was almost gone. He said that cherry juice is high in anti-oxidants...the reason for the pain to go away.

I reached 80 yrs of age, and have bi lateral neuropathy for years. It has now gotten worse,as in creeping into the hands fingers and arms & legs, it seems to me that using the "Willow Curve" and the "Australian Dream" will work wonders, it's just like having a pet rock. Using hydrocodone is the only answer for me, rather than displaying my ignorance by suggesting that using "Willow Curve" & Australian Dream", but I say to each his own.Best of luck to those who have it.
LOU

Have been diabetic for 27 years, first 12 years I wasn't bothered with peripheral neuropathy ,then it began to bite on me. had a good Dr., she tried hard to get me relief, mostly to no avail. In 2013 I had back surgery and it became worse, Dr. prescriber gabapentin, all that did was keep my stomach in a up roar, didn't help peripheral neuropathy at all. Then he put wife and me both on Lyrica, she takes 100mg and I take 75 mg tablets every night. Works good for us, good luck!!

Thanks to you Tom and others. My next appointment to foot DR. is tomarrow. It has been a painful and sleepless 6 weeks {Dr.didnt want to see me before then as to try shoe inserts,has helped some but not the complete answer}. So I will fill you all in at a later date as to what is going on. Sure do hope to get some recovery soon as I am a very actiive 75 yr.young feller.

My biggest pain is mostly at night time.Restless leg does not help. I try sleeping in bed,liveing room floor,couch,chair,where ever I can get comfortable for a while. A lot of anxciety goes along with the pain.

Again,

Thanks


Cuby

I write this from personal experience.

I have experienced ascending peripheral neuropathy. It started in my big toes and gradually got worse. I had been diagnosed as pre- diabetic months months before so I thought that this was the cause, but it kept getting worse and worse and traveling up my legs and into my arms and hands. They would also go to sleep and it was getting more and more painful. I had told the doctor about it, but apparently I did not complain loud enough ( I should have yelled my lungs out).

I backtracked to anything I had done differently and the only thing I had done was start taking gemfibrozil (lopid), but that was many month before.

I searched for side effects but there was nothing specific on line or in the PDR (Physican's Desk Reference) and periperal neuropathy was not listed.
I quit taking it and two months later the symptoms began reversing. It took over two years for the symptoms to stop.

I told the doctors (two different ones) and they said this was not listed as a side effect)

NOW on the internet there are reports of this being sent to the FDA ( A lot of good that will do ) Most people who experience this are over 55 and it may take 6-9 months for the symptoms to appear.

I still have times where my arms go to sleep and I cannot wear knit shirts or anything that closely fits or my arms start going to sleep. (think this is called paresthesia, but I am not sure).

This drug is for lowering triglycerides. I will not take any drug in ths class or chloresterol lowering drugs.

Gymfibrozil has been on the market a long time. I cannot believe they did not know about this before now. Beware of drug side effects cover ups, it can cause you serious pain, damage or kill you)

gymfibrozil should be spelled gemfibrozil. Sorry.

It was also two weeks not two months when the symptoms started reversing.

I have never been to a foot Doctor. Third Neurologist though. MRI and EMG tests is what pinpointed my problems. I was never bothered much with anxiety in anything. I go to one Doctor this afternoon and two different Doctors yet this month. I went years telling my family Doctor about my pain and weakness in my legs and he said it was arthritis and age. I had never told him about my little finger being numb as I figured it was from getting my hand in the combine years back. I heard one of the Doctors on TV saying if your little finger gets numb you need to see your Doctor right away. That was when my family Doctor set me up with a Neurologist. The Neurologist ordered the MRI and EMG and came up with the Neuropathy. The nerve damage now is bad enough that they say I will not get better and they will only do surgery if the pain gets to where I can not stand it. I have become used to the foot and leg tingling type pain to where I can ignore it. It does wake me up some in the night but I get up and pee and go back to sleep. The moving around seems to dampen the tingling so I can go back to sleep. The are calling mine a chronic condition. That is live with what you are dealt or the alternative.

Dick L,

Did they check your B12, folate, and vitamin D levels?
The big city doctors said my mom was not thriving. Alzheimer's They missed it big time. Idiots. And I had weakness in my arms etc. Local small city doctor found it was pernicious anemia. Common in older people. She and I have to take the injections. My nephew too. She has passed, but would have gone a lot sooner if he had not found the anemia. Symptoms can vary widely.

The first Neurologist check them twice, The second Neurologist checked them twice and the third did once along with a bunch of different blood tests. I take B1 and B12 every day.
I just came home from the family Doctor and now Thursday I get my first visit with a foot Doctor. The family Doctor didn't like the looks of my purple toes and cold feet.

I am not really complaining as I know along with complaining and 2.50 there is places I can get a cup of coffee.
I hope people can get help before the nerve damage is not real bad.

I have had blood tests and everything is normal,no diabetis. I am takeing B12 and E. When I had the shingles back in the '80s I remember takeing B12 and it did and does help some.

The problem with pernicious anemia is that you can no longer absorb the b12 from your digestive system. The necessary intrinsic factor is no longer produced because the cells that produce it in the stomach have been destroyed. You could take twenty high dose B12 tablets every day and you probably would not absorb enough of it to survive. That is why it has to be injected. Luckily a fully functioning liver stores enough for about 4 years, but the symptoms start showing up a good while before you kick off. The nervous system can recover if it is caught early. Permanent damage to the CNS can occur it you wait too long.

Wouldn't you know it and three really dumb Neurologists doctors have told me to take the B12 tablets.

Dick L
I hope by your response you are joking. Just because they tell you to take the B12 does not mean you have pernicious anemia. I was just throwing out my experiences to let people know misdiagnosis can happen and there may be others reading the forum that should look up the symptoms of p.a. and that sometimes other deficiencies can mask it.
I don't know the real reason for your blue toes and peripheral neuropathy. I am just saying it almost cost my mom her life and I and my nephew got p.a. many years earlier than my mom. By the way my younger sister who is a nurse was giving my mom B12 sublinqual, but it was not enough, but even she did not know it was p.a..