The toes burn and tingle and sharp pains shoot into your legs. The bed sheets feel uncomfortable on the feet as you toss and turn, trying to get some rest. Your feet felt numb throughout the day, but now feel like they are on fire. Nothing seems to help as you watch the hours on the clock pass by, hoping to fall asleep.
Burning, numbness, tingling, hot and cold sensations, shooting and electrical pain are common sensations felt at rest in painful peripheral neuropathy. Neuropathy is an abnormality of the nervous system. There are many different types of neuropathy, but the most common neuropathy effecting diabetics is peripheral neuropathy.
Diabetic neuropathy is described as a loss of sensation that starts in the tips of the toes and gradually works its way up the legs, and in severe case into the hands. It is sometimes referred to as a stocking glove neuropathy because it progresses as if one was pulling on a stocking.
Sixty percent of diabetics have some type of neuropathy in their feet. Five percent of diabetics will experience painful diabetic neuropathy and the incidence increases with age. Over 45% of individuals who have had diabetes for over 25 years will experience some symptoms of painful diabetic neuropathy.
The cause of diabetic neuropathy is not clearly understood. Many believe that the damage to the small vessels surrounding the nerves, from the diabetes, causes damage to the nerves. Others believe the increase in blood sugar causes damage to the nerves. Despite the different theories, studies have shown better blood sugar control helps prevent progression of the neuropathy.
There are currently no treatments to help reverse diabetic neuropathy. There are no treatments which help reduce the numbness. But, there are many treatments to help decrease the pain associated with the neuropathy.
Your doctor may prescribe medications to help with the pain. There are many options, but until recently none were FDA approved for the treatment of painful neuropathy. Cymbalta®, duloxetine HCl, was recently approved by the FDA in September of 2004 for use in diabetic peripheral neuropathy at doses of 60 and 120 mg per day. This is the first drug approved for this use. Similar medications, like amitriptyline, desipramine and nortriptyline, have been used to help decrease pain and help with sleep.
Gabapentin, also known as Neurontin®, has been a successful treatment for painful diabetic neuropathy. Neurontin® was originally approved by the FDA for adjunctive use in seizures, but the benefits of this drug for other conditions, like neuropathy, soon became known. The manufacturers of Neurontin® were caught up in a controversy regarding their marketing tactics for this off label use. Many physicians still use this drug despite the controversy. Tegretol and Dilantin, common seizure medications, can be used in more severe cases. New treatments include lidocaine 5% cream, acetyl-L-canitine, nerve growth factor and Annodyne ®, infrared therapy.
To help treat painful peripheral neuropathy without prescription medications, consider the following tips:
1. Keep your blood sugar in control: Studies have shown that when blood sugars remain high, or roller coaster from high to low, peripheral neuropathy will worsen.
2. Exercise. This is probably the last thing you wanted to hear. Exercise helps increase circulation and stimulates the growth of new vessels which help slow the progression of the neuropathy. Exercising also helps to increase your pain threshold and to provide a distraction from the nerve pain in your feet.
3. Eat healthy. Besides helping to control your blood sugar, eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables will add anti-oxidants to your diet. Anti-oxidants will combat the damaging oxidative effects glucose has on your nerves. In particular, try dark-green, leafy vegetables, yellow, orange, and red fruits and vegetables, citrus fruits and tomatoes.
4. Try red pepper powder. Capsaicin is the active ingredient in chile peppers. When applied to the feet it acts as a counter-irritant and can help decrease neuropathic pain. Capsaicin can be purchased at your local drug store. If you cannot afford capsaicin, try mixing 1 tablespoon of dry chile powder with 2 tablespoons of baby powder. Place the mixture in a sock and use the socks at night.
5. Try alpha lipoic acid. ALA is an effective anti-oxidant that has been shown to relieve pain associated with neuropathy in multiple studies. To help relieve pain, the dose must be at least 600mg a day. It is advisable to start with a lower dose, as higher doses can cause nausea, stomach upset, fatigue, insomnia and can lower blood sugar. In general, ALA is a safe supplement.
6. Try gamma linolenic acid. GLA is an essential fatty acid found in evening primrose oil. Most of the studies have shown modest results, but the possibilities are still encouraging. Take 360mg/day. Many indications require higher dosages, but side effects with long term use at higher doses may include inflammation, thrombosis (blood clots), or decreased immune system functioning.
Treating painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy is very difficult and many of the above mentioned therapies should be tried and combined. Don't expect any "cures" and make sure you give each therapy a chance to work.
Christine Dobrowolski is a podiatrist and the author of Those Aching Feet: Your Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment of Common Foot Problems. To learn more about Dr. Dobrowolski and her book visit http://www.skipublishing.com/ or http://www.northcoastfootcare.com
Now you can help make every test strip count as... Read More
What are normal blood sugar levels? Fasting (blood sugar level... Read More
Stat Medical Hardware, Inc (SMD) was founded in 1988 and... Read More
So, after a miserable 10 hours of blood tests it's... Read More
Now you can reduce the pain and inconvenience of testing.... Read More
Your car has an early detection system and so does... Read More
Diabetes affects the manner in which the body handles digested... Read More
Type 1 diabetes was formerly known as juvenile diabetes or... Read More
There are two main types of diabetes, type I and... Read More
Exercise is often recommended in treating type 1 (insulin- dependent)... Read More
A diabetic diet is a specially designed eating plan that... Read More
Medical supply manufacturers are continuously conceptualizing medical supplies needed by... Read More
In the United States there are around 17 million people... Read More
Diabetes, which affects more than 6% of the US population... Read More
Having diabetes certainly limits some of the food you can... Read More
Diabetes has hidden dangers that begin before diagnosis and continue... Read More
Diabetic complications contribute too many life threatening diseases globally. The... Read More
In some medical circles it's called Type 3 Diabetes. Teenagers... Read More
Diabetes affects the manner in which the body handles carbohydrates,... Read More
In a time not too long ago, there lived a... Read More
This is the second article in a series I am... Read More
One of the biggest mistakes that weight loss failures make... Read More
Diabetes Mellitus is one of the most costly burdensome chronic... Read More
Benfotiamine made headlines globally in 2003 when researchers released information... Read More
Diabetes mellitus is a condition resulting from the pancreas' inability... Read More
It is estimated that over 18 million people over the... Read More
Diabetes is having a devastating effect on the African American... Read More
Thousands, if not millions of people have diabetes in their... Read More
After the initial shock of diagnosis wears off and we... Read More
Type I diabetes is also known as insulin-dependent diabetes or... Read More
This is true that men with diabetes have an increased... Read More
Today, most people with diabetes are only treating the symptoms.... Read More
Remember when the medical world identified pre-hypertension to better monitor... Read More
Insulin has two critical roles in the body that we... Read More
INTRODUCTIONIt is my pleasure to introduce to you, a new... Read More
Are you a diabetic? If so, you are definitely not... Read More
Humulin or Lantus? When my daughter, who was 8, was... Read More
Here is some commonsense thinking:I can't understand why anyone who... Read More
Diabetes can briefly be defined as a state when the... Read More
Syndrome X or the X factor as it is sometimes... Read More
Your car has an early detection system and so does... Read More
While exercise and eating guidelines are based on good scientific... Read More
Diabetes mellitus is a condition resulting from the pancreas' inability... Read More
When traveling on out-of-town business, its common to have the... Read More
In a time not too long ago, there lived a... Read More
By the time many type 2 diabetics (and often their... Read More
Medical supply manufacturers are continuously conceptualizing medical supplies needed by... Read More
Do you have symptoms that relate to an insulin imbalance?... Read More
The term diabetes refers to higher than normal levels of... Read More
This is the second article in a series I am... Read More
Your doctor may have recently advised you have diabetes. Or... Read More
This is true that men with diabetes have an increased... Read More
Avandia, a compound of rosiglitazone maleate, is an oral antidiabetic... Read More
What sank the "Unsinkable Ship" the Titanic was not the... Read More
What are normal blood sugar levels? Fasting (blood sugar level... Read More
Was there a time when you relished the idea of... Read More
Early symptoms diabetesStay alert in recognizing early symptoms of diabetes.... Read More
In some medical circles it's called Type 3 Diabetes. Teenagers... Read More
The following information is for educational purposes only and is... Read More
Now you can help make every test strip count as... Read More
It's been a year, and 85 blubbery pounds less, since... Read More
Exercise is often recommended in treating type 1 (insulin- dependent)... Read More
Diabetic complications contribute too many life threatening diseases globally. The... Read More
INTRODUCTIONAccording to the World Health Organization, a few decades back... Read More
Do you gamble? Play Texas Hold'em poker, casino games, or... Read More
There are two main types of diabetes, type I and... Read More
Diabetes |