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What Causes Leg Cramps When Diagnosed With Peripheral Neuropathy?
Question: I have had peripheral neuropathy for all most ten years. I take gabapentin 1200 mg a day. I sometimes have leg cramps after sitting for sometime, or at night while in bed, wake up with cramping etc.. I just came across an article about a cutting edge supplement called Nervestra-advanced Nerve support. It seems to have good to great reviews. Also, no one has ever said that I was short on Vitamin B12, B1, B complex. I do or did have trigeminal neuralgia and that was treated with Gama knife surgery on brain's 5th cranial nerve. I no longer have facial pain as it was, but have numb face on right side and an underline pain. Dry mouth, dry eyes and sore gums. I do not know if this is connected to my problem but thought since it involved the nerves I would tell you about it. What can I do to help myself that I am not already doing? What are the side effects of Gabapentin? The doctor has increased it from 1200 mg a day to1500 mg a day (5 capsules 3 times a day. What is Gabalpentin why do I have to continually take more. Is it habit forming? Never seem to get a straight answer from the Doctor. Can the condition of peripheral neuropathy cause death? What about this new supplement Nerviest?
Brief Answer:
Your answers as follows.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
Gabapentin's most common side effects include dizziness, coordination issues, somnolence and fatigue. There are also some rarer sided effects, dry mouth being one of them, so it is a possible cause.
It is a first line medication for neuropathic pain. It doesn't alter the course of neuropathy, it merely tries to alleviate the pain by modifying its transmission. So the dosage depends on symptoms, if not enough to alleviate pain it can be raised. Of course there is a limit, usually not raised beyong 2400 mg/d, especially in someone your age where risk of side effects is higher. If side effects appear at lower doses should also be used with caution. As for its habit forming risk, no, it is not a drug which causes addiction.
Peripheral neuropathy doesn't cause death, at least not in typical forms (there are many types of peripheral neuropathy), only in some acute forms. It does cause considerable discomfort and disability though.
Regarding what else you can do....well it is not clear what has been done to try to find the cause. In 25% of cases the cause can't be identified, but in other cases it is due to issues such as diabetes, nitritional deficiencies, liver annd kidney function, exposure to toxic substances, infections, tumors etc. So some tests to search for those causes should be conducted and if a cause is found of course corrispondingly addressed. Perhaps your doctor has already done that, can't say from the information you provide.
Otherwise not much to be done. If you are in pain and Gabapentin is causing side effects then other alternatives such as Pregabalin or Duloxetin may be tried, but again they aim to simply alleviate symptoms, do not alter course of the neuropathy itself.
As for Nervestra, it is a combination of several natural supplements. There are many such products in the market. Unfortunately none has been proven by studies to be effective for now, hopefully the future can change that, but for now there isn't any evidence apart from the promotion of pharmaceutical companies. Since it has natural supplements it should be safe to try if your really want to, but can't promise any success.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Your answers as follows.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
Gabapentin's most common side effects include dizziness, coordination issues, somnolence and fatigue. There are also some rarer sided effects, dry mouth being one of them, so it is a possible cause.
It is a first line medication for neuropathic pain. It doesn't alter the course of neuropathy, it merely tries to alleviate the pain by modifying its transmission. So the dosage depends on symptoms, if not enough to alleviate pain it can be raised. Of course there is a limit, usually not raised beyong 2400 mg/d, especially in someone your age where risk of side effects is higher. If side effects appear at lower doses should also be used with caution. As for its habit forming risk, no, it is not a drug which causes addiction.
Peripheral neuropathy doesn't cause death, at least not in typical forms (there are many types of peripheral neuropathy), only in some acute forms. It does cause considerable discomfort and disability though.
Regarding what else you can do....well it is not clear what has been done to try to find the cause. In 25% of cases the cause can't be identified, but in other cases it is due to issues such as diabetes, nitritional deficiencies, liver annd kidney function, exposure to toxic substances, infections, tumors etc. So some tests to search for those causes should be conducted and if a cause is found of course corrispondingly addressed. Perhaps your doctor has already done that, can't say from the information you provide.
Otherwise not much to be done. If you are in pain and Gabapentin is causing side effects then other alternatives such as Pregabalin or Duloxetin may be tried, but again they aim to simply alleviate symptoms, do not alter course of the neuropathy itself.
As for Nervestra, it is a combination of several natural supplements. There are many such products in the market. Unfortunately none has been proven by studies to be effective for now, hopefully the future can change that, but for now there isn't any evidence apart from the promotion of pharmaceutical companies. Since it has natural supplements it should be safe to try if your really want to, but can't promise any success.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
My mouth and right side of face always is numb but pain underneath the numbness when I eat I have no taste, and face feels swollen. My gums are dry and hurt when I eat. The dentist had no solutions. I do not have gum disease. I have taken good care of my teeth, have them all, but had many route canal's before I was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia and had the Gamma Knife surgery for right side of face. Is my pain in my face part of my peripheral neuropathy? My eyes are affected too. Dry and sometimes painful. what can I do to help myself be more pain free without opiates? Your answer please, XXXXXXX Speer
Brief Answer:
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for the update.
The numbness and pain in your face is due to trigeminal nerve permanent damage. It is a type of peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy can be of many types, it is simply a term for damage to a peripheral nerve, so trigeminal nerve damage is classified as peripheral neuropathy.
However it is not to be confused with the peripheral neuropathy affecting your limbs, the origin of the nerve damage is not the same, they are not related to each other.
As to what you can do for the pain to remain free of opiates I more or less answered that question in my previous answer. If Gabapentin does not work the alternatives are Pregabalin or Duloxetine. If that doesn't work local anesthetic creams like capsaicin may be tried. Otherwise if none of them works opiates are the remaining option when pain is intense.
Of course as I stressed in my previous answer that is alongside the search and correction when possible of the cause of the neuropathy in your limbs, if a cause is evidence that should be addressed first.
Let me know if I can further assist you.
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for the update.
The numbness and pain in your face is due to trigeminal nerve permanent damage. It is a type of peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy can be of many types, it is simply a term for damage to a peripheral nerve, so trigeminal nerve damage is classified as peripheral neuropathy.
However it is not to be confused with the peripheral neuropathy affecting your limbs, the origin of the nerve damage is not the same, they are not related to each other.
As to what you can do for the pain to remain free of opiates I more or less answered that question in my previous answer. If Gabapentin does not work the alternatives are Pregabalin or Duloxetine. If that doesn't work local anesthetic creams like capsaicin may be tried. Otherwise if none of them works opiates are the remaining option when pain is intense.
Of course as I stressed in my previous answer that is alongside the search and correction when possible of the cause of the neuropathy in your limbs, if a cause is evidence that should be addressed first.
Let me know if I can further assist you.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Would liquid oxygen help taken along with the gabapentin or some of the supplements you mentioned Pregabalin or Duloxetine. I ordered some to try, 15 drops in 8 ounces of water? XXXXXXX
Brief Answer:
Don't think it would help.
Detailed Answer:
I am afraid that won't help your neuropathy. It is not included in any neuropathy treatment guideline and I am not aware of any study going on about its benefits for neuropathy.
I do not see how it will reach the nerve really once it has gone into the stomach. Our blood is already saturated with the oxygen coming from breathing. So can't imagine it being inserted in future therapies either.
Don't think it would help.
Detailed Answer:
I am afraid that won't help your neuropathy. It is not included in any neuropathy treatment guideline and I am not aware of any study going on about its benefits for neuropathy.
I do not see how it will reach the nerve really once it has gone into the stomach. Our blood is already saturated with the oxygen coming from breathing. So can't imagine it being inserted in future therapies either.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
according to Lean Belly Breakthrough Health Newsletter liquid oxygen stimulates white blood cell production which turns your immune system into a disease-killing fortress ready and equipped to destroy any enemy harmful germ, virus or bacteria once idk enters your body, breaks down man-made chemicals, poisons and other toxins that ha entered the body increases the efficiency of antioxidants so you can slow down the aging process fights all forms of cancer cells etc. My oxygen supply to my body is usually about 98 according to tests. But my understanding is that the liquid oxygen supports the nervous system as well. My Medical Doctor said I should try it, but wasn't very convincing. XXXXXXX
Brief Answer:
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
If you recall your first question and answer we already had a similar discussion about Nervestra. There are many such products in the market. They all have nice sounding names, antioxidant effect, immune boosting, cancer-fighting etc. The more you search on google the more such products will appear. Making claims is easy, but you have to prove them. That is done through clinical trials and as I said I am not aware of any trial having shown any effect from liquid oxygen, haven't encountered article in a serious medical journal. I am afraid Lean Belly Breakthrough is not a trusted scientific source. Remember that a lot of money is gained from selling these products so a lot of publicity is made, lean belly breakthrough may endorse that product for a hefty fee, you can't believe any claim you believe.
Perhaps the future might prove me wrong but I am somehow skeptical in believing that these companies selling these products have succeeded finding a solution for neuropathy there where pharmaceutical companies pouring billions of dollars in research have failed. Furthermore in the case of this liquid oxygen thing I fail to understand how will it exercise its effect, will it be absorbed in the gut where so many chemical processes take place, if absorbed how will it act differently from the "normal" oxygen in our blood.
As with Nervestra it should be safe to try since you already ordered it, but in the future I would advise more caution when reading about such products, as I said it's about making profits for them. I sincerely hope to be wrong and for you to feel some improvement from the liquid oxygen though.
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
If you recall your first question and answer we already had a similar discussion about Nervestra. There are many such products in the market. They all have nice sounding names, antioxidant effect, immune boosting, cancer-fighting etc. The more you search on google the more such products will appear. Making claims is easy, but you have to prove them. That is done through clinical trials and as I said I am not aware of any trial having shown any effect from liquid oxygen, haven't encountered article in a serious medical journal. I am afraid Lean Belly Breakthrough is not a trusted scientific source. Remember that a lot of money is gained from selling these products so a lot of publicity is made, lean belly breakthrough may endorse that product for a hefty fee, you can't believe any claim you believe.
Perhaps the future might prove me wrong but I am somehow skeptical in believing that these companies selling these products have succeeded finding a solution for neuropathy there where pharmaceutical companies pouring billions of dollars in research have failed. Furthermore in the case of this liquid oxygen thing I fail to understand how will it exercise its effect, will it be absorbed in the gut where so many chemical processes take place, if absorbed how will it act differently from the "normal" oxygen in our blood.
As with Nervestra it should be safe to try since you already ordered it, but in the future I would advise more caution when reading about such products, as I said it's about making profits for them. I sincerely hope to be wrong and for you to feel some improvement from the liquid oxygen though.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you for you helpful advice, I understand the product is being studied at the Harvard Medical School. My discomfort is such that I am trying just about everything. I can't sleep and have such depression. Guess I will just have to hope something will come along to help soon. Thank you for your time. XXXXXXX Speer
Brief Answer:
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello again and sorry for answering a little late.
I understand your situation, I know (or at least I imagine from the accounts of other patients) how disabling neuropathy symptoms are, how much they can affect one's well being. Since medicine up to now hasn't been able to offer a definitive solution it is understandable that you seek alternatives. I do not want to discourage you, it's just that as a professional I have a duty to speak based on facts, scientific proof. Perhaps in the future some of these product will be proven effective, I hope so, but for the moment there are so many of them I am asked about and the majority do not work. Hope it won't be your case.
Wish you all the best.
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello again and sorry for answering a little late.
I understand your situation, I know (or at least I imagine from the accounts of other patients) how disabling neuropathy symptoms are, how much they can affect one's well being. Since medicine up to now hasn't been able to offer a definitive solution it is understandable that you seek alternatives. I do not want to discourage you, it's just that as a professional I have a duty to speak based on facts, scientific proof. Perhaps in the future some of these product will be proven effective, I hope so, but for the moment there are so many of them I am asked about and the majority do not work. Hope it won't be your case.
Wish you all the best.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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