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Suggest Treatment For Peripheral Neuropathy
Question: I have peripheral neuropathy and take lyrica and cymbalta which does help a little. I've just started treatment with a chiropractor who uses laser and other things (don't know what its called). He puts me on a decompression table to stretch too. What is the best thing to help my condition. I am 68 year old female.
Brief Answer:
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I am sorry about the symptoms you are experiencing.
First step in treating peripheral neuropathy is trying to identify the cause (not always achieved) and address it, meaning if due to diabetes treatment of it, if due to alcohol, alcohol interruption and so on.
Once that has been considered follows treatment for neuropathic pain. Both lyrica and cymbalta are first choices for that type of pain so you can continue them, possibly increase the dose if the current one is not enough, as long as you don't experience particular side effects.
Among second choice proven options local treatment may help, usually with capsaicin (an anesthetic) cream. Another second choice medication which could be considered is Tramadol, a pain killer.
As a third and last choice would be opioids, which as you might have heard carry the risk of addiction so only used when really necessary.
These are the proven treatments. Among alternative therapies some effect is attributed to acupuncture (but need more than one session). Use of alpha-lipoic acid, an antioxidant is mentioned to have some modest effect as well as some herbal products like primrose oil or supplements like acetyl-L-carnitine.
Laser therapy is a recent addition might be proven beneficial with time, but for now there exists no scientific evidence yet.
Chiropractic therapy might have some benefit when neuropathy is due to lumbar spine issues but don't see much benefit if due to other causes.
I hope to have been of help.
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I am sorry about the symptoms you are experiencing.
First step in treating peripheral neuropathy is trying to identify the cause (not always achieved) and address it, meaning if due to diabetes treatment of it, if due to alcohol, alcohol interruption and so on.
Once that has been considered follows treatment for neuropathic pain. Both lyrica and cymbalta are first choices for that type of pain so you can continue them, possibly increase the dose if the current one is not enough, as long as you don't experience particular side effects.
Among second choice proven options local treatment may help, usually with capsaicin (an anesthetic) cream. Another second choice medication which could be considered is Tramadol, a pain killer.
As a third and last choice would be opioids, which as you might have heard carry the risk of addiction so only used when really necessary.
These are the proven treatments. Among alternative therapies some effect is attributed to acupuncture (but need more than one session). Use of alpha-lipoic acid, an antioxidant is mentioned to have some modest effect as well as some herbal products like primrose oil or supplements like acetyl-L-carnitine.
Laser therapy is a recent addition might be proven beneficial with time, but for now there exists no scientific evidence yet.
Chiropractic therapy might have some benefit when neuropathy is due to lumbar spine issues but don't see much benefit if due to other causes.
I hope to have been of help.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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