Brief Answer:
Drugs for chemotherapy without neuropathic SE's

Detailed Answer:
Good afternoon from XXXXXXX Ohio....you're just across the XXXXXXX Pond I see....cold up there, huh?

Unfortunately, your doctor is correct. There are really no chemotherapeutic options currently marketed either here or in Canada without the potential for neuropathic side effects. Part of the reason for this is because ALL chemotherapeutic medications have a killing power precisely because they happen to disrupt normal cellular functions and integrity from a metabolic point of view. It just so happens that of all the tissues of the body that are potentially resistant at least to some of these toxic effects, NEURONS are clearly the WORST of all body tissues. They are so sensitive and can be deranged so very easily by metabolic shifts and attacks that drugs that need to be powerful enough to treat Cancers by default will get into peripheral nerves and universally cause damage.

Now, according to your medication list, however, it does not appear you are being TREATED for the neuropathy with anything. Have they tried different agents to see if at least some of the intolerable sensations can be quelled?

There are several good agents on the market that your doctor could choose but there again you'll have to possibly live with OTHER side effects.

I do often prescribe Alpha Lipoic Acid for my patients with neuropathy who do not want to take PRESCRIPTION types of drugs for their condition. I'd say the success rate in treating them is around 20-30% and we generally have to use high doses. Howeve, the good news is they don't interact with any other drugs and they're exceedingly cheap to get since they are also over the counter.

I'm very sorry I could not provide you with a list of medications for your condition and I wish such a set of drugs existed....wouldn't life be so much more simpler and enjoyable without NEUROPATHY in the world. I do wish you well as you proceed with your therapies and treatments. Stay strong and let me know if you'd like some suggestions for treatments of neuropathies that we commonly give our cancer patients.

Could you do me a favor and leave a little written feedback and a STAR RATING of this response if you feel there is merit to what I have said.

If you decide to rate this answer and leave the feedback now would you also consider CLOSING THE QUERY from your end. That will signal the system to process and archive the thread for future use.

Of course, if you want to write anything directly to me in the future you can get me on this network through the following address:

bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi

This query required 14 min. physician specific directed review, research, and final draft compilation for envoy.

Once again, all the best.

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Brief Answer:
My apologies my answer didn't meet expectations

Detailed Answer:
Thank you for your reply as well as your explanation as what you were hoping to hear and my apologies for being unable to match those expectations, however, my assumption (with all my patients) is that they prefer truth to unverifiable technical jargon that give false hope. It's never easy for myself as a doctor to tell a cancer patient that we are limited in our pharmacological firepower but that is the stark reality. But as you've pointed there are perhaps countless ways to be creative with what we've got and that's where alternative medicine comes in.

So once again, to be clear, you are in search of a list or even a single possible drug which has utility in treating cancer but does not list neuropathy as one of its side effects. I'm also assuming you wish this drug to be an FDA approved medication? If these assumptions are correct then, we are back to my original answer that there simply are none nor am I aware of such drugs in the pipeline.

What physicians are left with then, is to try their best to chase down the symptoms of neuropathy with other agents, drugs, OTC preparations (generally not as robust as prescription drugs..but sometimes helpful), or interventions such as ultrasound/diathermy, TENS units, and other devices which again do not usually give robust results to the majority of people but for some people may provide some measure of relief. I've even resorted to prescribing FROZEN VEGETABLE BAGS from the freezer to place over an arm or a leg when the patient complains of intense burning sensations...and guess what....well, in some cases, it's actually worked....but then, how many vegetable bags had to be maintained frozen in this patient's kitchen day and night to put on the area? That's where the rubber met the road so to speak....so you see, no idea, no matter how clever comes as an easy or magical answer...there's always a tradeoff between the amount of relief obtained vs. the trouble, cost, or logistical hassles involved in providing the person with that idea.

I have another thought and this is one I've shared with some of my cancer patients and that is the Linus Pauling Institute's website which revolves around the research and use of HIGH DOSE (but we're talking megadose) VITAMIN C. Again, this in the realm of complementary medicine and generally speaking you will not find many oncologists very amenable to considering these kinds of treatments over prescription or FDA approved interventions. However, just for kicks, why don't you look that up on your computer and tell me what you think? Of course, you may recall that Linus Pauling won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1954 precisely for his outstanding work and elucidation of the properties of Vitamin C. However, the interesting thing is he demonstrated in his publications and writings which led to the Nobel Prize his USE of MEGADOSES of vitamin C in Cancer patients. Something, which allopathic doctors never took much notice of from that point on...and in fact, most doctors nowadays don't even know much about that work or how high dose Vitamin C functions in the body. The common recommendation of 500 or 1000mg. daily comes from very antiquated notions that "more than that just gets pee'ed out"...and this is just not true.

Anyways, far be it from me to violate my own dictum of giving false truths or hollow hopes for drugs which either do not exist or have no role in treating you....but in this single case of Vitamin C I would refer you to:

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/

You will notice they are affiliated with Oregon State University so even though it ain't the FDA....it's not too shabby, wouldn't you say?

Look into this a little bit. I think it is much more viable in terms of a possible treatment scenario than anything else I know which is either OTC (over the counter) or of the complementary medications you mention. For example, I already commented on alpha lipoic acid in my other answer so you can look back on it.

It doesn't XXXXXXX me that the ingredients of the supplement you take for neuropathy contains a lot of B vitamins and Vitamin D (which I like as well....but what are your levels? I always try and push for much higher levels than most doctors will tell you about since for neurological concerns it really should be on the higher end of the scale).

I'm hopeful that this communication meets a bit more with your approval and may move you to provide a little written feedback and an IMPROVED STAR RATING than the previous if you feel there is merit to what I have said.

If you decide to rate this answer and leave the feedback now would you also consider CLOSING THE QUERY from your end. That will signal the system to process and archive the thread for future use.

Of course, if you want to write anything directly to me in the future you can get me on this network through the following address:

bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi

This query took considerably more time and required 44 min. physician specific directed review, research, and final draft compilation for envoy.

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