Pain management for neuropathy (cold, diabetic, doctor, prescriptions)

[MICoastieMom]

Wondering if anyone here suffers from non-diabetic periphial neuropathy. Have you found any ways to manage pain without drugs?

[donsabi]

I have PN in my feet caused by taking a statin medication. The main medication is Lyrica which I hesitate to use, and do not use, because of the side effects. The one main thing I find helpful is walking. Even if I only walk a short distance every day I notice the difference of not walking at all. I also found a product called Ultra Blue seems to help but when the pain is bad nothing works. I find wearing a double-sole crew sock helps a great deal.

I have learned the hard way that hot water and creams containing capsaicin are to be avoided.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Maybe you meant pain meds when you said no drug? I take Neurontin at night. It is not a pain med but rather a drug which "calms down" the nerves, making them less sensitive/excitable. I take 300 mg and it has eliminated my leg pain which originates in the L3 nerve distribution from my bad back.

[MICoastieMom]

I have been taking the B complex vitamins for over 3 years, I see no change. Doctor started me on Neurontin about three months ago. I don't see any change whatsoever. Been using a very small dose of Vicodin at night so I can sleep for maybe a year. That works.

Problem is that due to insurance changes, I am now paying a co-pay and a deductible every time I am seeing the doctor. He refuses to write the prescriptions with refills on them. This means I have to see him every freakin month and pay almost $100.00 for a 5 minute visit while he writes out two precriptions. I cannot afford that and need to find some other way of dealing with the pain.

Donsabi, please tell me more about Ultra Blue. I have never heard about it before. Is it found in the pharmacy department? Over the counter, I hope?

I am surprised by your reaction to hot water and capsaicin. The reading I have done on WebMD suggested those would help, although they did say that the capsaicin might take a week or two before any relief was noticable. What was your experience?

[donsabi]

MICoastieMom,
Ultra Blue is a cream available online and many retail stores. I usually do g... search and see who has the cheapest at the time. It does not take away the pain entirely but it does help me.

I tried a heated foot bath for about two weeks and I became more and more sensitive with each use. I have also tried epsom salt bath with the same results. There are many who recommend capsaicin as a therapy but my experience only made my PN worse.

In reading about PN it seems that different people have different results that vary from time to time. I read about one person who was getting relief by using a vibrating massager. When I tried it a few years ago it aggravated my PN. Lately I too am getting some relief with it. Don't be afraid to try different things, but be prudent. If you want to try a capsaicin cream don't treat both feet before you know how you will react. Put a little on one foot and see what happens.

For those experiencing cold feet or hands I found the Cosy Soles, available on the web, are a big help.

[MICoastieMom]

Donsabi,

I think have found a kindred spirit, thank you so much. I have found it very difficult to find anything that talked about PN outside of a conversation about diabetes. The path I have traveled for the past couple years has left me very frustrated. I truely appreciate your suggestions.

Have you noticed any improvement by making dietary changes?