Neuropathy, pain generated by inflamed or damaged nerves, can be quite difficult to treat. Narcotics may not do much to ease the pain of damaged nerves, and NSAIDs are frequently ineffective. How can you ease nerve pain?
Supplements That Help Ease Nerve Pain:
Q. When I first started experiencing the burning and shooting pains of neuropathy, I thought they were going to drive me to suicide. I read somewhere, perhaps on your website, that benfotiamine and alpha lipoic acid might be helpful.
It’s been several years since I started taking these dietary supplements and the pains have almost completely disappeared. This has been an absolute blessing for me.
How Is Neuropathy Treated?
A. Health professionals often treat peripheral neuropathy with prescription medications such as the anti-seizure drugs gabapentin (Neurontin) or pregabalin (Lyrica). These drugs can be helpful, but they also have side effects that can be troublesome. In addition, stopping them can cause withdrawal symptoms.
Antidepressants such as amitriptyline or doxepin have also been prescribed off-label for nerve pain. Such drugs also have side effects, however.
There is some data to support the use of both alpha lipoic acid and benfotiamine (a derivative of the B vitamin thiamine) for neuropathy (Therapeutic Advances in Chronic Disease, Jan. 2015). Benfotiamine appears to dampen the body’s production of advance glycation end products (AGEs) that damage the nerves (Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, May, 2015).
We’re glad you get such relief from these supplements.
