Supplements for the burning ? - Neuropathy Message Board

Aussie100 · 05-25-2008, 09:35 PM

I haven't seen much posted about supplements so I thought i would start a thread about supplements that i know helped my pn, I AM NOT saying these supplements will help everyone by any means, as there are so many differant causes of PN it is mind boggling, but for those who may be interested here are the ones that helped my pn, caused by prediabetes & low b12 which mainly affected my small fibre nerves [small nerve neuropathy] and i did have some large nerve damage as well going by EMG testing..

I can personally vouch for the supplement Alpha Lipioc Acid helping the severity of the burning in my lower extremities, i only took 1 tab of 600 mg of ALA daily, it is a very strong antioxidant that has been medically used to treat diabetic neuropathy in Europe for well over 40 years, It lowers blood sugars, so diabetics have to be extremely careful if using it in conjunction with other diabetic meds that lower blood sugars.
There is a newer ALA called R- lipioc acid which i believe is much more potent than the original ALA, i have heard about 10 times more potent.

I also used extra thiamine [B1] daily 100mg x3 times daily, which did help some with the burning, but there is a much stronger B1 available called Benfotiamine, which is a lot cheaper than it use to be, i have heard of some very good results from it when only after a couple of weeks of taking it, at levels of 300 mg or over daily.

I took 1 mg of B12 daily [ methylcobalamin ] plus all the other B vitamins in a multi B tablet for general nerve support, if people take B6 [Pyridoxine ], in addition it is one vitamin B to be very careful of, as to much B6 can actually cause nerve damage , the better option is the already active form of B6 [P5P] Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate which is easily available in most health supplement stores.

I have also read in research that diabetic neuropathy patients using a combination of Gamma Linolenic Acid, Alpha Lipioc Acid and vitamin C has shown some improvement in symptoms in clinical trials, it seems that oxidative stress plays a part in Diabetic PN,

I hope this helps someone anyway
Aussie

jersey2007 · 05-26-2008, 10:26 AM

Aussie, thanks for your continued efforts !

mary63 · 05-28-2008, 04:48 AM

hi there- do you get tingling also? anything you have heard helps that "wonderful" symptom??
cheers,
Mary

Aussie100 · 05-28-2008, 07:51 PM

Hi Mary, yes, i used to get that horrible tingling in my feet, which very slowly went away over a 5 year period, there are many causes of tingling in the extremities, one of them is low B6, but it is certainly not the only cause.

It normally takes a long time for nerves to get damaged so it also takes a long time for them to heal, the B6 [P5P] Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate is the only one i would take in addition to the multi B i take every day.

The B6 [Pyridoxine] in large amounts can be toxic to the nerves and cause more problems.

There are many drugs that interfere with B6 in the body or deplete it, like Estrogens, many antibiotics, diuretics, INH, theophylline, penicillamine, Evista.

Aussie

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Aussie100 · 05-28-2008, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jersey2007

Aussie, thanks for your continued efforts !

Your very welcome Jersey, i know there is not much help out there for people with PN, so if i can share what i know helped me, it may hopefully help someone else.

Aussie