B vitamins don't work for all neuropathy patients
Dr. Donohue | Sun Journal: Monday, February 18, 2013
DEAR DR. ROACH: I've had pain on the soles of my feet since 1999 due to injury to my sciatic nerve and to diabetes. My regular doctor and physical therapist have offered no solutions. It has kept me awake at night and limping during the day.
ANSWER: I get many, many letters from people complaining of neuropathy, mostly noting that the medications don't work or have too many side effects. But it's important to know that there are dozens of causes for neuropathy (which just means something's wrong with the nerve), and what works for one person may not work for another.
One of my neurology colleagues told me that diabetics are at a higher risk for every kind of neuropathy. I think this is significant in your case, because I suspect there may be several reasons for your neuropathy.
Diabetic neuropathy is seen especially in people whose diabetes is longstanding or has not been well-controlled. It causes numbness (this very important; a diabetic may not recognize an injury to the foot) and later may cause pain. Every diabetic should have regular foot exams and be tested for diabetic neuropathy.
Many kinds of medicines are used to treat this, including medicines that are also used for depression and epilepsy. Some people require several medicines, and even then, the treatment doesn't always work well.
Vitamin B-6 has been studied for diabetic neuropathy and isn't generally effective for most people; however, it is safe in reasonable doses (say, 25 or 50 mg). Vitamin B-12 deficiency can cause severe neurologic conditions. We often treat B-12 deficiency with injection; however, most people can get all they need from oral vitamin B-12 if enough is given (usually 1 mg). A trial of B-6 and B-12 is reasonable for people suffering with neuropathy, and although not many people will have as good a response as you did, it may help, and is very unlikely to harm.
DEAR DR. ROACH: I've had pain on the soles of my feet since 1999 due to injury to my sciatic nerve and to diabetes. My regular doctor and physical therapist have offered no solutions. It has kept me awake at night and limping during the day.
ANSWER: I get many, many letters from people complaining of neuropathy, mostly noting that the medications don't work or have too many side effects. But it's important to know that there are dozens of causes for neuropathy (which just means something's wrong with the nerve), and what works for one person may not work for another.
One of my neurology colleagues told me that diabetics are at a higher risk for every kind of neuropathy. I think this is significant in your case, because I suspect there may be several reasons for your neuropathy.
Diabetic neuropathy is seen especially in people whose diabetes is longstanding or has not been well-controlled. It causes numbness (this very important; a diabetic may not recognize an injury to the foot) and later may cause pain. Every diabetic should have regular foot exams and be tested for diabetic neuropathy.
Many kinds of medicines are used to treat this, including medicines that are also used for depression and epilepsy. Some people require several medicines, and even then, the treatment doesn't always work well.
Vitamin B-6 has been studied for diabetic neuropathy and isn't generally effective for most people; however, it is safe in reasonable doses (say, 25 or 50 mg). Vitamin B-12 deficiency can cause severe neurologic conditions. We often treat B-12 deficiency with injection; however, most people can get all they need from oral vitamin B-12 if enough is given (usually 1 mg). A trial of B-6 and B-12 is reasonable for people suffering with neuropathy, and although not many people will have as good a response as you did, it may help, and is very unlikely to harm.
http://www.sunjournal.com/news/dr-donohue/2013/02/18/b-vitamins-dont-work-all-neuropathy-patients/1322559
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