An occupational therapist may be able to advise you about special utensils and home adaptations to help with muscle weaknesses. A physiotherapist may be the best person to help you with such aids. They may also be able to advise you about exercises to help to improve your muscle strength. A group of antidepressant medicines called tricyclic antidepressants may also be helpful. In addition to having antidepressant effects, these medicines have also been found to be helpful in pain control.
Alcoholic Neuropathy: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, & Prevention
People with a lengthy history of alcohol misuse might experience loss of balance, pain, tingling, weakness, or numbness after drinking alcohol. Alcohol-related neuropathy can go away if you stop consuming alcohol and follow your treatment plan. However, severe alcohol-related neuropathy may cause permanent nerve damage. The exact causes of alcohol-related neuropathy aren’t fully understood. However, researchers have found that consuming too much alcohol for long periods of time can damage the peripheral nerves.
Health Conditions
You might not recognize how much you drink or how many problems in your life are related to alcohol use. Listen to relatives, friends or co-workers when they ask you to examine your drinking habits or to seek help. Consider Twelve-step program talking with someone who has had a problem with drinking but has stopped. Lack of muscle control in motor neuropathy can also make you more prone to falling and other injuries. Remove loose objects or obstacles such as rugs in your home to reduce your chance of tripping.
Risk Factors for Developing Alcoholic Neuropathy
Your brain and spinal cord are the two components that make up your central nervous system. Your peripheral nervous system consists of all the other nerves in your body. It also includes nerves that travel from your spinal cord and brain to supply your face early symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy and the rest of your body. People with peripheral neuropathy usually describe the pain as stabbing, burning or tingling. Sometimes symptoms get better, especially if caused by a condition that can be treated.
Diabetes is the biggest — but not the only — cause
- A blood chemistry test will give the doctor a better idea about the patient’s overall health.
- In the same manner, numbness and lowered ability to feel pain sensations can make people more apt to cut themselves or otherwise damage the skin.
- – Prescription medications such as gabapentin, pregabalin, or duloxetine for nerve pain.
- If quitting feels challenging, hypnosis for alcohol control can help rewire drinking habits at the subconscious level.
- Many individuals may dismiss early signs as mere fatigue or stress-related issues.
- Home remedies like gentle exercise, warm baths, and maintaining a balanced diet can help manage alcoholic neuropathy symptoms.
Providing vitamin B nutrients allowed them to reverse some of the damage from chronic alcohol use and help nerves repair themselves. One study done on males with lifelong alcohol abuse showed improvement in nerve health after receiving Benfotiamine treatment. In some instances, it might be required to wear orthotics or support devices to stabilize the feet and limbs as part of a care treatment program. These are meant to prevent injuries caused by dizziness or loss of nerve functioning.
When might peripheral neuropathy be diagnosed?
- Doing so can help halt the progression of neuropathy and allow the nervous system to begin healing.
- Nerve damage from this condition can be permanent, although many of the painful symptoms are likely to subside or ease up with treatment and abstaining from alcohol use.
- Rather, your treatment program will be built around the goals of controlling your symptoms and preserving your independence for as long as possible.
- This is used in studies to measure alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence.
The most effective way to treat alcoholic polyneuropathy is to seek professional help from a medical doctor. Treating alcoholic polyneuropathy must begin with treating a person’s alcohol use. If a person is still drinking, the first recommended course of treatment is to enter a medical detox program, followed by an intensive inpatient rehab program. This condition can be identified through blood tests, which can detect levels of essential nutrients in the body. If you or your loved one’s nutrient levels are very low, this may predict or otherwise explain why you are experiencing these symptoms. Additional testing of the kidneys, liver, upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and the nerves directly can also identify nerve problems.
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- You should also talk to them if you experience side effects from any treatments.
- Another mechanism involves nutritional deficiencies often seen in heavy drinkers.
- The most critical step in treating alcoholic neuropathy is stopping alcohol consumption entirely.
- Understanding personal limits and recognizing warning signs can empower individuals to make healthier choices regarding alcohol consumption.
Diagnosis: How Is Alcoholic Neuropathy Identified?
With complete blood count (CBC), the doctor tries to establish how much the oxygen travels through the body. The person doesn’t feel pain in their limbs and can get light injuries to their limbs on a daily basis. They can’t feel when they cut themselves, or when their shoes are too tight, for example.