People with diabetes have a damage in specific nerve fibers in all nerves, mostly those that travel to the legs and feet.

However, about 40% of neuroapthy patients don’t suffer from diabetic neuropathy. They sometimes have what is called idiopathic neuropathy which is a neuropathy of unknown cause.

People with non-diabetic neuropathy tend to suffer mostly from one of the following:

1. Vitamin B1, B12 and folate deficiencies.

2. Excessive alcohol intake.

3. Traumatic injuries such as from car accidents.

4. Chemotherapy treatments- may cause damage to the peripheral nervous system.

5. Auto-immune diseases- Such as Sjogren’s syndrome, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.

But sometimes peripheral neuropathy seems to happen for no particular reason. Also known as Idiopathic peripheral neuropathy, it occurs mostly in people over 60 years old and usually progresses slowly if at all.

People of that group are diagnosed based on their medical history, clinical examination and supporting laboratory investigations.

Treatment of such idiopathic neuropathy is focused mostly on controlling the associated pain with anti-seizure medications,  antidepressants, or opiate drugs.

More severe conditions may require a multidisciplinary approach to pain management.

Need guidance on how to control and manage your neuropathy? Check out my Neuropathy Revolution program 

The post Can you have neuropathy without having diabetes? first appeared on Mark Fellers' Neuropathy And Nerve Pain Blog.

Peripheral neuropathy, indicates a problem within the peripheral nervous system which is the network of nerves outside your brain and spinal cord.

Now, there can be many causes of peripheral neuropathy but in about 60% to 70% of cases,  diabetes was the underlying cause.

There are 5 main symptoms of diabetic neuropathy:

1. Tingling, burning or prickling sensation in the extremities.

2. Numbness and/or pain in the hands, legs and feet.

3. Weakness of the muscles in the feet and hands.

4. Extreme sensitivity to touch.

5. Insensitivity to pain or temperature changes.

Treatments for diabetic neuropathy include dietary changes and exercise, controlling blood glucose levels, prevention of injury which may take time to heal, and controlling or managing pain or cramps.

Having high blood sugar levels over time is the biggest risk factor for developing diabetic neuropathy but people with high triglyceride levels, people who smoke or have high blood pressure as well as having BMI level that is higher than 24 are also at risk.

Diabetic neuropathy is often diagnosed via a physical examination of the feet but doctors may also recommend having a nerve biopsy, or imaging tests.

Need guidance on how to control and manage your neuropathy? Check out my Neuropathy Revolution program 

The post The No. 1 medical condition that causes neuropathy? first appeared on Mark Fellers' Neuropathy And Nerve Pain Blog.

In most cases, no single cause can be identified. It’s a condition of an unknown cause or no direct cause but the most affected nerves in the majority of cases are the ones that provide sensation to the legs and feet.

Some cases have more clear cause such as diabetes, alcohol abuse, medications, or other conditions.

With regards to medications, doctors generally recommend one medication after another until the patient finds one more effective at alleviating symptoms with minimum side effects.

It may actually take many weeks or even months till doctors find a treatment or a medication that seems to work best and there is a lot of trial and error when prescribing neuropathy drugs.

There are basically 4 medications that can have a positive effect on neuropathic pain. These are: duloxetine, mexiletine, nortriptyline, or pregabalin.

A study was done comparing the effect of those 4 medications on a group of neuropathy patients suffering with sensory polyneuropathy.

The results showed that side effects were frequent with all of those drugs but none were serious or severe.

Though the study was limited the overall take was that nortriptyline and duloxetine appeared to be slightly more effective than the other drugs in the trial.

Please make sure that you consult your doctor on which medication is better to start with in your specific case.

Remember that what works for one person won’t necessarily be effective for someone else with similar symptoms.

Need guidance on how to control and manage your neuropathy? Check out my Neuropathy Revolution program 

The post What is the number one medicine for neuropathy? first appeared on Mark Fellers' Neuropathy And Nerve Pain Blog.