However, recognizing the symptoms and seeking medical attention early may minimize the impact of the condition. When speaking with a doctor, a person should be honest about how much alcohol they consume. There are several possible causes of neuropathy, and knowing about a person’s alcohol intake can help the doctor to make an accurate diagnosis. A combination of medications, physical therapy, psychological treatment, and even surgery or implants may be used to bring about the best results. Proper diabetes care — which includes a healthy diet and regular exercise — may eliminate or reduce neuropathic pain. For example, some people with neuropathic pain may experience increased symptoms after sitting for several hours.
What Is Alcoholic Neuropathy?
Genetic factors may also play a role, making some individuals more prone to alcohol-related nerve damage than others. Additionally, overall physical health, liver function, and concurrent use of other substances can influence the onset and severity of neuropathic symptoms. The journal further reports that alcoholic polyneuropathy is likely caused by nutritional deficiencies and the depletion of thiamine that is caused by heavy and long-term drinking.
What causes alcoholic neuropathy?
- Jordan developed her clinical approach in various inpatient, hospital, outpatient, and private practice settings.
- The problems that alcoholic neuropathy causes with muscle weakness, balance, and coordination can make a person more at risk for falling down and getting injured.
- Thanks to advances in medical science and technology, many symptoms or forms of peripheral neuropathy are now treatable.
- Alcoholic neuropathy is a debilitating condition resulting from prolonged excessive alcohol consumption, leading to nerve damage throughout the body.
Your medical history will be evaluated, physical examinations will be administered, and you’ll likely have to undergo both blood and nerve tests. At Healthgrades, our Editorial Team works hard to develop complete, objective and meaningful health information to help people choose the right doctor, right hospital and right care. Our writers include physicians, pharmacists, and registered nurses with firsthand clinical experience. All condition, treatment and wellness content is medically reviewed by at least one medical professional ensuring the most accurate information possible. Alcoholic neuropathy is nerve damage caused by the toxic effect of alcohol on nerves.
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- She has over a decade of direct patient care experience working as a registered nurse specializing in neurotrauma, stroke, and the emergency room.
- Alcohol-induced peripheral neuropathy is a common complication of alcohol use disorder.Excess alcohol consumption can also result in malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies that have a damaging effect on nerves.
- Thus, treatment with anticonvulsant drugs may provide another therapeutic alternative for the symptomatic relief of pain in patients with alcoholic neuropathy.
- Researchers have not determined if this is caused by the effects of alcohol on the brain or is the result of thiamine deficiency.
She is a trauma-informed clinician who prioritizes the relationship between clinician and client. Addiction impacted her own family and influenced her compassionate and empathetic relationship with clients. She believes in healing the whole person in a safe and supportive environment. Jill enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, friends, and pets when she is not in the office.
However, many people find these medicines aren’t effective for neuropathic pain because they don’t target the source of the pain. Chemotherapy and radiation can both impact the nervous system and cause unusual pain signals. Neuropathic pain can be a symptom or alcohol neuropathy stages complication of several diseases and conditions. These include multiple sclerosis, multiple myeloma, and other types of cancer. Understanding the possible causes can help you find better treatments and ways to prevent the pain from getting worse over time.
Regular monitoring and an adherence to treatment plans can speed up recovery times and ensure a better quality of life. Alcohol can have significant negative effects on the central nervoussystem (CNS). Drinking alcohol can also have negative effects on the peripheral nervous system (PNS).
Endoneural oxidative stress leads to nerve dysfunction in rats with chronic constriction injury [39]. ROS triggers second messengers involved in central sensitization of dorsal horn cells [41] or they activate spinal glial cells which in turn play an important role in chronic pain [42]. Reduced glutathione is a major low molecular weight scavenger of free radicals in cytoplasm. Depletion of glutathione increases the susceptibility of neurones to oxidative stress and hyperalgesia [43, 44].
Antidepressants for the alleviation of neuropathic pain symptoms
Medication can help reduce some of the symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy. The most important strategy against alcoholic neuropathy lies in preventing the symptoms from getting worse by decreasing alcohol consumption as soon as possible. Sometimes alcohol causes such severe damage to the body that a liver transplant may be necessary. There are no medications that can help improve loss of sensation, strengthen muscle weakness, or assist with the coordination and balance problems caused by alcoholic neuropathy. However, some people notice an improvement in symptoms a few months after discontinuing alcohol intake.
What are the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy?
However, some people are at greater risk for specific types of peripheral neuropathy (see below under Causes and Symptoms for more about this). Peripheral neuropathy refers to any condition that affects the nerves outside your brain or spinal cord. This can happen for several reasons, from trauma to infections to inherited conditions. Many causes, forms or symptoms of this condition are treatable, but this can vary widely from person to person. The peripheral nervous system sends information from the brain and spinal cord, also called the central nervous system, to the rest of the body through motor nerves.