Foot neuropathy not fatal but often painful
DEAR DR. K: I have neuropathy pain in my feet. What can I do to relieve it? DEAR READER: Neuropathy, or nerve damage, is a remarkably common problem, but it isn’t considered a “major” health problem by many doctors because it isn’t potentially fatal. But it sure can make people miserable. For-tunately, there are several treat-ments that bring relief to most people who suffer with this condition. Neuropathy affects many of the nerves in your body and, the longer a nerve is, the more likely it is to be affected by neuropathy. The nerves connecting your brain to your legs and feet are the longest, so the symptoms of neuropathy almost always begin in and are worst in the feet. The most common symptoms are numbness, burning or unpleasant sensations that people have a hard time describing. The loss of sensation in the feet can cause problems with balance. Among the most common causes of neuropathy are diabetes, alcohol abuse, an underactive thyroid gland and some types of cancer chemotherapy. However, about one out of every four people with neuropathy has none of these causes. The first thing to do is treat the cause. If you’re diabetic, do everything you can to lower your blood sugar. If you drink too much, cut down. If you have an underactive thyroid, take your thyroid pills as directed and get regular thyroid blood tests. The most widely used medicines for reducing symptoms are an anticonvulsant — either gabapentin ( Neurontin) or pregabalin ( Lyrica) — and tricyclic drugs, including desipramine.