Once alcohol use has been addressed, a doctor can focus on treating alcohol-related neuropathy itself. Treatment will depend on the type, location, and severity of your symptoms. It’s important to share any history of alcohol use with the doctor to receive an accurate diagnosis. Keep reading to learn more about the symptoms, causes, and treatments for alcohol-related neuropathy. Reframe supports you in reducing alcohol consumption and enhancing your well-being.
Break Free from Addiction
Light contact can feel unpleasant and exaggerated, especially in the fingers and toes. Therapy, counseling, and instruction on substance addiction and its effects are all part of these programs. A physician can concentrate on treating alcohol-related neuropathy after alcohol consumption has been treated. The kind, location, and intensity of your symptoms will determine how you are treated. Telling your doctor that you abuse alcohol is crucial because the symptoms are so similar. To rule out other causes of neuropathy symptoms, additional evaluations may involve blood or urine tests, or imaging investigations of the brain or spinal cord.
Risk Factor
Regular follow-ups with healthcare providers are crucial to monitor the condition and adjust treatments. In many cases, alcoholic neuropathy is at least partially reversible—especially if it’s caught early and the individual stops drinking altogether. The sooner an individual seeks medical support, the greater the likelihood of regaining as much nerve function as possible. Treatment may include medications for pain management, physical therapy to improve strength and mobility, and counseling to address the underlying issues related to alcohol addiction. Completely stopping alcohol consumption and following medical advice can help the person recover from the condition.
What is Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy or RSD or CRPS Type 1? How Common is it and What are its Triggers?
If you or a loved one is struggling with these conditions, it is vital to seek help and support to overcome the challenges. The Recovery Village Columbus offers comprehensive, evidence-based treatment programs to meet your needs and facilitate your healing journey. We offer physician-led treatment for drug and alcohol addiction in Ohio.
- Preventing alcoholic neuropathy is fundamentally about managing our alcohol intake.
- But, it can become very serious when the patient doesn’t feel the sensations in their limbs.
- A person can improve their outlook by significantly reducing or stopping their alcohol intake and ensuring that they are receiving the right balance of nutrients.
- The prognosis of alcoholic neuropathy can be better in cases, which are mildly affected or have just began to cause nerve damage, than those with serious nerve damage.
- Symptoms include burning pain in the body, hyperalgesia (increased sensitivity to pain), and allodynia (a condition in which normal stimulus, like a soft touch, produces pain).
Recovery Journey After Alcohol Addiction
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How Does Alcohol-Related Neuropathy Feel?
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. Healing from alcoholic neuropathy often coincides with the body beginning to recover from long-term alcohol damage as a whole. As nerve function starts to improve, many individuals also notice improvements in energy, digestion, and overall well-being. These can be subtle but meaningful signs your liver is healing from alcohol—a key organ involved in nutrient processing and toxin removal, both of which are critical for nerve repair.
Substance Abuse
Alcohol is a toxin, and if one drinks excessively, it can have adverse effects on the body. The main way alcohol can impact the body is by suppressing the nervous system. Neuropathy can be partially reversed if treated early and alcohol consumption is stopped, but in advanced cases, the nerve damage may be permanent. However, it is known to be directly related to heavy and long-term alcohol consumption. Overconsumption of alcohol may directly harm and hinder the nerves’ ability to communicate information from one body area to another.
Symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy
- For example, increasing dietary intake can aid in the healing of nerve damage, but prolonged alcohol use can worsen symptoms and delay recovery.
- Utilize adaptive aids, such as compression garments or braces, to keep affected limbs comfortable and relieve pressure on your axons.
- The severity of the neuropathy and the person’s past alcohol use both have an impact on how long it takes to recover from alcoholic neuropathy, which varies greatly from person to person.
Only the degree of nerve damage is determined by the nerve tests; the cause of neuropathy is not. However, folate or B12 shortage can occur when you don’t get enough vitamins and minerals from your usual diet. However, long-term excessive alcohol consumption has been linked to peripheral nerve injury, according to alcohol neuropathy a study.
- It primarily affects the peripheral nerves, leading to symptoms such as numbness, tingling, pain, and muscle weakness, typically in the limbs.
- Reversal of alcoholic neuropathy is possible only if the underlying cause is treated and the progression of disease is stopped.
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Liver disease and neuropathy
Treatment includes abstaining from alcohol, taking vitamin supplements, physical therapy, pain management, and working with medical professionals to monitor the condition. The symptoms of alcoholic peripheral neuropathy include impairments in sensory, motor, autonomic, and gait functioning that appear gradually over several months. The primary symptom of alcoholic neuropathy is pain, either with or without a burning feeling.
- Hence, the common areas affected in alcoholic neuropathy include the arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet and toes, but internal functions can also get affected.
- Motor symptoms include muscle weakness, cramps and spasms, particularly in the lower limbs.
- The condition can also lead to digestive issues, urinary problems, and even difficulty walking.
- As a result, it is usually necessary to get medical help to manage alcohol use disorder.
- Even so, treatment can still slow the disease, help manage pain and improve how well your body functions.
- By understanding alcoholic neuropathy’s causes, symptoms and treatments, it’s possible to move toward a healthier and happier life.
When these factors combine, the nervous system begins to deteriorate, leading to progressive neuropathy if left untreated. We’ve tried, tested, and written unbiased reviews of the best online therapy programs including Talkspace, Betterhelp, and Regain. The most important thing you can do to treat alcohol-related neuropathy is to stop consuming alcohol.