Posts Tagged ‘Neuropathy’

The Common Medications Being Used as Treatment for Neuropathy

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Now that neuropathy has been discussed, many are probably looking for the appropriate treatment for neuropathy. One goal of its treatment though is so that the condition of the patient can be managed. Once the original cause has been corrected, the neuropathy disease will eventually improve by itself. In addition to this goal, treatment is also being done so that the painful symptoms can be relieved. Among these treatments include taking the following medications:

• Pain relievers- While this is self explanatory, taking over the counter pain relievers can relieve the mild symptoms of neuropathy such as burning pain, sensitivity, and muscle weakness to the affected area. However, if there are more serious symptoms, doctors can prescribe painkillers. These prescription drugs include opiates or codeine. Because this can lead to drug dependence, sedation or constipation, these drugs are only being prescribed when all the other treatments do not work.
• Lidocaine patch- This is a patch which contains a topical anesthetic known as lidocaine. Normally, it is being applied to the area where there is severe pain. In one day, patients can use up to four patches in order to relieve pain. For some people, they can develop a rash on the area where the patch has been placed.
• Anti-seizure medications- Originally, drugs like topiramate (Topamax), carbamazepine (Tegretol), gabapentin (Neurontin), phentyoin (Dilantin), and pregabalin (Lyrica) were developed to cure epilepsy. But doctors can also prescribe them to treat nerve pain.
• Antidepressants- While tricyclic antidepressants like nortriptyline and amitriptyline were originally developed for treating depression, they were also found to be able to help alleviate pain. This is through the drugs ability to interfere with the spinal cord and the brain’s chemical processes of causing patients to feel pain.

While these medications are being used as treatment for neuropathy, extreme care still needs to be enforced when taking them so that side effects can be avoided.

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Idiopathic Neuropathy – Is There No Hope?

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

What Is Idiopathic Neuropathy And What Are Its Dangers?

While there are types of nerve damage which have neuropathy treatments, there are people who suffer knowing that they have the problem for life. Unfortunately, there’s such a thing called Idiopathic Neuropathy. If you study the definition of peripheral neuropathy, it’s actually just the same. But there’s a mystery at hand here. Doctors and experts cannot tell the cause of idiopathic neuropathy even with advanced diagnosis.

Basically, idiopathic neuropathy focuses on a person’s peripheral nervous system. The symptoms are almost the same but these vary on which nerves are damaged. For example, damaged motor nerves can cause the muscles to weaken while sensory nerve injury can produce numbness and the loss of feeling.

How Can Idiopathic Neuropathy Be Cured?

Unfortunately, people who have this type of neuropathy are unfortunate enough to be stuck with this sickness for life. Because of the fact that there is a great question as to which caused idiopathic neuropathy, the remedy is hard to determine. Although this is true, there are therapies and certain methods which can alleviate the symptoms.

Even with this fact, experts still try their hardest in order to find ways in order to find the cure for Idiopathic neuropathy. In fact, experiments have been done in order to see if electrowaves and infrared light can produce good results. So far, so good, there is a treatment called Anodyne therapy and it has been proven to be successful as a cure for all types of neuropathies. Yet, this is still under research.

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Peripheral Neuropathy – Hard To Diagnose But Easier To Prevent

Monday, February 1st, 2010

The Dangers Of Peripheral Neuropathy – How It Can Be Seen As Another Sickness

Even today doctors are wondering about peripheral neuropathy treatment. Although a lot of experts are placing energy into finding a permanent cure for this, it’s not always successful. In fact, right now there’s no remedy for nerve damage, only a series of treatments which can prevent it from spreading to the body.

As you can see, the symptoms of neuropathy is quite difficult to diagnose for these can be experienced by people from time to time. Having cramps, numbness, tingling sensations, nausea and many others are some of the indicators of nerve damage. But these can also be due to certain thing such as fatique, heat stroke and many others. Scientists have been at it for years but the only way to determine it when the damage has spread throughout the body.

Never Fear! Things To Remember With Neuropathy Treatment and Prevention

Now that you’ve learned the hard truth about neuropathy, it doesn’t mean that there’s no hope. A number of people have survived it while others are learning to live with it. Because more and more people are suffering from this, there are certain instruments which you can use that can ease the discomfort such as footwear or special clothing.

If you find yourself healthy but are experiencing frequent pains or numbness in your feet (the first place where neuropathy attacks), you shouldn’t panic. It may be nothing but to be safe always check with a doctor. Although it’s hard to diagnose, there are tests which you can perform in order for the condition to lessen. Remember, prevention is always a good cure, especially with a sickness like peripheral neuropathy.

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Neuropathy and Radiculopathy: Radiculoneuropathy

Friday, May 8th, 2009

Neuropathy and Radiculopathy – The how’s and what’s

Neuropathy and Radiculopathy are two of the leading sicknesses of the nervous system. Their symptoms are usually ignored at first and are just shrugged off as muscle aches. You only pay attention to them when they are already too painful to ignore.

You must note that neuropathy is different from radiculopathy. The first one is a disorder of the PNS or peripheral nervous system; while the latter is a condition where one or two nerves don’t function properly. Since radiculopathy usually concerns the nerve roots, it isn’t usually connected with neuropathy. However, there are some cases where the peripheral nerves are concerned as well. Thus the term radiculoneuropathy.

Radiculoneuropathy, treatments that might get in your nerves

Treatment for these sicknesses is costly, I can tell you. There is the doctor’s fee, the medicine bills, the physical therapy—and in worse cases, surgery. Recovery could take a long time and it usually depends on the severity of the case. Prevention is still better than curing, and information is its key. Ask your neurologist for more information about neuropathy and radiculopathy: radiculoneuropathy.

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What Is Neuropathy?

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

Neuropathy is a medical term used to describe an abnormality in the nerves. Equivalent to peripheral neuropathy, this term refers to disorders or damages of the nervous system, particularly the peripheral nervous system which functions as the link between the brains and spinal cord to body organs and muscles.

Neuropathy can be very hard to diagnose, and most of the time, doctors can only diagnose neuropathy based on the symptoms experienced by patients. And once determined, doctors are often than not left clueless as to why the patient has developed nerve damage.

Diabetes, however, is one of the main causes of neuropathic pain and comprises 30% of neuropathic pains experienced by people today. Studies have also showed that almost 60% of people suffering from diabetes will more than likely develop diabetic neuropathy or nerve damage.

Other causes of Neuropathy are alcoholism, vitamin deficiency, HIV/AIDS, tumors, and some physical trauma. It may also be hereditary, although 30% of neuropathic pains reported are of unknown cause.

neuropathy

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