Alcoholic Neuropathy: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Talk with your doctor about treatment and support options available to you. Nerve damage from chronic alcohol what does alcoholic neuropathy feel like consumption can develop over several years. If you’ve been diagnosed with alcoholic neuropathy, the best thing you can do for yourself is to quit drinking, which we know is easier said than done, but you don’t have to do it alone. Consider joining a support group — there are a number online if your condition prevents you from leaving the house.

Benfotiamine for the treatment of alcohol related peripheral neuropathy

To improve your quality of life, several treatment options, such as pain relievers, physical therapy, and lifestyle changes, will be required. Keep in mind that recovery can be a slow process, taking weeks to months, depending on the individual and the severity of the condition. Patience and consistency in adhering to the prescribed treatment are crucial for a successful recovery. Alcoholic neuropathy can manifest in various sensory symptoms and affect your movement.

KARLIE ROSHONG – Clinical Manager

To begin with, a person may feel that something is off, unusual, or painful in their senses, movement, or balance. Use of this website and any information contained herein is governed by the Healthgrades User Agreement. She typically works with people interested in taking a holistic approach to treating their addictions. This will include healthy eating, movement, meditation, mindfulness and spirituality. Outside of work, she’s a devotee of Krishna, and her friends call her Karunya Shakti, which means compassionate energy.

Neurological Manifestations of Withdrawal: Shakes, Seizures, and Delirium Tremens

• According to experts, alcohol abuse can cause various neurological disorders such as cognitive impairment, confusion, and cerebellar ataxia.
• Ethanol diminishes thiamine absorption in the intestine, reduces hepatic stores of thiamine and affects the phosphorylation of thiamine, which converts it to its active form 12.
• Constant depressive state, anxiety, memory impairment, all this is caused by it.
• Symptoms are an excellent indication that our body is trying to restore the balance lost before drinking liquid.
• In addition, 32 patients with nonalcoholic thiamine deficiency neuropathy were also evaluated for comparison.

Having a healthcare professional come to your house to assist with your needs can relieve a lot of added stress on you to keep track of your treatment plan alone. Even though alcoholic neuropathy may not go away, there are things you can do to cope with this condition. Nerve damage typically affects the axons, which are the projections that send electrical signals from one nerve to another. It also impacts the myelin, which is the fatty coating that protects the nerves. Alcohol also alters the function of the stomach, liver, and kidneys in ways that prevent the body from properly detoxifying waste material. This waste then builds up and harms many regions of the body, including the nerves.

• The only way to prevent alcoholic neuropathy is not to drink excessive amounts of alcohol.
• Specializing in diverse mental health challenges, including depression, addiction, and trauma, Christy embraces a person-centered approach.
• The Reframe app equips you with the knowledge and skills you need to not only survive drinking less, but to thrive while you navigate the journey.

Treatment

In some instances, a doctor may wish to carry out a nerve biopsy, which involves the harvesting of a small fraction of a nerve (usually from the ankle area) for closer examination using high-powered microscopes. This may well reveal damage-patterns consistent with alcoholism alcoholic neuropathy across the nerves of the affected area. Alcoholic neuropathy is simply peripheral neuropathy triggered by the excessive consumption of alcohol over extended periods of time. In an inpatient facility, you will cut off the alcohol consumption and allow the body to recover properly.

Clinical management of alcoholic neuropathy

The diagnosis of alcoholic neuropathy involves a combination of medical history, physical examination, and possibly blood tests or nerve tests such as electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies (NCV). Both the toxicity of alcohol and nutritional deficiencies have been linked with alcoholic neuropathy, which is one of the most common but least recognizable consequences of heavy alcohol use. Learn more about this condition, including its symptoms, how it’s treated, and ways to cope. As you navigate the medical evaluation and diagnosis process, keep in mind that understanding and treating your condition requires a comprehensive approach. It’s important to be open with your healthcare provider about your symptoms and alcohol consumption history so they can provide the best care possible. Remember, seeking help is a significant step toward recovery, and you deserve appropriate treatment and support for your condition.

Alcohol, Nerve Function, & Malnutrition

If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol misuse, treatment is available. With multiple treatment centers throughout the United States, American Addiction Centers offers everything from detox and inpatient treatment to outpatient treatment and aftercare. Most treatments for the issue, then, center around minimizing any future harm to the nerves. Though the enzymes in our livers eventually convert ethanol into less harmful compounds (and, eventually, water and carbon dioxide), the process is multi-stepped. To find out if your policy covers alcohol addiction rehab, click here, or fill https://ecosoberhouse.com/ out the form below.

Can alcohol cause pain in your feet?

Nerves don’t have a resilient ability to regenerate if they are severely damaged. So, the nerve damage of alcoholic neuropathy is generally permanent and likely to worsen if the person does not stop drinking. Alcoholic neuropathy is caused by nutritional deficiency, as well as toxins that build up in the body. Alcohol decreases the absorption of nutrients such as magnesium, selenium, and vitamins B1 and B2, causing significant deficits that affect many areas of the body, including the nerves. If the sensation is decreased enough, you may feel actual numbness after drinking alcohol. If you or someone you care about is struggling with the effects of alcoholic neuropathy, remember that you do not have to face these difficulties alone.

Neurological Effects of Alcohol

One of the most common adverse effects seen in patients with chronic alcohol use disorder is alcohol neuropathy. This commonly presents with pain, paresthesias, and ataxia in the distal lower extremities. The exact number of people affected by this condition is not known, but studies have shown that up to 66% of patients with chronic alcohol use disorder may have some form of the disease. The cause is multifactorial, from both nutritional deficiencies and alcohol metabolism’s direct toxic effects on neurons. Because of the diverse effects of alcohol on the body, these patients should be managed by an interprofessional team.

• Moreover, phosphorylated PKC was significantly increased in the spinal cord following chronic ethanol consumption.
• Some people can drink for a very long time and never develop this condition.
• Alcohol abuse is one such potential source of injury, with symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy developing in as much as two-thirds of those who experience a prolonged alcohol use disorder.
• Some of your bodily functions are autonomic, which means that you don’t directly control them.

Health Conditions

These relationships make chronic alcoholism a risk factor for thiamine deficiency. In addition to thiamine deficiency, recent studies indicate a direct neurotoxic effect of ethanol or its metabolites. Axonal degeneration has been documented in rats receiving ethanol while maintaining normal thiamine status 5. Human studies have also suggested a direct toxic effect, since a dose-dependent relationship has been observed between severity of neuropathy and total life time dose of ethanol 6, 13. The exact mechanism behind alcoholic neuropathy is not well understood, but several explanations have been proposed.