Benfotiamine (S-benzoylthiamine O-monophoshate) is a synthetic S-acyl derivative of thiamine (vitamin B1). In an animal study, it has been found that chronic alcohol consumption in rats resulted in a significant depletion in thiamine diphosphate (TDP), the active coenzyme form of thiamine. Supplementation with benfotiamine significantly increased concentrations of TDP and total thiamine compared with supplementation with thiamine HCl 96. An 8 week, randomized, multicentre, placebo-controlled, double-blind study compared the effect of benfotiamine alone with a benfotiamine complex nerve damage from drinking (Milgamma-N) or placebo in 84 alcoholic patients.
Outlook of alcoholic neuropathy
Women, continuous as opposed to episodic drinkers, and people with a family history of the disorder appear to be more vulnerable to alcoholic neuropathy and more severe presentations. Alcoholic neuropathy is progressive damage to peripheral nerves and, in extreme cases, the autonomic nervous system, through chronic, heavy alcohol use. The medical community has recognized that addiction is a disease and some people are predisposed to it. As a result, it is usually necessary to get medical help to manage alcohol use disorder. Since nutritional deficiencies are partly to blame for alcoholic neuropathy. To combat these deficiencies, supplementation with vitamin B12, folate, vitamin E, and thiamine may be recommended.
Benfotiamine for the treatment of alcohol related peripheral neuropathy
Thus, these vitamin deficiencies were not considered to be major causal factors of neuropathy 26. Individual health and lifestyle factors also play a critical role in the recovery from alcoholic neuropathy. A person’s metabolic rate, nutritional status, and adherence to treatment can all affect the pace of recovery.
Treating Alcoholic Neuropathy
Professional and peer help through programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous or other substance abuse programs can help you reduce your alcohol consumption. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best treatment plan to start on your road to recovery. Alcoholic neuropathy damages the nerves due to prolonged and excessive alcohol consumption. This damage prevents the nerves from communicating information from one body area to another.
- However, nerve damage is sometimes permanent, and your symptoms are likely to worsen if you don’t stop drinking.
- Even in instances where neuropathy can’t be fully reversed, finding and treating the underlying cause can mitigate symptoms, our experts agree.
- Alcohol-related peripheral neuropathy generally presents as a progressive, predominantly sensory axonal length-dependent neuropathy.
- Alcoholic neuropathy is caused by nutritional deficiency, as well as toxins that build up in the body.
Instead, this test can point doctors and medical experts in the right direction. It looks at things like liver and kidney functions and blood sugar levels. These symptoms tend to worsen the longer and more severe the alcohol abuse is. As a result, if you notice these symptoms developing and you think it might be connected to your alcohol dependence and abuse, by far the best thing you can do is see a qualified medical professional for help.
Supportive shoes
Having a glass of wine with dinner or a beer at a party here and there isn’t going to destroy your gut. But even low amounts of daily drinking and prolonged and heavy use of alcohol can lead to significant problems for your digestive system. But there’s plenty of research to back up the notion that alcohol does lead to weight gain in general.
- Chronic alcoholism can alter the intake, absorption and utilization of various nutrients (nicotinic acid, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate or vitamin E).
- Fox Integrated Healthcare offers a variety of treatments that are proven to combat neuropathy without medication.
- Alcohol-related neuropathy is a condition caused by consuming large amounts of alcohol over a long period.
- Miyoshi et al. found that 5 weeks after ethanol treatment, the mechanical nociceptive threshold was significantly decreased and is further reduced up to 10 weeks 80.
- It has been recognized that spinal cord glial cells, astrocytes and microglia are activated by neuropathic pain or peripheral inflammation 42.
But, instead of putting needles into skin and muscles, it places electrodes on the skin. The electrodes give detailed information regarding the speed and strength of the nerve signals. Use of this website and any information contained herein is governed by the Healthgrades User Agreement. If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol misuse, treatment is available.
The most common type of peripheral neuropathy is caused by diabetes. Diabetic neuropathy occurs when high blood sugar levels damage small blood vessels and nerves, says Alexandra Adler, MD, pain management physician with Lowell General Hospital Pain Management Center. Due to the breadth of the literature surrounding this topic, this review shall focus exclusively upon peripheral neuropathy, without discussing autonomic neuropathy. Moderate alcohol consumption is the best strategy for reducing the risk of alcohol-related brain damage. People who binge drink, drink to the point of poor judgment, or deliberately become drunk many times each month have a much higher risk of alcohol-related brain damage. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, which people usually refer to as fetal alcohol syndrome, happen when a developing baby gets exposure to alcohol during gestation.