For people with diabetes, treatment includes blood sugar control, along with changes in diet and exercise to improve overall metabolic health, experts say. Anyone with neuropathy in their feet should see a podiatrist and establish a foot care routine to prevent injuries and infection, Feldman adds. People with the most common forms of neuropathy often need no other diagnostic tests, she says.

Lifestyle Quizzes

Chronic alcoholics are particularly vulnerable, as long-term alcohol consumption often leads to impaired gastrointestinal absorption, making it difficult for the body to absorb essential nutrients. This results in nutritional deficiencies, with thiamine deficiency being especially common and a significant risk factor for nerve damage. Patients marijuana addiction with alcoholic neuropathy generally present with symmetrical polyneuropathies in the lower distal extremities.

Other Risk Factor

Detoxification is a crucial stage that tackles physical alcohol dependence and is the first step towards recovery from alcohol addiction and the neuropathy that goes along with it. To ensure that the person safely overcomes the acute physical symptoms of safely reducing alcohol intake alcohol, detox entails medically managed withdrawal. To rid the body of toxins and get ready for the longer-term rehabilitation process, this stage is essential. HNPP affects numb fingers after drinking your nerves and is more likely to cause numbness and weakness in your arms https://ecosoberhouse.com/ and legs. Alcohol impairs the function of several vitamins which are essential for the healthy functioning of the nervous system.

Numbness

Additionally, people may have diminished or nonexistent deep tendon reflexes and muscle atrophy. Although axonal degradation frequently starts before a person exhibits any symptoms, alcoholic polyneuropathy typically develops gradually over months or even years. Additionally, alcohol changes how the kidneys, liver, and stomach work, which makes it harder for the body to effectively detox waste. After that, this waste accumulates and damages numerous body parts, including the nerves. Maybe changing your drinking habits feels so overwhelming that you’ve decided you’ll just live with your neuropathy. You might feel like you need alcohol to destress or have fun, or even just to make it through the day.

Alcoholic Neuropathy: What Is It and Who Is at Risk?

• I’ve had limbs fall asleep after sleeping weird, but never experienced anything to this extent because of alcohol, and after reading online am very worried about alcoholic neuropathy.
• If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol-related neuropathy or alcohol misuse or addiction, it’s important to know that help is available.
• Alcohol use must be stopped to prevent the damage from getting worse.
• Alcohol impairs the absorption of thiamine (vitamin B1), and other vitamins, in your intestine.

Although it is not life-threatening, the quality of life can be decreased in the individual. The experience of tingling, numbness, or pain caused by alcoholic neuropathy is a disruption in this biological conversation. For example, you might run your hand along a smooth surface, but your brain can’t recognize that sensation, or allow you to actually “feel” it, alcohol neuropathy stages without the information it receives from your peripheral nerves. If it affects two or more nerves in different areas, it’s called multiple mononeuropathy, and if it affects many nerves, it’s called polyneuropathy. 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.

Speak with a healthcare professional if you experience symptoms of alcohol-related neuropathy or are struggling to stop drinking. Alcohol-related neuropathy is a condition caused by consuming large amounts of alcohol over a long period. The toxic effects of alcohol may damage your peripheral nerves, which play a role in movement and sensation. Yes, long-term excessive alcohol consumption may lead to peripheral neuropathy, which can cause pain in your feet. Peripheral neuropathy is damage or dysfunction of the peripheral nerves—the nerves that connect your brain and spinal cord to the rest of your body, especially your limbs.

• Understanding what neuropathy feels like empowers patients toward better management of this challenging condition.
• Lauren Smith has worked as a journalist and copywriter for the last decade, covering a range of topics including health, energy, and technology in the US and UK.
• She has worked in behavioral health since graduating with her bachelor’s degree in 2019.

To combat these deficiencies, supplementation with vitamin B12, folate, vitamin E, and thiamine may be recommended. While not specifically approved for the treatment of alcoholic neuropathy, antidepressant medications are often prescribed to help control the pain. Anti-seizure medications are sometimes prescribed as a way to manage pain. 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.