Alcoholic Neuropathy

As of now, the management of alcoholic neuropathy is not satisfactory.  Unfortunately, patient compliance is also poor resulting in relapse, and the condition often progresses, leading to poor quality of life.  To clarify, even in patients who quit alcohol, residual neuropathy is still common.

Symptoms of Alcoholic Neuropathy

Alcoholic neuropathy can affect both movement and sensation.  In addition, symptoms vary from slight discomfort to disability.  Although the condition is not life-threatening, it can lower your quality of life.  Furthermore, some areas of the body affected by alcoholic neuropathy include:

Arms and Legs

Changes in muscle strength or sensation usually occur on both sides of the body and are more common in the legs than in the arms.  And then, symptoms typically develop gradually and become worse over time.

Urinary and Bowel

Other

On the other hand, early diagnosis and treatment make it more feasible that you will be able to recover.  Call your doctor if you are experiencing neuropathy symptoms.

Causes of Alcoholic Neuropathy

Your peripheral nerves help your body manage essential sensory and motor functions, including:

Alcoholic neuropathy is the result of injury to these nerves.  The damage may be the direct result of long periods where you drank too much alcohol.  In addition, nutritional problems linked to alcohol use, such as vitamin deficiency, can also cause nerve damage.

Exams and Tests

The health care provider will perform a physical exam and ask about your symptoms.  Consequently, an eye exam may also show eye problems.  [2]

Moreover, excessive alcohol use usually makes the body unable to use or store specific vitamins and minerals.  Given that, blood tests will be required to check for a deficiency (lack) of:

• Thiamine (vitamin B1)
• Pyridoxine (vitamin B6)
• Pantothenic Acid and Biotin
• Vitamin B12
• Folic Acid
• Niacin (vitamin B3)
• Vitamin A

Other Tests May be Ordered to Rule Out Other Possible Causes of Neuropathy.  These tests may include:

Treatment for Alcoholic Neuropathy

The most crucial thing you can do to treat this condition is to stop drinking.  Firstly, Treatment may focus on problems with alcoholism.  And, for some people, this may demand inpatient rehab. 

Once alcohol use has been addressed, your doctor can focus on the neuropathy itself because symptom management is essential.  Nerve damage can also make it hard for you to carry out the functions of daily life.  Moreover, nerve damage may even make injuries more apparent.

Treatment should be personalized because every person’s necessities are different.  Thus, treatment for neuropathy may involve one or many kinds of care.  These include:

Treatment Goals

Treatment should be centered on therapy to stop alcohol abuse.  In fact, for several months up to a few years, abstinence has shown clinical examination and electroneurographic improvements, with most patients showing complete recovery of function.

Additional treatment includes replacing nutrients such as thiamine, vitamin-B12, and folic acid.  Furthermore, psychiatry referrals, alcohol abstinence abuse programs, and support groups have shown good ways to help clients recover from alcohol use disorder.  And then, physical therapy and occupational therapy can support the client as they regain movement and perform everyday functions.  [3]

Once the Alcohol Problem has been Addressed, Treatment Goals include:

Basically, people with alcoholic neuropathy have alcohol use problems.  Therefore, they will be prescribed the smallest dose of medication necessary to reduce withdrawal symptoms.  This may help prevent drug dependence and other side effects of chronic use because the client has a history of substance abuse such as alcoholism.

Additional Relief for Body with Alcoholic Neuropathy

Bladder Problems may be treated with:

• Manual Expression of Urine
• Intermittent Catheterization (male or female)
• Medicines

Impotence, diarrhea, constipation, or other symptoms are treated when necessary.  Unfortunately, these symptoms often respond poorly to treatment in people with alcoholic neuropathy.

It is Essential to Protect Body Parts with diminished sensation from injury.  This may include:

• Checking the temperature of bathwater to prevent burns
• Changing footwear
• Regularly inspecting the feet and shoes to minimize damage caused by pressure or objects in the shoes
• Guarding the extremities to prevent damage from pressure

To emphasize, alcohol must be stopped to prevent the damage from getting worse.  Alcoholism treatment may also include counseling, social support such as Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.), or medicines.  Above all, these are all available in an inpatient program.

Preventing Alcoholic Neuropathy

You can Avoid Alcoholic Neuropathy by:

About We Level Up New Jersey Treatment Center

We Level Up NJ treatment center applies evidence-based treatment modalities and holistic programs to improve client recovery outcomes—combining traditional elements of SUD treatment, including supervised medical recovery coupled with intensive behavioral rehab. 

Offering cutting-edge advanced therapies, We Level Up is an accredited dual diagnosis mental health care provider.  Fully integrating co-occurring conditions into our programs.  We provide a world-class comprehensive continuum of care through each stage of the treatment process.  Most importantly, our top-notch doctors, therapists, and counselors leverage the power of science to help clients succeed in rehab recovery.

Moreover, each client receives lifetime alumni support post inpatient treatment along with family resources to help maintain recovery momentum, even once they depart our treatment facilities.

Above all, our teams of highly trained professionals are dedicated to each client’s success.

What We Can Do

If you think that someone you love struggles with addiction, you must try to get them help.  And although it can be tough to come to terms with the fact that someone you love works with addiction, it can save their life. 

You may even resort to denial and look the other way when you see the warning signs.  There’s also a chance that you have no idea how to get your loved ones the help they need, which is typical.  Therefore, one of the best ways to motivate your loved one to begin the road to recovery is through intervention.

Contact us today, we will answer any of your questions regarding our treatment options as well as how to avoid alcoholic neuropathy.

Sources:

 [1-2] Alcoholic neuropathy – U.S. National Library of Medicine
[3] Alcoholic Neuropathy – StatPearls Publishing LLC. National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine