Peripheral neuropathy causes numbness and pain in the hands and feet due to pressure or trauma on the nerves. Treatment includes pain relievers, antiepileptic and antidepressant drugs, and lidocaine patches. Treating the underlying cause can often relieve symptoms. Codeine pain relievers are effective but can cause addiction and side effects. Antiepileptic drugs and antidepressants can also cause side effects. Lidocaine patches are a simple and effective treatment.
Treatment for peripheral neuropathy depends on the underlying cause of the condition. Typically, however, treatment for peripheral neuropathy includes pain relievers, antiepileptic drugs, and topical pain patches. Additionally, antidepressant and antiepileptic medications can help relieve the numbness and pain associated with this condition. Peripheral neuropathy is a medical condition involving numbness and pain in the feet and hands.
Neuropathy is usually caused by pressure or trauma on the nerves. Often, pressure can be the result of wearing a cast, nerve damage from diabetes, and vitamin deficiencies. Additionally, alcoholism, infections, and autoimmune diseases such as lupus can cause nerve damage.
Tumors can also put pressure on nerves, causing symptoms of neuropathy. Malignant and benign tumors can both contribute to neuropathy, as can hypothyroidism and Lyme disease. Because peripheral neuropathy can be the result of so many different etiologies, treating the underlying cause can often relieve symptoms. Typically, signs and symptoms include burning, sharp pain, electric-like pain, muscle weakness, and incoordination. Additionally, patients may experience tingling sensations and paralysis and, in severe cases, bladder and bowel incontinence. Treating causes such as diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, and postherpetic neuralgia can often lead to resolution of symptoms.
Typically, treatment for peripheral neuropathy includes prescription drugs such as opioid pain relievers. Codeine-containing medications are usually very effective in relieving symptoms, however they can cause addiction, excessive sedation, and constipation. Your doctor may try other treatment modalities for peripheral neuropathy before prescribing codeine pain relievers, due to the high rate of side effects. Other treatment modalities include antiepileptic drugs. Treatment of peripheral neuropathy may consist of the administration of antiepileptic drugs, which are typically used to treat epilepsy. These medicines can sometimes cause dizziness and drowsiness.
Another effective treatment for peripheral neuropathy is antidepressant medication. Although originally developed for the treatment of depression, antidepressant drugs, especially tricyclic antidepressants, have been shown to relieve pain by altering the chemical processes in the brain that cause patients pain. Typically, antidepressant medications are particularly effective in those with diabetic neuropathy, however, this peripheral neuropathy treatment can cause decreased appetite, nausea, and dizziness.
A simple, yet effective, treatment for peripheral neuropathy is the use of lidocaine patches. Applied to the affected area, the anesthetic patches relieve symptoms. These patches can generally be used without systemic side effects.
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