Vitamin deficiency — thiamine, especially — is common in alcoholics. The symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy can significantly impair an individual’s quality of life. Initially, symptoms might include tingling, numbness, or a burning sensation in the extremities, particularly the feet and hands. As the condition progresses, these sensations can lead to pain, muscle weakness, and even muscle atrophy. The nerve damage can also affect autonomic functions, leading to problems with blood pressure regulation, bowel and bladder control, and sexual function. These physical symptoms, combined with the psychological impact of chronic pain and mobility issues, can Drug rehabilitation lead to depression, anxiety, and social withdrawal, further diminishing life quality.
Decreased Sensation
Those with mild neuropathic symptoms and a shorter history of alcohol abuse may experience quicker and more significant recovery, especially if they cease alcohol intake and receive appropriate treatment promptly. Experts believe that alcohol has direct toxic effects on nerves, and repeated excessive consumption harms what does alcohol neuropathy feel like nerve cells. They also think that alcoholic neuropathy is caused by the nutritional deficiencies that often accompany alcoholism. When the liver and kidneys process alcohol, they also remove a lot of vitamins and other nutrients needed for nerve health along with it.
Symptoms
Although there isn’t a single FDA approved treatment method, doctors will focus first on treating the pain and discomfort. The alcohol hinders the body’s ability to filter out poisons, chemicals, and other potentially dangerous elements, therefore damaging the kidneys. The other problem with alcohol is that it is a diuretic, meaning it dries out the system.
How Long Does Alcoholic Neuropathy Take to Go Away: Prognosis and Long-Term Management
- Parameters measured included vibration perception in the great toe, ankle and tibia, neural pain intensity, motor function and paralysis, sensory function and overall neuropathy score and clinical assessment.
- Electrical nerve stimulation sends a small electrical current through the skin and nerves that can help with sensitivities and pain, making it an option for treatment.
- There are also direct toxic effects of alcohol and its metabolites on neurons, affecting cellular cytoskeletons and demyelination of neurons.
- Diagnosis usually involves a healthcare provider collecting a medical history, performing a medical and neurological exam, and performing blood and urine tests.
- She spends most weekends in the mountains hiking, fishing, 4-wheeling, and camping.
The sooner you stop drinking alcohol, the more favorable your outlook is if you have alcohol-related neuropathy. Research suggests you can recover from some or all of the nerve damage caused by alcohol-related neuropathy. The exact causes of alcohol-related neuropathy aren’t fully understood. However, researchers have found that consuming too much alcohol for long periods of time can damage the peripheral nerves.
What Are the Causes of This Type of Nerve Damage?
Outside of work, she’s a devotee of Krishna, and her friends call her Karunya Shakti, which means compassionate energy. She enjoys singing and dancing in kirtan and reading ancient Vedic literature like the Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam. If she weren’t so damn good at her job, she says she would probably be an electrical engineer. She is a trauma-informed clinician who prioritizes the relationship between clinician and client.
- This condition manifests when ethanol in alcohol and its metabolites, like acetaldehyde, harm nerve tissues, disrupting their normal functions.
- This will halt the damage being done to the nerves and allow them to begin regenerating themselves.
- Initially, they may be barely noticeable but can progress to more severe and disabling conditions if alcohol consumption continues.
A wide range of support networks and medical treatments are available. Speak with a healthcare professional if you experience symptoms of alcohol-related neuropathy or are struggling to stop drinking. Impotence, diarrhea, constipation, or other symptoms are treated when necessary. These symptoms often respond poorly to treatment in people with alcoholic neuropathy.
Causes of alcoholic neuropathy
- Patience and consistency in adhering to the prescribed treatment are crucial for a successful recovery.
- Here we discuss a few of the therapeutic options which are tried and could be tried for prevention and treatment of alcoholic peripheral neuropathy.
- Did you know that most alcoholic dependent individuals draw their calories from alcoholic beverages packed with calories?
Department of Health and Human Services’ Dietary Guidelines for alcohol consumption (one drink a day for women and two for men) doesn’t carry nearly any risk for developing this disease. Having said that, the general consensus is that alcoholic neuropathy develops in up to half of long-term heavy alcohol abusers. If you’ve been an alcoholic for 10 years or more, you’re at significant risk of developing this painful disorder. Alcoholic polyneuropathy is progressive and gets worse over time, as the damage to the nerves increases with continued alcohol abuse. The problems that alcoholic neuropathy causes with muscle weakness, balance, and coordination can make a person more at risk for falling down and getting injured.
Molecular mechanisms involved in alcoholic neuropathy
So, you will only have to deal with alcohol withdrawal, which is a smaller price to pay. For instance, patients need to learn how to manage their habitual alcohol misuse. They also need to obtain various therapeutic agents that will help manage and prevent nerve damage. Experts believe that the ideal treatment option should be to halt the damage done to the peripheral nerves and focus on restoring their normal function. The ideal way to do that is with proper and complete alcohol abstinence and implementing vitamin B supplements along with a well-balanced diet.
