Research suggests you can recover from some or all of the nerve damage caused by alcohol-related neuropathy. Alcohol-related neuropathy is characterized by damage to the peripheral nerves, which transmit signals between the body, spinal cord, and brain. The Recovery Village Atlanta offers comprehensive addiction treatment for drug and alcohol addictions and co-occurring mental health conditions. Your autonomic nerves control breathing and other processes that happen automatically. For example, if you want to pick up a glass of water, you have to think about moving your arm, reaching for the glass and pulling the glass toward your mouth. Peripheral neuropathy from alcoholism is more common than many people realise—and it’s not something to be ashamed of.
Motor symptoms
Effective management of alcoholic neuropathy requires a holistic approach that not only addresses the underlying cause of the neuropathy but also alleviates symptoms and supports overall health and recovery. By combining these treatment options, individuals significantly improve their quality of life and achieve long-term sobriety. Medications play a vital role in managing the symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy. They help alleviate pain, address nutritional deficiencies, and manage other related symptoms. According to the Medical News Today article titled “Understanding and treating alcoholic neuropathy” alcohol impedes the processing, transportation, and absorption of essential nutrients.
- Verywell acknowledges that a private nurse or caretaker may not be feasible for everyone and that readers do not have uniform access to safe, affordable, high-quality health care.
- People in whom the disease progression is not advanced, alcoholic neuropathy can be reversed, but it may take few weeks to months with continuous support.
- If your doctor confirms a diagnosis of alcoholic neuropathy, they will discuss treatment options, including help for alcohol use disorder.
- While alcoholic neuropathy may not entirely disappear in all cases, diligent management can significantly improve quality of life and prevent further deterioration.
- Alcohol withdrawal syndromes can be insidious and often ascribed to alternative diagnoses if alcohol histories are not fully divulged upon initial hospital presentation.
Treatment for alcoholic neuropathy
While evidence is limited, some patients report improved pain management and overall well-being. Tricyclic antidepressants like amitriptyline (25–150 mg/day) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) such as duloxetine (60–120 mg/day) are commonly prescribed to alleviate neuropathic pain. For severe cases, anticonvulsants like gabapentin (300–3600 mg/day) or pregabalin (150–600 mg/day) may be used. Topical treatments, such as lidocaine patches (5% concentration), offer localized relief without systemic side effects. It’s crucial to monitor dosage carefully, especially in older adults, to avoid adverse reactions. Getting started with addiction treatment may feel intimidating marijuana addiction at first.
Risk Factor
However, long-term excessive alcohol consumption has been linked to peripheral nerve injury, according to a study. Alcoholic neuropathy is damage to the nerves that results from excessive drinking of alcohol. The alcohol neuropathy stages damage may affect the autonomic nerves (those that regulate internal body functions) and the nerves that control movement and sensation.
Four studies reported abnormalities only in sensory nerves 33, 47, 63, 64, while ten reported abnormalities in both sensory and motor nerves 2–4, 16, 38, 54, 56, 58, 59, 65. This may be a reflection of the severity of the neuropathy in which motor nerve function is affected at a https://ecosoberhouse.com/ later stage. The abnormalities were usually of reduced amplitude, in keeping with axonal loss 2, 3, 5, 11, 12, 16, 21, 27, 37–39, 47, 51, 53, 54, 56, 63–68. H and F wave latencies were not routinely reported but were found to be prolonged in those with alcohol-related peripheral neuropathy in studies that did 4, 67.
The primary cause of alcoholic neuropathy is the toxic effect of alcohol on nerve tissue. Chronic alcohol abuse also leads to poor nutrition, exacerbating nerve damage. Over time, the cumulative effect of these nutritional deficiencies and the direct toxic impact of alcohol leads to the development of alcoholic neuropathy.
These physical symptoms, combined with the psychological impact of chronic pain and mobility issues, can lead to depression, anxiety, and social withdrawal, further diminishing life quality. Following detox, comprehensive rehabilitation programs, like those offered at Resurgence Behavioral Health, provide the necessary support and treatment to address the psychological aspects of addiction. These programs include therapy, counseling, and education on substance abuse and its impacts. For those with alcoholic neuropathy, rehabilitation also focuses on managing and treating the nerve damage, incorporating physical therapy, nutritional counseling, and strategies to prevent further nerve injury. This treatment is also essential to try to address the long-term effects of alcohol on the liver. The recovery time for alcoholic neuropathy varies significantly among individuals and is influenced by the severity of the neuropathy and the individual’s history of alcohol consumption.
- Typically, alcohol neuropathy takes a few weeks to a few months after quitting alcohol to notice reductions in symptoms.
- One patient with grade I neuropathy responded with the correction of low pantothenic acid.
- Person’s compliance to treatment and consumption of alcohol is very crucial in the recovery process.
- Polyneuropathy involves damage to more than one nerve at the same time, usually multiple nerves throughout the peripheral nervous system and all over the body.
- Studies have shown that alcohol abstinence is essential for halting further nerve damage and allowing for potential nerve regeneration and symptom improvement.
Pain – A Major Symptom of Alcoholic Neuropathy
Electrodiagnostic testing shows typical evidence of an axonal sensorimotor neuropathy. Distal latency, conduction velocity, and minimum F-wave latency (when present) are normal or consistent with the degree of axonal loss and show no signs of demyelination. H reflexes are absent at an early stage and correlate with absent ankle reflexes. Autonomic testing of parasympathetic and sympathetic reflexes is often abnormal, including analysis of heart rate variability, Valsalva maneuver, handgrip, tilt table, and standing maneuvers.
