Drinking too much can alter levels of these nutrients and affect the spread of alcoholic neuropathy. Fortunately, abstaining from alcohol can help restore your nutritional health. Studies on this condition have estimated that up to 66 percent of chronic alcoholics develop permanent nerve damage as a result of their drinking. Long-term alcohol use can wreak havoc on several vital organs and essential functions in the body.
Motor symptoms
Alcoholic neuropathy, also called alcohol-induced peripheral neuropathy, is nerve damage in the body caused by the toxic effects of alcohol. If you receive a diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy, you should see your healthcare provider as recommended or if you notice changes in your symptoms. You should also talk to them if https://ecosoberhouse.com/ you experience side effects from any treatments. Talking to your healthcare provider can be especially helpful when you have symptom changes or side effects that affect your usual routine and activities. Your provider may be able to modify your treatment or find ways to adapt to these changes and limit their effects.
What are symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy?
If you have symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, you should see a healthcare provider as soon as possible. In some cases, peripheral neuropathy symptoms start before the condition causes permanent changes or damage, so it may be possible to limit the effects or even reverse them. The peripheral nervous system sends information from the brain and spinal cord, also called the central nervous system, to the rest of the body through motor nerves.
History and Physical
- Pain from peripheral neuropathy is usually the most disruptive symptom, but medications or other treatments may help.
- 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.
- Some people experience a faster onset and progression of alcoholic neuropathy than others.
- But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drinking less or not at all may help you avoid neurological harm.
- 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.
Supplementation with benfotiamine significantly increased concentrations of TDP and total thiamine compared with supplementation with thiamine HCl [96]. An 8 week, randomized, multicentre, placebo-controlled, double-blind study compared the effect of benfotiamine alone with a benfotiamine alcohol neuropathy stages complex (Milgamma-N) or placebo in 84 alcoholic patients. 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.
About 46% of chronic alcohol users will eventually develop this condition. Alcoholic neuropathy is one of the most common adverse effects of chronic alcohol consumption. There is damage to the nerves due to the direct toxic effect of alcohol and the malnutrition induced by it. Patients present with pain, ataxia, and paresthesias in the lower extremities. This activity describes the evaluation and management of alcoholic neuropathy and reviews the role of the interprofessional team in improving care for patients with this condition.
This article provides an overview of alcoholic neuropathy, including symptoms, causes, and diagnosis. It also discusses treatment options, including how to get help for alcohol use disorder. Alcoholic neuropathy damages the nerves due to prolonged and excessive alcohol consumption. This damage prevents the nerves from communicating information from one body area to another. Pain from peripheral neuropathy is usually the most disruptive symptom, but medications or other treatments may help. Autonomic symptoms are among the most serious because they involve your body’s vital functions.
What causes alcoholic neuropathy?
- Neurologic disorders can include fetal alcohol syndrome, dementia, and alcoholic neuropathy.
- At Healthgrades, our Editorial Team works hard to develop complete, objective and meaningful health information to help people choose the right doctor, right hospital and right care.
- Patients who abuse alcohol tend to consume fewer calories and have poor absorption of nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract.
- Rats with experimentally-induced diabetes for 2 months had a 20% reduction in nerve conduction velocity and 48% reduction in endoneurial blood flow.
- If you or someone you know struggles with alcohol use and addiction, the best way to prevent neuropathy is to seek professional treatment.
The damage may be the direct result of long periods where you drank too much alcohol. Nutritional problems linked to alcohol use, such as vitamin deficiency, can also cause nerve damage. In addition, a support group can help you cope with the life changes you’re experiencing as a result of your condition. You might look for a support group specifically for alcoholic neuropathy or for people coping with chronic pain. You may also benefit from a support group to help you reduce your drinking or completely quit drinking alcohol.
