Alcoholic Neuropathy: A Lesser-Known Yet Dangerous Long-Term Effect of Alcoholism

However, some people notice an improvement in symptoms a few months after discontinuing alcohol intake. Alcoholic neuropathy is a condition in which the nerves become damaged as a result of years of heavy alcohol consumption. Symptoms include burning pain in the body, hyperalgesia (increased sensitivity to pain), and allodynia (a condition in which normal stimulus, like a soft touch, produces pain). Alcohol neuropathy is a typical side effect in people with chronic alcohol abuse disorder.

The best way to avoid the issue is to limit alcoholic consumption to 2 or fewer drinks per day for males and 1 or fewer for females. But delirium tremens is a medical emergency and requires a hospital stay. You may need to be sedated for more than a week until the alcohol withdrawal symptoms go away. And a doctor may use brain-imaging techniques to monitor treatment over time.

Alcohol Dependence Neuropathy Stories

You can also find treatment facilities nationwide using the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s FindTreatment.gov website. Peripheral neuropathy can be a temporary concern, or it can be permanent. How long it lasts depends on what caused it, the extent of the damage — if any — that it caused, the treatments and more. Thus, there is a need to screen acetyl-L-carnitine in both preclinical and clinical models of alcoholic neuropathy. Thus, it is clear that all the above pathways are potential targets for novel pharmacological agents for the treatment of alcoholic neuropathy.

The information gleaned from these and other tests can help doctors determine if the neuropathy is caused by damage to axons or to myelin, which can shed some light on the underlying cause. Nerve conduction tests involve stimulating nerves alcohol neuropathy with a very mild electrical shock, which sends an electrical signal down the nerve. Electromyography is a test that measures the electrical activity of muscle membranes while the muscle is at rest and during voluntary activity.

Preventing Alcoholic Neuropathy

Ethanol diminishes thiamine absorption in the intestine, reduces hepatic stores of thiamine and affects the phosphorylation of thiamine, which converts it to its active form [12]. These relationships make chronic alcoholism a risk factor for thiamine deficiency. In addition to thiamine deficiency, recent studies indicate a direct neurotoxic effect of ethanol or its metabolites. Axonal degeneration https://ecosoberhouse.com/ has been documented in rats receiving ethanol while maintaining normal thiamine status [5]. Human studies have also suggested a direct toxic effect, since a dose-dependent relationship has been observed between severity of neuropathy and total life time dose of ethanol [6, 13]. The exact mechanism behind alcoholic neuropathy is not well understood, but several explanations have been proposed.

• You might have cravings and withdrawal symptoms, so a rehab treatment program is important.
• Sometimes alcohol causes such severe damage to the body that a liver transplant may be necessary.
• Four studies addressed the management of patients with alcohol-related peripheral neuropathy.
• In addition, a support group can help you cope with the life changes you’re experiencing as a result of your condition.
• In many cases, even when the cause is known, people with peripheral neuropathy need relief from the symptoms, especially if one of them is pain.

Your nervous system has two parts, the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. Your brain and spinal cord are the two components that make up your central nervous system. Your peripheral nervous system consists of all the other nerves in your body. It also includes nerves that travel from your spinal cord and brain to supply your face and the rest of your body.