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Foot neuropathy

R

RobertMorton

Member
Messages
16
Hi all I am having a problem with my right foot with a lot of pain in and around the ankle joint I normally have no feeling in both of my feet and the doctor is thinking of putting me on one of two drugs .Duloxetine or Amitriptyline both seem to be for depression so as any one else had them for neuropathy
 
Hi there!
I take 100mg of Amitriptyline for postherpetic neuralgia, another type of nerve pain & it does work. As I found out after not being able to take them for a while through illness. I also have peripheral neuropathy down my legs & in my feet, not actually from diabetes, but from spinal surgeries. Oddly enough, the Ami didn't help with that so I'm on Gabapentin & that is a medication for epilepsy. The odd world of nerves & medication. You can only go by what your GP recommends, so worth a try. Do hope that you get some relief from whichever you take.
 
Years ago, before diabetes, I was prescribed a very low dose of an antidepressant for nerve pain in my upper arm. Doctor explained it did work on nerves. It did work for me.
Can't remember which one it was but was only on a half or a quarter of the minimum dose for depression.
Hope that helps
 
I’ve taken duloxetine and amitryptiline - at different times - for depression / insomnia. Lower dose than normal. D is an SNRI (serotonin noradrenaline re uptake inhibitor). ‘Modern’. Like an SSRI but - more. Keeps those two hormones around longer in brain. It gave me intolerable feeling of ants walking inside my legs. Ami - is an older but still used ‘tricyclic’. It’s effective but weight gain can be an issue (even low dose - not sure how that affects diabetes pple eating low carb). It may affect hunger (ie leptin / grehlin balance). Ami also interacts with a lot more meds than Dulox. So many, it makes your head spin. So, it’s less ‘safe.’ Yes doses are lower for neuropathy (typically) than other uses - as OPs have said; effects/interactions tend to be dose related. You can download an app free from ‘drugs.com.’ Or login online. Add in all your meds and check out interactions. Change as you go along. Can look at ‘patient’ info (basic) or ‘professional’ (for the curious). Print out for doc discussions. There are links to research and FDA warnings etc, and reviews. Interactions can be reason a med doesn’t work, or makes you sick. Incl diabetes meds. Not all specialists pay attention to these issues. I’ve been taking Lyrica (gabapentin) 75mg at night for nerve pain. That’s low. It helped. But I’ve had sight issues (earlier cataracts); decided to stop (without too much difficulty - low carb may be part of reason for me too). There are a couple of good posts on Gabapentin here (not sure how to link to that?? - plse someone?) In the end - you may need to try then change - there’s no one right answer (like everything else). I’ve also tried Neurontin. Slightly different. Lyrica is supposedly ‘safest’ of all with least side effects. Supposedly. With any - you may experience ‘withdrawal’ symptoms - but there’s a method to cross from one to another (down titrate / up titrate at same time) to minimise. Only under a doctor’s close advice of course. And/ or temporarily use a benzodiazepine. I wish for all to be more empowered with their meds. I have avoided several life threatening combos - suggested to me by docs - since I suffered one a few yrs ago.
 
I’ve had a hot, burning, intermittent spot on my right foot for several years. We’re not sure if it’s neuropathy, but think it is. I’m having tests done by neurologist. Meanwhile, I’m taking a small dose of Gabapentin at night. So far, it’s knocked out 90% of that burn. I’m satisfied with keeping the dose low and have 10% of the burn remaining at this point. I’ve a lot about this med, but so far it’s helping me sleep and feel much calmer. It also helps with anxiety.

My primary offered me Amitriptyline, but it’s known for constipation and that was a deterrent for me.
 
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