Pins and Needles in hands and other places

[EveCarter42]

Hi All,

I've been suffering with pins and needles in my hands for a couple of months now. I had recently been started on ADHD medication and thought that they were a side effect of the drugs so I ignored them. Then my blood pressure went really high and they took me off the ADHD drugs but the issue remained.

I also get them up my arms, and sometimes down my left leg. Oddly, I don't get them in my feet.

Has anyone else had this? I'm trying to work out if I need to go back to the doctor about this?

Thanks,
Eve

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hello @EveCarter42 ,

Could you give us a little more to go on? I mean, we can't diagnose on here, but we could make educated guesses. What medication are you on now, (any and all), and have your bloods been checked?

I'm asking because of a few things... If you're on something like metformin for a prolonged period of time, you could develop peripheral neuropathy due to Vitamin B12 deficiency, as it inhibits our ability to use it. And if your blood glucose is uncontrolled (what's your current HbA1c, do you know?), that could give diabetic neuropathy as well. My aunt has diabetic neuropathy in the tip of her nose, her feet are fine however, so... You never know what our bodies'll pull on us next. Could be a side effect of something else you're on. So the more information you throw out there, the better our ability to guess, but....

What it does come down to, is YES, go back to the doc, and ask for a full blood work-up. Vitamins, hormones (thyroid etc), get the whole circus rolling, and hopefully something useful'll come out.
Good luck!
Jo

PS: Maybe Lion's Mane would help with the ADHD some...? I can't take stimulants either. Lion's Mane had its own side effects for me, but it did have some impact, so maybe it's something to attempt. At a later date, when all this is sorted.

 

[KennyA]

Hi All,

I've been suffering with pins and needles in my hands for a couple of months now. I had recently been started on ADHD medication and thought that they were a side effect of the drugs so I ignored them. Then my blood pressure went really high and they took me off the ADHD drugs but the issue remained.

I also get them up my arms, and sometimes down my left leg. Oddly, I don't get them in my feet.

Has anyone else had this? I'm trying to work out if I need to go back to the doctor about this?

Thanks,
Eve

I'd check it with the doctor. Thing is there are many potential causes so it's worth getting it on your doc's radar.

I had pins and needles/stabbing pains/ burning all in my feet from 2014ish until 2020. It seems to have been diabetic neuropathy, and it went when my BG came back to normal in early 2020. I still have a mild tingle which seems to be permanent damage but it isn't pain any longer.

Prior to it going, I didn't find anything that reduced or took away the effects.

 

[Melgar]

Hello @EveCarter42 ,

Could you give us a little more to go on? I mean, we can't diagnose on here, but we could make educated guesses. What medication are you on now, (any and all), and have your bloods been checked?

I'm asking because of a few things... If you're on something like metformin for a prolonged period of time, you could develop peripheral neuropathy due to Vitamin B12 deficiency, as it inhibits our ability to use it. And if your blood glucose is uncontrolled (what's your current HbA1c, do you know?), that could give diabetic neuropathy as well. My aunt has diabetic neuropathy in the tip of her nose, her feet are fine however, so... You never know what our bodies'll pull on us next. Could be a side effect of something else you're on. So the more information you throw out there, the better our ability to guess, but....

What it does come down to, is YES, go back to the doc, and ask for a full blood work-up. Vitamins, hormones (thyroid etc), get the whole circus rolling, and hopefully something useful'll come out.
Good luck!
Jo

PS: Maybe Lion's Mane would help with the ADHD some...? I can't take stimulants either. Lion's Mane had its own side effects for me, but it did have some impact, so maybe it's something to attempt. At a later date, when all this is sorted.

Hi @JoKalsbeek , we are not disagreeing with you, but could you provide links for the following:

" you could develop peripheral neuropathy due to Vitamin B12 deficiency,"
and
"Maybe Lion's Mane would help with the ADHD" .

I actually hadn't heard that Lions Mane can be beneficial for ADHD, good to know.
Thanks in advance, Melgar.

 

[lovinglife]

Wanted to say we should always check any over the counter medication & supplements for contraindications with any other meds or conditions we may have including diabetes. Just because you can buy something over the counter doesn’t mean that there isn’t side effects or that everyone can take it.

Lions mane has a few

LION'S MANE MUSHROOM: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews

Learn more about LION'S MANE MUSHROOM uses, effectiveness, possible side effects, interactions, dosage, user ratings and products that contain LION'S MANE MUSHROOM.

www.webmd.com

 

[EveCarter42]

Sorry it's taken me a bit to get back to you - it's been so manic at work I've not had time to breathe.
I'm on metformin, Linagliptin and insulin.

I can't remember what my last HBA1C was but I do know that my sugar levels have crept up higher than I thought they were... I'm now back to testing every morning, and eating better. I'm due another blood work up as it's been over 3 months since the last one, so I'll ask them to check B12 as well.
Still got the tingly feeling in the arms/wrists and hands

 

[KennyA]

Sorry it's taken me a bit to get back to you - it's been so manic at work I've not had time to breathe.
I'm on metformin, Linagliptin and insulin.

I can't remember what my last HBA1C was but I do know that my sugar levels have crept up higher than I thought they were... I'm now back to testing every morning, and eating better. I'm due another blood work up as it's been over 3 months since the last one, so I'll ask them to check B12 as well.
Still got the tingly feeling in the arms/wrists and hands

Hi. Morning testing won't usually tell you very much. I haven't done any regular morning testing for years, and I'm someone who developed neuropathy at an HbA1c of 43/44.

HbA1c gives you a clear picture of how you're doing overall. It's not exactly an average, but it does show where your glucose levels have generally been in the last three months - with a big bias towards the most recent month.

I found that fingerprick testing immediately before meals, and then two hours later, was much more informative than morning testing. That shows you how well you are handling the carbs in the meal just eaten. You're looking for your BG levels to have returned to within 2 mmol/l of the starting value, and not be over 8 mmol/l. If so, your insulin response has dealt with the incoming glucose from your food and removed any excess.

 

[Martinstainer]

See your GP and get a blood test. Check for B12 and vitamin D deficiency