Hi Midiman,
not sure I can make recommendations but I guess I can say the one I am using?
Perhaps I should give a bit of background info to put things into contest as this kind of pain apparently can be caused by several issues (one of them being diabetes)...so apologies in advance for the length of this post.
I dropped my Hba1c from 96 to 34 in 4/5 months; I lost 3 stones (or more?) within 3 months of diagnosis (although I didn’t have 3 stones to lose).
The first symptom I had was loss of control of my hands in cold situations to the point I couldn’t even open my front door; after a couple of months the legs started to be funny with tingling and warm sensation. I gave it a month before I rang my GP as I had a look on line (on here and other sites) to see if I could identify the issue myself as I have no confidence in public health whatsoever (no disrespect to anyone who works in the field, but please allow bad experiences to shape opinions).
After a long research I came to the conclusion that my issue could have been caused by:
1) What is called T.I.N.D (symptoms caused by reducing sugar levels too quickly)
2) Vitamin B (mainly B12) deficiency which is connected to nerve damage (diabetics apparently are likely to suffer from this..as well as other deficiencies but since they are not related to nerve damage no point mentioning).
After a month of pain I rang my GP and explained my symptoms, one of which was a weird headache which started after the severe pain in my legs. Out of all I said to him he concluded he’d prescribe some migraine tablets (?!?!?!?).
I suggested we’d look at consequences of diabetes and the sudden drop of BG rather than just treat a symptom ignoring its roots. So he prescribed a new Hba1C test which I refused to take as it was irrelevant : I know I am diabetic already..so what was the point?
I asked for a vitamin check (especially B12) he said there was NO correlation between the two and all he could offer was tablets for my headache and a Hba1C test. I refused both.
This was in March last year. I didn’t do anything but tried to monitor the pain and its intensity. Drank more water and had walks. No change. Come August my pain was so bad I couldn’t walk anymore with the pain going all the way up to my hip! I rang my GP practise and asked to speak to a different doctor who did acknowledge that I could possibly have a B12 deficiency; he offered a neurological check to be safe and I accepted it.
Since the appointment was 3 months away I decided to self medicate with ALA (based on info I gathered on this site) and some acupuncture (I read somewhere it can help with the flux of blood going to my legs and improve circulation).
Within a week or two the pain was so minimal that I felt cured! Since I started both treatments at the same time (ALA and Acupuncture) I don’t know what worked, however I stopped acupuncture in January ( I had 4/5 sessions) and still taking ALA.
Which ALA did I go for? I based my decision on 2 factors : the recommended safe dose is 300mg (but no adverse effects have been found on higher doses) and the existence of 2 type of ALA : R-ALA and S-ALA (a quick google search will reveal the difference between the two).
So to cover all bases I went for something higher dosage which had both components and chose this one:
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0847P5H98/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (it is not available on Amazon right now but it is on eBay or the company own website)
I know it’s more expensive than others but I was desperate and chose something that looked more promising.
To cover the B complex I am also taking some common multivitamins which sure can’t hurt.
PS. I did a neurological check (very uncomfortable!) with a specialist last December but haven’t heard back yet. However the neurologist did say: a lack of B12 can cause this kind of pain – it is more common for diabetics to suffer from this (although it doesn’t mean if you are diabetic you have to have it) – He was aware of T.I.N.D but not much is known about the phenomena yet – he confirmed I have now lost functionality in my right foot as I can’t flex it as well as I could and this is probably due to the death of some nerves which is not reversible – nerve damage can be stopped with some drugs which of course I refused to take.
By the time I saw him 3 months had passed since I self medicated (with ALA and acupuncture) so the pain had gone. He asked me what I had done/taken and I told him. I asked if it was ok for me to carry on supplementing with ALA and acupuncture and his reply was that he can’t scientifically recommend or discourage either since there is no science behind either of them..however he said: ‘If it’s working for you don’t stop’.
I am firmly convinced if I had started treating my symptoms as soon as they started I wouldn't have lost functionality of my feet (mainly right one).. There is nothing to do now as it is permanent. I solely blame the first doctor I spoke to as he completely dismissed anything I was saying as if I was hallucinating.
So, if you speak to your GP and he suggests to drink more water or go for a walk or wait and see what happens I would recommend to politely tell him to go and #*#* himself and change profession. I hear the Country needs truck drivers..so perhaps he could retrain for that? he would be more useful that way.
