Can Alcohol Neuropathy Be Cured?

Alcohol addiction can have a devastating effect on your life. Besides ruining your eternal organs, ending relationships and causing you to lose your livelihood and all your money, drinking alcohol can have an everyday physical effect on you.

After years of heavy drinking, you may begin to experience tingling and pain in your limbs. This could be a sign of a common condition suffered by people addicted to alcohol called alcohol neuropathy. While it may be a nuisance at first, alcohol neuropathy can severely impact how you live.

If you are worried about this condition and whether there is an alcohol neuropathy cure, your focus should be on curbing your drinking and addressing the problem of alcohol neuropathy before it worsens.

What is Alcohol Neuropathy?

Alcohol neuropathy is a condition in which the peripheral nerves become damaged due to chronic alcohol abuse. The peripheral nerves carry signals from the central nervous system to the rest of your body and are responsible for things such as how you perceive temperature, pain and touch. They are also responsible for body movement.

A direct answer for how alcohol causes alcohol neuropathy hasn’t been fully proven, but most doctors believe that the toxins in alcohol damage the peripheral nerves. These toxins damage axons, which send electrical signals from one nerve to another. Alcohol also damages myelin, the fatty protective coating around nerves.

Alcohol neuropathy is also thought to be caused by nutritional deficiencies. Drinking heavily can lead you to become deficient in thiamine, folate, vitamin B1 and B12 and vitamin E. Your nerves need these nutrients to function correctly.

What are the Symptoms of Alcohol Neuropathy?

Alcohol neuropathy may be hard to notice at first. The symptoms grow gradually and can be masked by the effects you experience due to drinking alcohol.

Common symptoms of alcohol neuropathy include:

• Numbness in the extremities, most commonly the legs
• Tingling and pins and needles in the extremities
• Muscle weakness
• Sexual dysfunction
• Less coordination
• Problems walking
• Bladder problems
• Bowel problems
• Difficulty in talking and swallowing

Without being treated for your addiction, the symptoms will worsen, and what was once an annoyance can become a debilitating problem. Eventually, doing something as simple as getting up and walking around will be an ordeal. While alcohol neuropathy can’t normally kill you, it can make your life miserable.

How Alcohol Neuropathy is Diagnosed

There is no specific alcohol neuropathy test you can take to find out if you have it. Instead, medical professionals rely on several tests you can take to figure out whether you have alcohol neuropathy. They also rely on an honest medical history from you – it’s not a time to lie about your drinking, as medical professionals need all the information they can get to make the correct diagnosis.

Effective treatment for alcohol neuropathy can only begin after a correct diagnosis so you must act quickly before the condition progresses to a point where it might be permanent.

Tests used to help diagnose alcohol neuropathy include:

• Blood chemistry and complete blood count (CBC) tests
• Electromyography
• Neurological exam
• Nerve conduction tests
• Vitamin and nutrient testing

Some other conditions display similar symptoms to alcohol neuropathy. Testing for diabetes can help rule that out as they have similar symptoms. A nerve biopsy may be performed as this can more conclusively show if the nerve damage you have suffered is consistent with alcohol neuropathy.

Alcohol Neuropathy Treatment Options

Once diagnosed, treatment should begin. Alcohol neuropathy is a progressive condition, so if you leave it, it will only get worse.

Undergoing a detox should be your first step. You need to stop drinking to have any chance of getting better, and attending an alcohol rehab should be a priority.

Medication can be administered to help with withdrawal and also help you manage pain. Professional treatment guided by medical professionals is vital to reversing nerve damage.

Physical therapy and rehabilitation can also help improve your coordination, reduce pain and strengthen weakened muscles.

Lifestyle Changes to Support Overall Recovery

Alcohol detoxes, rehab and medical treatments alone won’t ensure your sobriety or being free of alcohol neuropathy. How you live should change also, and with some simple adjustments in your life, you can improve your chances of better recovery.

• A well-balanced, nutritional diet
• Nutrition supplements to help recover from your deficiencies
• Regular exercise
• Keeping a routine
• Managing underlying health conditions that may be affecting your alcohol neuropathy
• Attending group therapy support groups

Can Alcohol Neuropathy be Cured?

The question, “Can alcohol neuropathy be reversed?” is not straightforward.

If caught early enough, the damage can be reversed, and you will be “cured.” However, the body can regenerate and recover cells only to a certain point. If the condition has been allowed to progress, then some of the nerve damage may be permanent.

With lifestyle changes, the ceasing of drinking alcohol and medication, lingering symptoms can be managed so you can live a normal life. Reversal of symptoms depends on the severity of the nerve damage, how long you have been drinking, how much you engage with treating and what lifestyle changes you make.

There is no set timeline for the reversal of damage. After a few weeks, there may be a reduction in pain and tingling, and significant improvement should be noticeable after a year or more.

Preventing Alcohol Neuropathy

Getting the better of your addiction and avoiding alcohol neuropathy will have untold benefits for your life. You will have a lower risk of getting cancer and heart disease, a better immune system, sleep better and feel better mentally. Your cognitive functions will be better sober and you will likely feel better overall as you put your health at the forefront of living.

If you want to prevent alcohol neuropathy altogether, there are steps you can take to counteract it.

• Moderate alcohol consumption: As stated before, the best step to take is to cut down on drinking. If you can’t fully stop, then cut back on binge drinking and limit the frequency and quantity of your drinking.
• Early intervention: If you feel you have a problem with drinking, get ahead of the problem before it develops. This can make the fight easier.
• Regular check-ups: Doctors don’t just have to be there for when you are truly sick. Regular check-ups will help you stay on top of your overall health, and medical professionals are better suited to spot the signs of potential alcohol neuropathy.

Get Help with Action Rehab Today

So, can alcohol neuropathy be cured? If caught early enough and treated quickly, the damage done by alcohol neuropathy may be reversed. There is no catch-all cure that can heal you at any stage. The most important thing you can do to help is to deal with your alcohol addiction.

For more help on rehab options and information about addiction counselling and other treatments we provide, contact Action Rehab now. Call us now at 0151 268 6992.

Posted on Friday, June 7th, 2024 at 9:43 am in Alcoholism, Latest News.