What Treatments are Available for Diabetic Neuropathy?
Diabetic neuropathy is the most common complication of diabetes which causes patients discomfort or pain. While there isn’t a “cure,” there are ways to relieve your symptoms. The key is finding a doctor of endocrinology, or a diabetes doctor, that will work with you to find the most cutting-edge treatment to provide you the relief you’re searching for. GDI is familiar with a promising technology that could bring hope to many suffering from diabetic neuropathy, keep reading to learn more about it!
What is Diabetic Neuropathy?
Diabetic Neuropathy is nerve damage that causes an unpleasant sensation of tingling, burning, numbness, or even pain. This condition usually starts in the feet and lower legs and is often worse at night. This leaves many patients suffering from a lack of sleep.
What is The Best Treatment for Diabetic Neuropathy?
Some may find their symptoms decrease if they walk, but often it’s not enough. Optimizing your sugar control is the best way of making sure your diabetic neuropathy symptoms don’t get worse. However, this does not guarantee your diabetic neuropathy will disappear. What’s a frustrating realization for most is that once you experience diabetic neuropathy, you have to manage symptoms rather than eradicate it entirely.
Alpha-lipoic acid capsules (available over the counter) or a combination of several B vitamins have been used in some cases to relieve the milder symptoms of neuropathy, while capsaicin cream sometimes relieves local pain. The FDA did approve a few medications (gabapentin, pregabalin, duloxetine) and there are older drugs (some anti-convulsants, etc.) being used for pain of this particular neuropathy. However, these medications really do not address the root cause of your neuropathy and are not always very effective. On top of that, some people will have side effects from these medications. When the pain gets to be unbearable, the only solution has traditionally been for a pain specialist to prescribe opioids.
New Hope for Diabetic Neuropathy Symptoms
Managing your symptoms can be taken care of in our offices, at Grunberger Diabetes Institute (GDI). We have started offering a promising new treatment for painful diabetic neuropathy. The FDA approved in July 2021 the first spinal stimulation treatment for this problem. HFX™ is a high-frequency spinal cord stimulation system that in clinical studies proved quite effective at relieving pain and improving how participants felt overall in their daily lives. Contact us at GDI for more details about this innovative procedure.
Conclusion
While diabetic neuropathy doesn’t have a “cure,” there are doctors willing to work with you to find the relief you’re searching for. Diabetic neuropathy can be incredibly taxing and frustrating, but at GDI, we are dedicated to helping you navigate your diagnosis. If you have any of the above symptoms, please make an appointment with us today to get them checked out. We want to help you live your life to its fullest potential.
About Grunberger Diabetes Institute
Grunberger Diabetes Institute (GDI) provides Diabetes and Endocrine management, as well as a weight management program. Your well-being is assessed on an individual level and the treatment includes a plan for the improvement of your overall health and quality of life. We specialize in all things related to diabetes, endocrine, and weight management. This includes but isn’t limited to: diabetic neuropathy, dyslipidemia, obesity, diabetic recipes, reproductive endocrinology, osteoporosis treatment, male hypogonadism, hypercalcemia, all issues and diseases involving the thyroid gland (including thyroid cancer), patients transitioning from pediatric endocrinology to adult endocrinology, type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Schedule with us today to find out why we’re voted the best Endocrinology practice.
