Most pain doctors in Arizona will tell you that there is no known cure for alcohol neuropathy, but there are successful pain management and treatment methods to help patients get back into life. At this point, when a patient has been diagnosed with alcohol neuropathy, a pain doctor’s best intention is to control the pain. Once that damage has been done from this chronic condition, unfortunately it cannot be undone. However, the pain can be controlled.
Treatment of Alcohol Neuropathy
Obtaining from alcohol consumption will be the pain doctor’s first course of treatment. Whether it’s through counseling, Alcoholic’s Anonymous meetings, or in-house psychological evaluations, kicking the habit is the first step. This will be the toughest step for anyone living with alcohol neuropathy.
Next, your pain doctor will want to manage your nutritional intake through medication and a strict diet. Using a multidisciplinary team of industry experts, your pain doctor will no doubt sit you down with a nutritionist to determine the best course to get you back on track with a healthy diet. Multivitamins are also a key aspect in nourishing your body.
Physical therapy is usually called for in cases of alcohol neuropathy due to the great damage that has been done to the nerves. Since motor loss is a symptom of this chronic condition, your pain doctor will want to bring blood flow and life back into the affected areas of your body. One of the best ways to do this is through exercise and physical therapy.
Most individuals who abuse alcohol are also at great risk for abusing pain medication while going through pain management treatment, which is always a concern for pain doctors in Arizona. According to NYTimes Health, the least amount of medication needed to reduce symptoms is advised, to reduce dependence and other side effects of chronic use.
Common medications may include over-the-counter analgesics such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen to reduce pain. Stabbing pains may respond to tricyclic antidepressants or anticonvulsant medications such as phenytoin, gabapentin, or carbamazepine.
While it’s deemed impossible to reverse the damage already done to the body’s nerves, pain doctors can help patients living with alcoholic neuropathy reduce and control pain and get back into life. Of course, the best way to prevent this chronic condition is to respect your alcohol intake, but if you are suffering from this debilitating condition speak immediately to an Arizona pain specialist about your options.