Treatments for Peripheral Neuropathy

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Treatments for Peripheral Neuropathy

Posted 4/1/2009

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Many women who are treated with Taxol or Taxotere develop peripheral neuropathy in their hands and/or feet. Ranging from mildly annoying to very painful, the symptoms include pain, tingling, and sometimes numbness or lack of sensation. It gradually improves once the chemotherapy has ended, but can be a big problem for many weeks or even months.

In a group yesterday, we talked about this issue and shared a number of things that may help. Some of these suggestions are from a hand-out that our chemotherapy nurses give to patients and others are from individuals who have dealt with this condition. As is smart with most other things, do discuss any of these ideas with your doctor.

Vitamins (to be taken with a meal):

Multi-B complex vitamins

Folic Acid 1 to 2 mg

B6 vitamins ( 50 mg inAM, 100 mg in PM)

Vitamin E 400 IU daily

Foot massages, especially using shea butter (often combined with a lotion)

Udder cream (in the black-spotted container)

Heating pads

For Muscle Cramps

Magnesium 250mg, twice a day (may cause diarrhea in large doses)

Potassium 2 teaspoons

Apple cider vinegar, bananas, oranges

Tonic water (also called Quinine) One glass before bed

Amino Acids (take with a meal)

Agetyl L-Carnitine 500 mg twice a day with meals

Alpha Lipois Avid 300mg to 1000 mg a day

(Including this one with some embarrassment, but several women have sworn by it): Put a new unwrapped bar of soap in your bed, near where your legs will lie. You can put a string around the soap and then attach it with a safety pin to the sheet.

To treat a leg cramp

Reverse position in bed, so that your feet are against the wall or headboard. Push as hard as you can against the surface. Repeat until the cramp subsides.