Diabetic Neuropathy (nerve pain)
Lyrica and Weight Gain | Can It Be Reversed?
Pregabalin (Lyrica) has become a go-to drug for nerve pain (neuropathy). There aren't many medications in the doctor’s tool kit for this kind of problem. A similar drug, gabapentin, has been approve…
Are Non-Sugar Sweeteners a Healthy Choice?
When people hear that sugar-sweetened beverages pose health hazards, some respond by switching to diet soft drinks. That certainly seems reasonable, but evidence now suggests it might not be the best…
Lyrica (Pregabalin) Side Effects Include Confusi…
Lyrica used to be widely advertised on television to treat fibromyalgia or diabetic nerve pain. A few years ago there was this ad featuring Terry, a retired police officer. Terry describes his diabeti…
Supplements to Help Ease Diabetic Neuropathy
Diabetes threatens the health of millions of Americans. In 2019, doctors had diagnosed more than 37 million people with this metabolic disorder. People with diabetes either don't make insulin (type 1 …
Show 1304: Fixing Your Foot Problems
In our nationally syndicated radio show this week, we have a guest live in the studio. Podiatrist Jane Andersen will be ready to answer your questions about foot problems and what you can do about the…
How To Stop Duloxetine (Cymbalta) Without Withdr…
Based on what we hear from readers of our syndicated newspaper column and visitors to this website, most patients are not warned about how to stop duloxetine (Cymbalta). Perhaps the prescriber assumes…
Vitamin B12 Helps Ease Nerve Pain of Diabetes
People with type 2 diabetes often develop a painful nerve disorder called diabetic neuropathy. People with this condition may experience numbness, tingling, burning or pain in their hands or feet. The…
Show 1183: How to Manage Your Foot Problems
Do your feet hurt? Foot problems can interfere with both work and leisure time activities. You won’t want to walk the dog or go dancing, not to mention stand at a cash register or move about a clini…
Show 1174: What to Do About Skeeter Syndrome
Have your summer evenings outside been spoiled by the whine of a mosquito coming in for a bite? How do you deal with the resulting itch? Mosquito bites usually itch for a while and then go away, but s…
Are Statin Side Effects Fake Medical News?
Doctors dislike drug side effects. After all, physicians prescribe medications to help people, not to hurt them. And yet every medicine has the potential to cause adverse reactions. This leaves physic…
Statins, Low LDL Cholesterol and Nerve Damage in…
A new study from Germany reports that there is a connection between low total cholesterol and low LDL cholesterol and nerve damage in patients with type 2 diabetes (JAMA Network Open, May 31, 2019). T…
Can the Antidepressant Amitriptyline Mess Up Mem…
It is estimated that nearly two million people take the antidepressant amitriptyline every day. We suspect that most are not taking this drug to improve mood. That’s because amitriptyline (Elavil) h…
Which Drugs Mess with Vitamin B12?
Keeping track of the nutritional consequences of medications can be tricky. Doctors don't always ask about possible problems; nor do pharmacists necessarily take these into account. But there are some…
Are Prescription Drug Ads on TV Driving You Craz…
Do you watch television? If so, you have almost inevitably seen commercials for medications we hope you will never need. If you are like a lot of our visitors you are sick and tired of prescription dr…
Cannabidiol Oil Solved Severe Seizure Problem an…
Many doctors are skeptical about the benefits of medical marijuana. That's because they did not learn about this "herb" in medical school. If it was discussed at all, the likelihood is that the lectur…
Can Curry Spice Overcome Diabetic Nerve Pain?
The high blood sugar and inflammation associated with diabetes can damage many organs in the body. Diabetic nerve pain is a common complication of this condition. It can be quite difficult to treat, …
Diabetic Neuropathy Made Better With Marijuana
One of the complications of diabetes is diabetic neuropathy, severe pain due to nerve damage. The pain of neuropathy can be very difficult to treat, so we were interested to learn of this reader's e…
Was Gabapentin for Pain a Factor in Suicide?
Suicide is devastating. Even more than a sudden unexpected death, suicide inspires feelings of guilt in the survivors who may wonder, "Could I have done something to prevent this tragedy?" In some cas…
Fenugreek Helped Burning Feet
Q. My mother had been bothered with burning feet for some time, and we had not found a solution till recently. We suspected that the burning was related to her type 2 diabetes and I'd read somewhere t…
Lyrica Side Effects & Withdrawal are Worris…
Have you seen the ad blitz for Lyrica (pregabalin)? A LOT of money is being spent trying to convince the American public that Lyrica is the answer to diabetic nerve pain. One of the most compelling co…
Neuropathy: Natural Treatments for Nerve Pain
Neuropathy is one of those words that tells you very little. Broken down it stands for nerve (neuro) and disease (pathy). But nerve pain doesn't tell you much about the cause of the distress. When ner…
Hot Chili Pepper Spices Up Dreams!
Q. About a year ago you wrote that some people use spicy gumbo soup to alleviate migraines. I have been looking for a solution for food allergy headaches and was willing to try almost anything. I star…
Hot Pepper to Ease Pain
Q. I have diabetes and high blood pressure. My blood sugar is under control with insulin and I am on Diovan for the blood pressure. Over the last few years, I have suffered with numbness and pain in m…