Conventional Treatments

Most patients, who come to our clinic, have usually seen multiple doctors (family doctor, podiatrist, neurologist); and have gone through extensive testing procedures such as NCV, EMG, blood work, CT, and MRI.

However, despite all the extensive testing procedures, treatments typically fall into the following categories. Click on any medication to learn about the side effects associated with that medication.

Medications

• Anticonvulsants
  Antiseizure medications, such as Gabapentin (Neurontin®), Topamax® and Lyrica® (pregbalin),  have been used to relieve neuropathy pain. Research has revealed that these drugs have less than a fifty percent success rate at reducing pain, while the risk of suffering side effects is high. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning that all anti-seizure medications are associated with a slightly increased risk of suicidal thoughts or actions.
• Antidepressants
  Antidepressants prescribed include:  nortriptyline (Pamelor) and Cymbalta.
• Painkillers
  The simplest treatment is over-the-counter (OTC) medications, such as Tylenol (acetaminophen), ibuprofen, or aspirin

With time neuropathy gets progressively worse and people begin to take stronger opiate pain relievers such as:

Opiate Pain Relievers Commonly Used to Treat Neuropathy Pan
GENERIC NAME	BRAND NAME
hydrocodone	Lortab, Norco, Vicodin
methadone	Dolophine, Methadose
morphine	Avinza, Kadian, MS Contin
oxycodone	OxyContin, Percocet, Percodan
tramadol	Ultram

Topical treatments

The main active ingredients in topical lotions are Lidocaine and Capsaicin which essentially act as numbing agents to provide temporary pain relief.

Injections or Nerve Blocks

Nerve block is a pain management technique involving the injection of an anesthetic into the area surrounding an affected nerve. The technique is used to treat neuropathic pain by interrupting pain signals to the brain. An injection of steroids, local anesthetics, or opioids can effectively produce short-term back pain relief.