You can be the tough guy or gal your whole life. Always ready to face whatever aches and pains life throws your way head-on.
You can be confident that you can battle the hurt. And feel positive that you would never say yes to a heavy-duty opioid drug.
But then it happens. A form of diabetes-linked pain that can reduce some of the toughest of the tough to a pile of quivering jelly.
Everyone describes neuropathy pain differently. But when you have a bad case of diabetic nerve pain, most folks agree it’s some of the worst agony you’ll ever have to endure.
And now new research reveals that many desperate diabetics who never imagined taking an opioid before are getting them for neuropathy.
But as you’ll see in a moment, there’s a FAR better and FAR safer way to beat this unbearable pain.
Dangerous opioids prescribed for neuropathy
As I mentioned earlier, it’s officially called neuropathy. But anyone who’s had diabetic nerve pain will tell you that may as well be Greek for “OH MY GOD, someone set my NERVES on fire!”
Neuropathy can happen in ANY part of your body. But it shows up most often in legs and feet first.
It’s marked by just about every type of pain you can imagine, including burning, stabbing, and tingling. And the assault doesn’t end there. There’s also uncomfortable numbness and weakness that can disturb your sense of balance and ability to get around.
But here’s the thing. There are safe and effective options that can often dial that neuropathy pain way down so you can get through your day without having to live in agony.
But new research reveals that far too many patients aren’t getting those options. Heck, in many cases, they aren’t even being TOLD about them. Instead, they’re being prescribed dangerous opioids.
Even worse, these drugs AREN’T recommended for neuropathic pain. In fact, guidelines make it clear that doctors should NOT prescribe them for this condition. And yet, the new report finds that four in 10 painkiller prescriptions for neuropathy are for opioid drugs.
Now you might think these are the most desperate cases. That they’re patients who’ve tried everything else first and still can’t get relief, so they turn to opioids.
But that’s not the case. In fact, the study also finds that 44 percent of patients getting drugs for their neuropathy for the FIRST time are given opioids.
In other words, these last-resort drugs are given as a first option nearly half the time.
Defeat diabetic nerve pain the RIGHT way
Mainstream medicine has a list of other drugs they recommend for neuropathy pain. Those meds include pregabalin (ala Lyrica), gabapentin (Neurontin), or even SNRI antidepressants. But each of them has potential problems of its own.
So before turning to drugs, I’ve got some better options you can try FIRST (with your doctor’s blessing, of course). They could help ease or even end the diabetic nerve pain without you having to commit to risky pills.
The first is methylcobalamin or B12. Diabetics often have low levels of the vitamin. And this form of B12 is so effective because it doesn’t just provide short-term nerve-pain relief. Instead, it helps target the actual cause of the neuropathy.
Neuropathy occurs when your nerves lose their insulation or myelin sheath. That exposes what’s beneath, leading to pain, tingling, numbness, and more. But methylcobalamin can often help restore that missing layer and reverse many of those symptoms.
Just don’t take the vitamin alone and consider yourself covered. One of the reasons many diabetics are low in B12 in the first place is the common diabetes drug metformin. It’s known to deplete B12 levels.
Talk to your doc about whether metformin is still the best option for you. There are even nondrug alternatives you could try, such as berberine, instead. In some cases, berberine can bring glucose levels down without wiping out B12 and contributing to nerve damage in the process.
And for more ways to ease the pain of neuropathy, check out this free special report by clicking here.
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