May 20, 2004
Complications
Question from Lockhart, Texas, USA:
I have type 2 diabetes and I have neuropathy. So far, all the tests done show that from the toes up to my waist there is nerve damage. In two weeks, I will have tests from waist up done. The doctors tell me there is no cure for this, I am taking 2400 mg of Neurontin a day and 25 mg of Topomax a day along with my glyburide. I now have burning in the right side across my right breast, shoulder, down the side of my stomach and down the backside of my shoulder and back. Also, my tongue is burning. Is this related to the neuropathy? For pain, I am taking Hydrocodine 5/500 every eight hours, which doesn’t seem to help much any more. I have had this since September 2003. I was in the hospital for seven weeks trying to fine out what I had. Finally, in May, a specialist told me what I had. Now I would like to know if there is a cure for this or do you have to learn to live with it?
Answer:
There is no cure. It can be treated, however. The first thing to do is maximize your blood sugar control. This seems to have an affect on your threshold for pain. Good glucose control makes the threshold higher. Second, there are medications that work on the pain. Neurontin is certainly one. There are new medications that are also undergoing investigation that may be superior to medications now available. You should talk with your physician about these and whether you may be helped by them. I would also warn you about the dependence on narcotic pain medications. It is always desirable to try to avoid these medications and use them only as a last resort or until other medications “kick in” because of dependency issues. That being said, it is not my intent for any patient to suffer severe pain without treatment.
JTL
