Burning Foot Pain Treatment in Sioux Falls

Common Approaches to Treatment:

• Behavior: Any behaviors that lead to neuropathy should be corrected, if possible. Not all causes are behavioral, but diabetic patients can control blood sugar through diet, exercise, medication, and constant monitoring. Those with excessive alcohol intake must stop drinking to see improvement. The good news is these are conditions you can change.
• Exercise: Moderate exercise increases blood flow and oxygenation and can encourage new blood vessels to grow. The trick is finding a balance between enough exercise to provide benefits without overtaxing your system and causing stress and increased inflammation. Start small and work your way up until you find the right balance. As your overall health improves, you can do more over time.
• Nutrition: A simple lifestyle analysis or even a blood test can tell you if you are deficient in any essential vitamins and minerals. Your provider can then tell you how to correct the problem safely. You’re generally safe with water-soluble vitamins, like vitamin C. You pass excess amounts through your urine. Fat-soluble vitamins, however, can build up in your system, and some can be toxic in large quantities. Your provider can recommend a supplement dosage based on your needs.
• Traditional Medicine: Traditional medicine looks for a pharmaceutical solution. The most commonly used medicines are anti-seizure drugs, antidepressants, and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors.

The problem with using drugs to treat nerve damage is that they don’t always address the root cause, meaning they mask the symptoms rather than fixing the damage. By ignoring the root cause, damage can progress. Drugs also come with side effects, as seen below.

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Anti-seizure drugs.

• Gabapentin (Gralise, Neurontin)
  Side effects: mood changes, clumsiness, continuous uncontrollable eye movements, drowsiness, chills, black and tarry stools, cough, fever, memory loss, chest pain, pain and swelling in arms and legs, sores in the mouth, sore throat, difficulty urinating, unusual bleeding.
• Pregabalin (Lyrica)
  Side effects: weight gain, drowsiness, difficulty concentrating, confusion, dry mouth, dizziness, agitation, constipation, respiratory depression, anger, fear, depression, and violence.

Antidepressants.

• Amitriptyline
  Side effects: weakness, nausea, vomiting, vivid dreams, changes in sex drive or ability, drowsiness, dry mouth, head pain, constipation, trouble urinating, blurred vision, burning or tingling in hands and feet, weight gain, heavy sweating, confusion, and unsteadiness on feet.
• Desipramine (Norpramin).
  Side effects: blurred vision, confusion, gut pain, nausea, throwing up, cough, dizziness, convulsions, loss of coordination, racing heartbeat, anxiety, inability to move or speak, uncontrolled muscle movement, loss of appetite, incontinence, unsteady walking, hallucinations, nightmares, restlessness, rash, fever, sweating, swelling, yellow eyes and skin.
• Nortriptyline (Pamelor)
  Side effects: redness in the face, neck, chest, and arms, increased risk for heart attack or stroke, pounding or uneven heartbeat, cold sweats, agitation, confusion, blurry vision, dizziness, chest pain, tinnitus, hallucinations, paranoia, inability to move or speak, difficulty urinating, hostility, difficulty breathing, loss of balance, uncontrolled muscle movement, loss of consciousness, slurred speech, panic, swollen lymph glands, sores in the mouth, seizures.

Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)

• Venlafaxine (Effexor XR).
  Side effects: decreased sex drive, difficulty ejaculating, inability to orgasm, impotence, head pain, weakness, blurred vision, uneven heartbeat, chest pain, mood swings, suicidal thoughts, lightheadedness, tinnitus (ringing in ears), incontinence, rash.
• Duloxetine (Cymbalta, Drizalma Sprinkle)
  Side effects: bad-smelling breath, rash, blisters or peeling skin, blindness, blurred vision, dizziness, fainting, chest pain, elevated heart rate, confusion, cold sweat, difficulty swallowing, thirst, reduced urine output, joint and muscle pain, red skin lesions, vomiting blood, yellow eyes and skin, weakness, hive-like swelling (of the face, tongue, throat, extremities, or sex organs).

Medicating neuropathy masks the symptoms with potentially harmful substances, and it keeps you from getting to the source of the problem.