Is there any help for post chemotherapy neuropathy?

Answer 1

I have recently been prescribed Lyrica for my post chemo neuropathy. This drug was just introduced in the market for the treatment of Fibromyalgia(sp?). It has helped me somewhat. **************************** I don't know anything about Lyrica, but I've heard good things about acupuncture. A friend who survived Breast cancer wrote to tell me that her oncologist prescribed a daily supplement called glutamine for neuropathy. I then asked my friend who is a registered dietician specializing in cancer about it, and she wrote back (paraphrasing): Glutamine is an amino acid, which just means it's a piece of protein, so taking glutamine is like taking a protein supplement. It's considered very safe and very unlikely to interact negatively with medications and chemotherapy, because basically, it's like taking some extra protein each day. The amount of glutamine you need to have a potential therapeutic benefit at minimizing neuropathy is roughly equivalent to the amount of protein found in a large chicken breast.

The dose of glutamine is 10 grams taken three times per day.

It's pretty easy to take. It's a powder and it's basically tasteless and odorless. I've used it in the past and just dissolved it in water or yogurt. It's also good for gut health and is used sometimes for inflammatory bowel disease. The least expensive product I've found that is of good quality is Jarrow Formulas glutamine powder that comes in a 1 kg jar. I don't recommend taking the typical glutamine pills you can find in a health store, because they have so little glutamine per pill, that you end up needing something like 20 pills three times per day and it gets to be very expensive. I'd take it every day, from now until you're totally done with your last treatment - 10 grams, three times per day, so you end up taking a total of 30 grams per day. You can take it with your meals or without, doesn't matter if it's with or without food. I haven't tried it yet myself, although I ordered some of the powder this week. I'm just in my 3rd cycle of chemo now. Instead, I'm using a powerful electric massager on my hands and arms a few times daily. This is my own solution, which is working for me so far. I had neuropathy in my 2nd cycle, but so far hardly any in my 3rd. My doctor said there was no help for neuropathy except for lowering the drug dose, but I don't believe him. Or at least, I don't want to believe him. Good luck!