If you’re in treatment and nerve pain develops all of a sudden, your medication could be to blame.
A 2015 study published in one of the journals of the American Academy of Neurology revealed that certain medications may cause neuropathy. In this case, it was for alcoholism treatment.
Medical experts examined the development of the condition in a younger man (28) who received treatment for more than two months.
The first symptoms appeared as transient leg pain and worsened thereafter. It soon got difficult for the man to walk correctly, and the weakness and numbness spread. The sensation later affected his abdominal wall, hands, and arms.
After a thorough examination, the results revealed nerve damage throughout his body. And the doctors labeled the damage as severe to moderate, depending on the area affected.
It’s worth stressing that this patient had a long history of substance and alcohol abuse. And that could have expedited the adverse side effects of the alcoholism medication.
The good news is that he recovered after doing physical therapy. He regained much of his lost mobility and balance.
However, the conclusion was that the medication for his alcoholism was the primary cause of the neuropathy. After extended use, it became toxic to the man, causing severe damage to the nerves.
But this side effect isn’t isolated to alcoholism medication.
Let’s take a look at one such pharmaceutical and a few others that can have the same negative effect.
The Medications
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Disulfiram
It’s worth mentioning that disulfiram was the alcoholism medication that the subject of the study was taking.
Also known by the brand name Antabuse, this medication has been around for 60+ years and approved in the U.S. It’s also the first antialcoholism drug to receive FDA approval.
The medication changes the way your body eliminates and breaks down alcohol. This means it affects metabolism, whereas other similar drugs target receptors in the brain.
It might be surprising that disulfiram causes neuropathy because of this fact.
However, keep in mind that your metabolism is linked to the neural system, and the medication does prevent oxidation. Because without oxidation, the acetaldehyde levels in your bloodstream increase, causing a sensation close to a hangover. And that’s intended to discourage people from drinking.
However, it’s safe to assume that the chemical’s increased levels may also damage nerves. But further studies are needed to confirm this.
Unfortunately, neuropathy isn’t the only side effect of disulfiram. Mild adverse effects may include acne or skin rashes, general drowsiness, and headaches.
Severe reactions are rare, but they could include vomiting, dark urine, lack of appetite, and yellowish eyes or skin. And there were also a handful of reports that the medication has a sedative effect.
In any case, severe reactions to this medication point to a problematic liver or neurological condition. Therefore, it’s essential to seek medical help the moment the first symptoms appear.
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Phenytoin
Best known as a medication for epilepsy, doctors also prescribe it for trigeminal neuralgia or facial neural pain.
But as a potent prescription drug, phenytoin may clash with a whole host of conditions.
People with kidney or liver problems, in particular, shouldn’t take the medication. The same goes for those with certain types of blood conditions.
It’s worth noting that kidney failure or related conditions may also cause neuralgia. This means taking phenytoin could potentially expedite or worsen the progression.
As for the mild side effects, phenytoin could cause nervousness and shakiness. Some people also feel sick or headaches.
But this medication is also known to trigger inflammation, which is among the primary causes of neuralgia.
Serious phenytoin side effects include sudden bleeding and bruising that may happen together with sore throat and temperature, which may indicate a blood disorder.
That said, having a high temperature may only show that you’re hypersensitive to the drug, especially if the glands are also swollen or in the presence of rashes. Still, these point to inflammation in the body, which could cause swelling and exert pressure on the nerves. And if one endures this for too long, it might result in more severe damage to the nerves.
Given the intended treatment and side effects, don’t wait too long before reporting them to your physician. Because according to medical studies, it takes about a year and a half before you can recover from phenytoin-induced neuralgia.
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Cisplatin
It’s rare for cisplatin to cause neuralgia. And if it does, the symptoms are usually limited to numbness and tingling sensation.
But it’s important to note that this medication is sometimes a part of chemotherapy treatment. As such, it works by destroying cells that divide too fast and might even cause further damage to healthy cells.
Therefore, patients should take regular blood tests while on the medication to determine blood cell levels in the body. The test should also show if cisplatin affected their kidney and liver functions.
As mentioned, if kidney function is compromised in the process, the chances of developing neuralgia increase.
Now, adverse reactions to cisplatin are not the same for everybody. With cancer patients, they may also depend on other treatments. For example, those who undergo radiotherapy and take cisplatin may be at a higher risk of developing neuralgia.
Milder side effects, which are more common, may include sickness, diarrhea, nosebleeds, and a higher risk of infection. The silver lining is that these effects are only temporary and should subside in a day or two after taking the medication.
However, if blood tests show high levels of salts and minerals, you should consult your doctor, particularly if you’re experiencing fits, tingling, or a numbing sensation. These are some of the first indicators that the medication might have damaged your neural system.
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Vincristine
Vincristine is another chemotherapy drug and it operates by preventing cancerous cells from splitting into two. In other words, it prevents cancer from growing and spreading.
The alarming thing is that this drug is often used for certain pediatric tumors and in these cases, it may cause neuropathy. Unfortunately, it’s very challenging to monitor and detect the condition with pediatric patients. But like with adults, neuropathy can seriously affect a child’s quality of life.
A 2016 study showed that almost all pediatric patients on vincristine had peripheral neuropathy. The severity differed depending on various factors, but the children generally had mild to moderate symptoms.
Vincristine-induced neuropathy in children can be autonomic, sensor, or motor. The usual symptoms are tingling and numbness that may develop into nerve pain. And the pain is often bilateral, meaning it can affect both lower and upper feet.
That said, the first symptoms usually start in the feet and ankles before spreading upwards as the condition becomes worse. Patients could also experience jaw pain, although rarely, because the medication may damage cranial nerves.
The symptoms occur about a week into the treatment and may stay like that for up to a year if the dose remains the same. But the worrying thing is that neuropathy could last for years after a patient is off vincristine.
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Perhexiline
A coronary vasodilator commonly prescribed to angina patients, it expands the large blood vessels around one’s heart to promote an unobstructed blood flow.
Although beneficial, perhexiline may also trigger neuropathy. And it’s known to cause hepatitis.
Perhexiline works by boosting glucose levels in metabolism, as it limits the metabolization of free-fatty-acids. But it also increases oxygen efficiency in the body, particularly when the heart struggles to pump blood properly.
Perhexiline-induced neuralgia comes from damaged myelin membranes on patients’ nerves. It’s because the membranes are there to protect the nerves. And without myelin, nerve cells become much more susceptible to damage.
Generally, the resulting perhexiline neuralgia is mild, but there have also been cases of severe polyneuropathy. This means patients suffered acute, persistent pain in different areas of their body.
And like with other neuralgia-inducing medication, the affected areas are usually the feet, ankles, lower back, neck, hands, etc.
To end on a positive note, studies show that patients can recover just months after they stop taking perhexiline.
Dangerous Medications
The listed side effects are worrying. If for nothing else, it’s because it could be months or even years before one recovers from drug-induced neuralgia.
And since these are all medications for serious primary conditions, their use might not be avoidable. Chemotherapy is still one of the most effective treatments for cancer, for example.
But when side effects or secondary conditions occur, you should be quick to seek help.
To that end, you don’t really need to suffer any pain. And you might not have to wait for months before you feel better.
Nervitalize is a remedy that contains natural ingredients that don’t trigger any side effects. Plus, it won’t clash with other treatments you might be getting.
So visit our website and check out how Nervitalize could help you get rid of nerve pain.
Resources:
https://www.alcoholrehabguide.org/treatment/disulfiram/
https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/phenytoin/
https://academic.oup.com/neuro-oncology/advance-article/doi/10.1093/neuonc/noaa151/5864737
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5126263/
https://go.drugbank.com/drugs/DB01074
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/208453/