Chronic Neuropathy can start when your nerves are deprived of oxygen (anoxia). But, there are many reasons why this might happen and it is sometimes a combination of reasons. One reason might not be enough to notice, but add a second and it can be very pronounced.

  • Too much sugar or insulin in your blood (diabetes), and also in pre-diabetes or insulin resistance.
  • The use of many medications. (a list can be found here Medications with Neuropathy as a Side Effect)
  • Nutritional deficiencies (B1, B12, etc.).
  • Exposure to toxic substances (ingested in food, drugs, chemicals, water or pollution).
  • Radiation therapy for cancer.
  • Chemo therapy for cancer.
  • Lying in one position too long (nerve compression, entrapment or laceration).
  • Physical injuries (trauma) to the nerve.
  • Injury from a surgery.
  • Prolonged compression as in the wearing of inappropriate footwear, skinny jeans, etc.
  • Infections that can block oxygen getting to your nerve cells.

Too many free radicals in your bloodstream can also attach themselves to the oxygen and make it unavailable to the cells. Sometimes inflammation in the lower back or sciatic nerve area of the buttocks can restrict blood flow, depriving oxygen to the nerves.

Common drugs like statins (to reduce cholesterol) can eat away the myelin sheath which is composed mostly of cholesterol. Statins are designed to lower the cholesterol which is what the body needs to maintain the myelin sheath around the nerve. See also Neuropathy & Statins

High blood pressure medication can cause neuropathy by decreasing blood flow at the extremities, like the feet or hands.

Drugs create side effects by depleting the body of different nutrients that the body needs. This deficiency can cause various problems including nerve damage. See also Drugs and Deficiencies

B Vitamin Depletion and Neuropathy

Certain artificial stimulants, such as cigarettes and alcohol, are known to aggravate the neuropathy condition. Both of these work to slow blood flow throughout the body. In the process, less nutrients and oxygen are being delivered. This is the last thing that you want if you have neuropathy.

Anything that uses up B vitamins in the body (depletes these vitamins) will make the condition worse. The body needs the B vitamins for healthy nerves, if these B vitamins are being used up by alcohol metabolism, sugar, caffeine, stress, etc. the nerves will be less able to do their job and then will become more damaged.

Other terms for Neuropathy

This is valuable when you are checking your medications to see if neuropathy is a possible side effect. The manufacturer doesn’t always list it as neuropathy. You should talk to your doctor about the possibility of changing your medications if you find it has a side effect of neuropathy.

  • Nerve Damage
  • Paresthesia or paranesthesia
  • Dysesthesias
  • HSAN1 – Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy
  • HSN1 – Hereditary sensory neuropathy
  • Neuralgia
  • “Numbness & tingling” or “pins and needles”
  • “Poor balance of nerve damage” – Ataxia
  • Formication – a sensation that resembles that of insects crawling (tactile hallucination) on (or under) the skin.
  • Demyelinating Syndrome
  • Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)
  • Radiculoplexus neuropathy

Neuropathy Symptoms

More than 100 types of neuropathy pain have been identified, each with its own development, and impaired function. You can get nerve damage in any part of your body – it depends on what nerve is damaged. It can be your hands, feet, arms legs, head, face, stomach, bladder, etc.

These symptoms of nerve damage or neuropathy are often slight at first. In fact, some mild cases may go unnoticed for a long time.

These symptoms depend on the type of nerve – motor, sensory or autonomic – that are damaged.

Peripheral Sensory Neuropathy symptoms

Some people may experience numbness, tingling and pricking sensations, sensitivity to touch and even left arm pain and tingling. Small fiber neuropathy affects the nerve endings in the fingers or toes as well as the legs. If the nerve damage increases it can cause numbness. This can lead to numbness in feet and other areas.

Others may suffer more extreme symptoms, including burning pain (especially at night) and stabbing pain.

Numbness, pain or tingling in the feet and ankles or legs may, after several years, lead to weakness in the muscles of the feet as well. The loss of sensation in the feet may increase the possibility for foot injuries to get unnoticed and develop into ulcers or lesions that become infected, not to mention having trouble with coordination.

Motor Nerve Damage symptoms

Damage to motor nerves can result not only in lack of coordination but also muscle wasting and even paralysis.

Nerves to the body’s organs symptoms

Nerve damage to the nerves that serve the body’s organs can cause organ or gland dysfunction. This type of damage can create organs functioning inadequately. It can affect the heart rate, it can create erectile dysfunction, it can effect v digestion, breathing, etc. etc.

Diabetic Neuropathy

Diabetic Neuropathy can flare up suddenly and affect specific nerves. This can develop double vision or dropping eyelids, or weakness and atrophy of the thigh muscles. Nerve damage caused by diabetes generally occurs over a period of years and may lead to problems with the digestive tract and sexual organs, which can cause indigestion, diarrhea or constipation, dizziness, bladder infections and erectile dysfunction.

Chemotherapy Caused Neuropathy

Neuropathy as a side effect of chemotherapy can cause these same symptoms can create a lack of coordination due to the motor nerves being affected and may even cause chemo-brain as there is evidence that this could be due, in part to nerve damage.

Peripheral Neuropathy affects at least 20 million people in the United States alone and per some reports is increasing.