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It's weird I guess - when I drink vodka, I do notice some slight irritation, but that might also be from the stuff I mix it with. Wine I can't stomach very much at all. This is why I stick with lower alcohol Light beers when I do drink.

I don't think I NEED the beer. What I NEED is to be calm and happy. The beer, just offers a temporary doorway to that. Honestly, what seems to be the theme here, is that drinking in moderation is doable if it doesn't flare up our pn. Even the PN center websites say this.

The debate is what is considered "moderate" and which drink is the best tolerated by each of us?

In my case, my pn was diagnosed by three different doctors from three different hospitals and with another extra evaluation.

There is no doubt by me or my physicians that Cipro was the cause (although they blame me for mixing it with NSAIDS & Benzoz)

Basically they tell me that despite my urologist saying it was fine to take Naproxen with it (he even wrote me the prescription) that it was my responsibility to know not to mix Clonazapam, Naproxen and Cipro.

I was Like, dude, how the heck was I supposed to know that!? I trusted this doctor and I got very hurt because of it. BTW, that is why I'm so paranoid about taking things like the A L Carnitine (I'd love to see the article about it helping the thyroid -it would put my mind at ease) and such - just still paranoid about what I put in my body, I guess.

I asked if I may have gotten pn from alcoholic consumption, but they told me that my drinking history was not even close to causing it. Further more, they said it would have come on gradually, not suddenly, as it did when I was on the Cipro treatment.

One doctor told me it would be astronomical that my pn was NOT caused by the Cipro and that he'd seen the same exact thing happen to someone else. But unfortunately, his predication that it would fade out in a few weeks was wrong. He was an ER doctor.

I've noticed that ER doctors seem more truthful and candid than primary doctors in general, but I don't really know why this is.

Now, although they disagree on my prognosis, they ALL believe my pn was caused by mixing Cipro, NSAIDS and Clonazepam...Ironically the very things I was prescribed by my urologist to take together for my prostate infection over a year ago.

This was indeed the very first diagnosis I was given when I went to the ER for the first time - he even took the wrapper off of the Cipro bottle and pointed out where it warned about peripheral Neuropathy in these very tiny letters. ...I felt like a fool for not noticing it -I'm usually so attentive of such things.

Since then, I have improved dramatically, but still not healed completely. One doctor says I'll never heal completely - my other neurologist says "According to my rate of healing, I'll either be healed completely or nearly so within another year.

Back to the subject; I upped my beer intake from 4 beers to 6 after I got off of the clonazepam. This was also after my sister had passed away and now even my cat had been run over and left in the street like garbage. (I gave it a great and caring burial though)

Also about the guy who says he smokes weed to ease his pain: I don't know much about Marijuana, so I'm sorry if I misjudged users of it. To me, if it helps you without harming you, then it's alright in my book. It might not be for me, but I could see how it could help others.