For b12 I would use 5g of Metylcobalamin a day.
For b1 I would chose Benfotiamine 200mg, 3 times a day.

Both don't need to be converted to be used by the body. Plus Benfotiamine is lipid based so excess can be stored. Thiamine is water stored, so too much and the body just flushes it out like an other water base vitamin.

I haver got neuropathy partly from alcohol consumption, so I definitely sympathise. Although my feet have a lose of sensitivity it my left hand that is starting to go 'claw like'. Guess which hand I write with! I am off to the specialist this Thursday, which will possibly lead to some form of surgery. Take care. :cool:

Do you have a link to Dr Wise's website please

There is a rule here about posting links to other health forums.
You can Google Dr. Wise Young yourself and his website will come up and you can go there that way.

But I have read his opinion about alcohol induced neuropathy, which is several years old. At that time there were no studies showing direct alcohol effects on nerves in the periphery. So Dr. Young's thoughts at the time were that neuropathy that occurs with alcohol may be due to low nutrient status, and when that is fixed, the neuropathy goes away.

Since then there has been a new study on rats to show alcohol does damage peripheral nerves.

Another thing is that some people cannot metabolize the aldehydes that result during the metabolism of alcohol, and it is this chemical attack that damages the nerves. That is why thiamine and benfotiamine are recommended now for alcohol consumption with PN. It it thought that Flagyl and Antabuse which use this pathway also cause neuropathy symptoms in some patients.

I think it is highly individualistic. Some people can drink and not get PN and others do. This has to be a genetic difference in the metabolism of alcohol controlled by genes.

My doctor suggested vitamin b and thyamine supplements and flooding my system with glucose(lucosade) - this didnt work for me as I am not alcoholic(just the daughter of a recovering one) but he said it helped his alcoholic patients.
Someone also said smoking makes this worse - it stands to reaon that the smoke in your system will stop oxygen getting to the extremities so will starve the nerves.
Good luck in your sobriety

Another study on alcoholic PN
to read more please go to
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1174146-overview

I posted this in another "cig and neuropathy" post

My wife has taken a "drag or 2" from our daughters cigs (she's 22), and it DOES NOT help her (at least). Can't speak for anybody else.

Cyclops is right in saying that addictive things are addictive for a reason. No matter what, cigs can cause your neuropathy to get worse.
My wifes docter told her straight as can be.."If you continue smoking, even a little here and there, you WILL lose your legs. Smoking is one of the major causes, or at least speeds up the damage to limbs, for people with diabetes and neuropathy"....this scared my wife into quitting finally.

We have been smoke free for a couple of years now and feel much better health wise also since quitting.

I wouldn't even attempt using cigs for pain control, whether it works or not.... :cool:

JMO:
Any foreign matter put into the body is going to cause some damage sooner or later.
Cigs contain cyanide...this can do serious damage to a body over long time usage, especially to an already weakened body from diabetes.

I did hear that neuropathy gets worse with smoking due to the circulation. I am so sorry you are dealing with this at such a young age. My husband is 43 and has alcoholic neuropathy. The sad thing is the pain is so severe on his feet he drinks to numb the pain. This all started in November 2009 but progressed very rapidly. I really hope I can get some support at this website. I did buy some supplements ** about a week ago. I really hope it works. He has an appointment on thursday with the top neurosurgeon. He was also taking lisinoprin for high blood pressure which we were told could cause the neuropathy and he stopped taking that about 5 days ago. thanks for your post

Hi Nide,
Thanks. My husband got the numbness on the bottom of his feet and toes November of 2009. the pain is so severe and he is only 43. How do you live with the pain every day? The doctor gives him xanax, and oxycodone and he takes so much of it, it is gone in 12 days instead of 30, just to relieve the pain. I really do not like to see him in that state (zombie). Also he still drinks to numb the pain. It is a horrible roller coaster. He drinks to numb the pain and what he is drinking is causing more damage. It is very very scary. He says he wants to quit though. So I am trying not to nag him. I told him this is his body, and he has to live with it everyday. He needs a lifestyle change. But it is his choice, and then I drop it. He drinks about 6 beers a day. It used to be a lot more, years ago.

Alcohol will only make the PN worse - permanently.
I know!!
He needs to see a PN specialist. a
A neurologist who specializes in treating neuropathy.
Many do not and are not equipped with the correct information,
nor are up to date on proper treatment.
(Do not expect to find one around the corner at your general neurologist's office.)
Only then will he get the proper medications to treat both his symptoms
and the pain.
Johns Hopkins, Jack Miller Center, Cornell - Weill, Mayo Clinics - are a few places that have PN specialist neuros to do this. There are others around the country.