and low and behold one of the side effects is pins and needles......huh? That is exactly one of the sensations I am trying to relieve by taking it.
Doesn't exactly give me a warm and fuzzy feeling...........

What to do, I ask?

I never had any side effects from either alpha type (which didn't seem to do anything for me) or

the newer r-lipoic type, which seems to help.

The only side effect I have seen reported here was some heartburn from the alpha type, since it is an "acid" albeit very weakly.

What is lipoic acid?
from http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/a...oic-000285.htm

You might want to combine it with benfotiamine as well. (or regular thiamine).

I'm going to try this too. Will be interested to see what it does for you since we are so similiar in symptoms.

Wonder how long you have to take it to see if it helps.

how long before it is supposed to help, I sure hope soon though, noticing these internal tremor (from Gab.) are getting worse, if I have to increase any more I'll be shaking like a leaf!

I have started the Benfotiamine already.

You might see improvements within a month. Small ones.

The supplements take a while, but not a LONG while as a rule.

Depending on whether this is a solution for you...that is.

It took a while to get to where you are, so metabolically it will take some time to reverse.

The slowest supplement I ever did was d-ribose.

Benfotiamine was pretty quick for me. (so is thiamine).

I didn't feel anything with alpha. I use the r-lipoic now.
But some here do get results with the alpha form.

Dear mrsD
i read on another topic you said that a supplement could help specifically for toxic pn.
Do you know with r-lipoic can help with neuropathy from physical injury?
my main symptom is stiffness at the right foot, burning either hot or freezing.
im taking B12, B1 which has been helping
im thinking to take cayenne too, read that can help nerve regeneration
these supplements can be expensive, so i want to try something that might help in my case. I tried alpha lipoic and didnt make any difference, just for pocket
thank you
lots of love

I started Alpha Lipoic Acid 600mg daily, back in August and I have had what I consider "tremendous results" from it. As Mrs. D. said, the only side effect I have noticed is occasional heartburn that might last 5-10 minutes. I can usually prevent it by taking it with a meal or milk. The only other thing I have noticed is a slight smell to my urine (sorry if that is TMI) right after I take the dose. Since starting the ALA I have cut down from 2400mg of Neurontin per day to 300 mg at night. I also take Tramadol 50 mg maybe 2 or 3 times a week. That's it. I feel really blessed and hope that I continue to do well, but if it came back full strength tomorrow I would be grateful for the good days I have had and will pray that the good days will return again someday. I am in a good place now but have been in a really dark place before so I am able to empathize and sympathize. Good luck.......I would give it a try....what do you have to lose? PS once I started taking it, I noticed results in about 10 days with increased improvement over time. Hope this helps.

kpRN, what were your symptoms before you started the ALA? Invisable and I have no diagnosis, yet we have similiar symptoms. Just wondering if your symptoms were similiar to ours.....thanks

My symptoms were numbness /tingling / burning / itching mostly of the hands with some involvement of the feet. I would have areas that I would feel a vibration (like I had my cell phone in my pocket) when there was nothing there. Sometimes the burning would be so bad, a breeze would send me into orbit. My fingers felt huge, rubbery and useless. I couldn't pick up things from the table if I wasn't able to see them, like pills, etc because I couldn't feel them in my fingers. I had occasional tremors for no reason. My legs would feel weak at times, heavy at times too. I did finally get a diagnosis of SNF polyneuropathy from Cleveland Clinic after seeing other docs for 14 years. I think people around me thought I was out of my mind because all tests were coming back normal, year after year. I thought I was going crazy. The ALA has been a godsend for me. And to think I can get a 2 month supply at CVS for 18.00, AFTER a 40K work-up. Kind of makes me laugh......in a way.