thanks suzanne and mrs D

i will check amazon for the Lipoic when i run out.
just got to remember to toss it down my throat when i am running on empty stomach !.
am getting better at it.

the statins
the dam statins
my chol is way too high to stop right now....given it has not changed my pain levels when i went off it a few years ago for whatever reason.
i had forgotten that til right now.
i was actually off them for maybe around a year and it was one of my worst periods pain wise so i cant make a connection there for me.
my chol has never ever been normal even when i was younger and a very normal weight.......and extremly active at work and at home.
now i can walk 20 mins on a good day at best.
however......statin free on the list of things to aim for and i will discuss it with the endo i see. she is probably fairly conservative but if i dont like her there is another option who is going to be way more expensive but lot better looking and younger
i will also raise it with the PN specialist neuro... who is a woman with a major brain and who will see me when i want. i dont bother much really.
she has sent me for some extraordinary tests to find about my balance and BP and heat control issues.......so i have to go there ready to stop her referring me for something new
once or maybe once a year and once to my regular everyday neuro who is good at patting on the head and being nice is about it.
the PN neuro is good value as she travels internationally more times than i have meals out so she is going to be (hopefully) wired into what is the happening things .

if i do the metformin i will watch the B12 levels ...thanks Mrs D. i supplement anyway .
i have two friends who have odd diseases and who have done well on B12 but so far going over the top of the range for me has shown nothing in the way of improvement. i would love to add in more neurontin... but even at lower doses it is not compatible with regular daytime life . total of 500 mg a day is not much

i am doing a dietitian supervised diet which is ones own choice of food but within a range for slow weight loss. more an education thing than anything.
now i have the raised insulin levels i qualify for diabetes education so will look at that with interest .

moving house is proving a challenge and the next few weeks will send me more insane than the past two weeks

thanks for the support

hi

been gone for a bit and not bought new lipoic acid.
it has been a long story and i have even more questions to ask but will come back for those

right now i need to get the lipoic.... and looking on amazon......are there any recommendations for brand/quality/price ?
dose ???
is the sustained release version useful??
it would be good if it only had to be taken once a day eg

many thanks for any wisdom

i cant post a link to the amzon page i got as i dont have enough posts

Doctor's Best is the brand most of us use. It is very good quality and affordable.

R-lipoic acid 100mg once a day, Stabilized form.
http://www.amazon.com/Doctors-Best-S...9297019&sr=8-1

Be careful on Amazon as there are duplicate entries with different prices.

Also available at a similar discount at iherb.com
iherb ships to Australia... not sure about Amazon however.

Do you eat sugar? I stopped that and bad carbs even though I have very good glucose numbers. Has been wonderful for me.

that product is not shipped here sadly.
amazon has arrangements to not upset some aussie retailers of some goods that some aussies like to import soooooo much cheaper

looks like iherb is the go.

what dosage of that brand is everyone taking?
i am doing 1100 mg of the alpha lipoic.

many many thanks .....again

ETA..sorry....i see the dosage and have ordered ...thanks

i am on a pretty decent carb level.
my glucose numbers are good
i had a glucose test along with insulin levels and the results are not good.
i am to start metformin 4 weeks ago but have had other problems and have delayed starting it so as i dont get side potential side effects mixed up

glad you are doing well

I don't recall if you are still taking the statins for cholesterol?

If so you need to supplement CoQ-10 as well. Statins block the natural synthesis in the liver of CoQ-10 which is a natural substance we need for muscle and cardiac health and energy.

So look into that option as well.
about 300mg of oil based form (soft gelcap)
or 100mg a day of the new water based soluble type.

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/c...q10-000295.htm

thanks very much MrsD.
you are such a great mine of information.
i have not tackled going off the statins.
the dose will come down probably soon tho.
the bit of weight i have lost has allowed me, so far, to get my BP meds down a bit. the statins are next in line after i get onto the metformin which will be after i sort out my cardiac irregulatities.

it has been a torrid last few months !!

My name is River.......and for years I cried me one!!!

I suffered with PN for YEARS with no relief and prayed for the good Lord to take me. It finally occurred to me to see a doctor. I won't bother you with all the treatment he put me on because I want to get right to the one that WORKS!

I had nasty sores break out on my legs. A nurse came to the house 3 times a week to treat them, for 2 years. Finally she called the doctor and wanted me to go to the hospital, and so that's where he sent me. Upon admission they found my heart rate was 177 when it shouldn't be over 100. The nurse told me later they expected me to die.....nice eh? lol They called in the heart specialist and he started me on a few meds, IV. While in there for 2 weeks I had NO PN pain whatsoever! None, including the week after. 3 weeks with no pain, I couldn't believe it!

Next time I saw him I asked why and he said he mixed up a little cocktail for my IV.....LIDOCAINE!

I now go to the hospital once a month and have lidocaine infusion. I've been doing this for over a year now and it's a miracle worker. I also take Gabapentin caps 3 times a day........that's it! Trust me people, the lidocaine infusion works. Now your system might get used to the dosage in which case they just increase it.

I'd love to hear if anyone else has found this treatment helpful.

I live in Ontario, Canada