My husband has idiopathic poly peripheral neuropathy. It was diagnosed about eight years ago, but we feel it had been going on before that. He is on two narcotics for pain and Lyrica. Due to the sleepiness caused by drugs and continual waking up due to pain his sleep cycles are completely screwed up. He seldom gets more than four hours sleep at a a time. He has fallen asleep standing up three times in the past three months and by the grace of God did not break anything or severly hurt himself. On top of this, he has become diabetic (was not the problem in the begining) and is on metformin which seems to be controlling his blood sugar, but he can't seem to leave sweets alone. In fact it seems almost like an addiction. I watch him going downhill everyday and I'm scared. Has anyone had any experience with any of these problems with their neuropathy?

I am so sorry. I am not diabetic and I do not eat sugar or bad carbs. No rice, white flour, cola, etc that spike high blood glucose. With my supplements and great diet keeping my sugar very even, it has all gotten so much better. It is important for the nerves to not have spikes or lows in glucose level.

So, if you husband is now diabetic he needs to stop the bad foods right away. It isn't easy, but if you want to heal the nerves and body you have to do it. Is he overweight? I think if you are normal weight, you do not get diabetes. I have heard doctors say that anyway. Losing weight is important.

Does he take supplements? I hope he will really try to get better and get on a great diet. There is a wonderful book called "Minding my Mitochondria" about nerves healing, diet etc. Food is medicine, it can do so much if we eat healthfully.

Hi lwilson, Welcome.

I'm not diabetic by any testing, but I'm overweight (to be kind to myself), a carboholic, chocoholic, have an insatiable sweet tooth, and sugar is definitely a trigger mechanism for me.

Odd as it may seem, by some definitions, your husband may be addicted to sweets. Two such definitions are:
20012011Does any of that jibe/sound familiar?

Excessive/widely fluctuating sugar levels can affect my sleep cycles, highten my perception of pain, and further damage nerves, exacerbating PN symptoms.

I am on a diet for intractable pain that is very low in carbohydrates, and high in protein & good fats, which not only helps control my pain, but it's the only diet I can lose weight on (albeit slowly).
http://pain-topics.org/pdf/IntractablePainSurvival.pdf

I have other pain issues than PN, and I'm intimately familiar with irregular sleep cycles (I use a cpap machine for obstructive sleep apnea). I have fallen asleep (and occasionally still do) in some very awkward situations. The best way I found to deal with that was to finally just let go and stop stressing about it. I try to keep as normal sleep patterns as I can (following all the sage wisdom for insomniacs), but like your husband, I can rarely sleep more than 4 hours at a time, so I do what I have to do: get up for a while, take naps, and sleep when I can.

Last year, after reading the work of Dr. Forest Tennant on hormone therapy for chronic/intractable pain, I had my adrenal hormone levels checked. Adrenal hormones can be depleted/suppressed by longterm chronic pain and/or opioid use. Insufficient hormones can affect sleep cycles and the perception of pain as well. Since undergoing some simple therapy under my doctor's supervision, I've experienced a dramatic improvement in many aspects of how I feel.
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread156416.html

What has helped my PN the most is learning all I can about PN, reading information here and elsewhere, keeping off the sugar, and getting on a regimen of supplements (discussed in this forum) that help control my PN symptoms, have halted its progression, and are now healing. The numbness that, at its worst went halfway up my calves, is now confined to the front half of my feet, and some sensation is returning there as well. If I kept eating sweets the way I used to most of my life, I have no doubts I'd be diabetic and my PN would be far worse than it is.

I won't tell you all this is easy. It takes resolve, a lot of (sometimes difficult) lifestyle changes, and the support of my wife & friends, but the longer I follow my "new rules" the better I feel and the easier it becomes. A live (in-person) support group is (IMO) best, but if not available, this is the next best thing. I can/will make no promises of results, but there is more information, experience, & support here than anywhere else I know of or can access.

Doc

Welcome to NeuroTalk:

Has your husband had testing for B12 levels? This needs to be done, especially now because metformin blocks B12 absorption.

There are some studies showing that sleep impairment, can affect blood sugar levels. When people cannot sleep, it may be due to poor melatonin synthesis. Melatonin synthesis is cofactored by methylcobalamin--the active form of B12.

If he is using acid blocking drugs alot for GERD, this also depletes B12.

So being low in B12 can have a serious impact on sleep quality.
Low B12 can also cause nerve damage, so getting tested and
being at least at 400, is the first thing you should examine.
Don't accept "normal" from a doctor, as lab ranges in US still report levels lower than 400 as "normal" when in effect they are seriously low.

This is my B12 information thread:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread85103.html

Also I would like to add that people who crave sweets may have episodes of LOW blood sugar. Since your husband is on metformin I'd make sure he is using a glucometer (preferably One Touch) and testing several times a day, to see if he can find times when he is very low.
Waking up at night with low blood sugar, and then hence a craving to eat is very common. It can be accompanied by vivid dreaming or nightmares which wake the person up. Also night sweats would signal a low period. Testing then may reveal lows which are important and should be addressed. Sometimes a small snack before bed helps. Either Glucerna (which is designed for diabetics) or a protein bar may help with the wakening. I would do alot of testing for a week or two to find trends with his blood sugars. It can help tremendously in the long run.

One Touch works with a chemical system that does not give false highs when other types of sugars besides glucose are ingested, so I think it is the most useful of the meters. You can get a free One Touch mini online. Most insurances pay for the strips (which are very expensive).

I have had sleep cycle problems my whole life, luckily there are tons of things he can try!
It is important to talk to a doctor, and rule out conditions like sleep apnea that might also be affecting sleep. A doctor can prescribe a sleep study to see what happens when he sleeps.
A person does not necessarily need continues sleep to get there required sleep for the day, for instance he could try sleeping twice a day for four hours, or three times a day, etc. It is probably more important to sleep at the same times each day though, so the circadian rythym does not go into a random cycle.
Also, natural sunlight during the day, avoid as much artificial light as possible, and only sit in the dark when it is night or time for rest!

For the sweets, the obvious would be to not buy them in the first place, so they are not around to eat! If he has problems with sweets, it will most likely be something that everyone in the house has to give up! Sugar is addictive, so anyone bringing home sweets would be fueling his addiction!

There are many healthy alternatives that taste sweet, and might help satisfy the need, but are still healthy!
This is something else to talk to the doctor about, have him refer you to a dietitian (or some sort of professional), who can direct you on what foods are out there, types of meals, etc. You can even get help with grocery shopping, things like what to look for on labels, or how to shop healthy within a budget, or even how to cook the meals!

If he is allowed to exercise, I would also recommend a personal trainer! A trainer can develop a exercise program taking into consideration his issues, and help to motivate him threwout the workouts.

Im so sorry to hear about your husbands condition and your own frustration level. Have you looked into mental health options???

...there may be an emotional component to his eating ( usually anxiety/worry/fear) that has been driving the sweets compulsion....some SSRIs (anti-depressants) can be easily tolerated by older adults, or a low dose BENZO (anti-anxiety) to address his behavior at the TRIGGER point.

You could also look into support programs and group therapy, possibly a mens group. Isolation in older males is a huge quality of life issue, and he may be using the sweets as a form of self medication.

Take Care