I would love to know if supplements really do help w/ pn pains.. I don't want to take gaba because I had a nightmarish withdrawal from benzodiazepines that were rxed me for sleep.. I would like to avoid anything that could potentially be addicting or mess with cognition... I just recently read about benfotiamine and have been taking 1000/ mg per day of life extension mega benfotiamineFor a few weeks now it seems to help w/ the buzzing in my feet but I still have burning and numbness.. how long should I take it or any supplement for that matter for it to help... I just started taking r-ala 200 from a sports supplement company , but I now just read that stabilized is better and it doesn't say that it is .. It's a 90 day supply .. I 'd hate to take it for 3 months and have it do nothing if the stabilized version is better...I also started taking Kirklands (Costco)brand methyl b12 5000 mcg.. My concern here as with any supplement is the quality of manufacture... Anyone know if Kirklands is a reliable brand... I also take qunol ubiquinol 100 mg .. I don't know if it helps with pn but it dramatically improved my cholesterol .. So that's what I take... B-12, ubiquinol , benfotiamine and r- ala... Is there anything else I should be taking that members have found helpful? Your input and insights would be greatly appreciated ... Also, while shopping at Walmart I came across Dr Teals pure Epsom Salt Foot Cream reasonably priced @ 5.00 for an 8 oz tube .. Thought I would give that a shot as well... Thanks again

The additional supplements on my list, are Acety L- Carnitine (probably my favorite.) It helps my brain and libido and as far as I can tell helps with the burning; Vitamin D; and a good fish oil for inflammation.

Yes, stabilized R-Lipoic acid has been shown to be better. As for Gaba some people it helps, some it doesn't and the same with the cognition side effect. I take only 300 mg at night to help reduce my symptoms so I can sleep.I 'm not sure how much it helps but it's a very small dose and I'm not willing to up it. It's hard to say if it effects my cognition as chronic burning seems to do that.

I don't know who manufactors Kirkland supplements or their suppliers. Good question.

I use an Epsom Salts cream and it helps me a lot with twitches and light burning. I also like Aspercreme with Lidocaine lotion for burning.

. Thank you pinkynose. I will definitely try the l-carnitine. How much of it to you take and any particular kind... I'll start with the d as well.. I bought a bottle of lidocaine today...

I use the Jarrow brand of Acetyl L- Carnitine because I needed it in a lesser strength (250mg) and it was hard to find. The 500mg effected my sleep even though I took it in the AM. (I'm a tiny person and sleep sensitive) I think the regular amount is 500mg but I'm not sure. I use several different supplement companies. I try to get them as clean as possible meaning without lots of fillers, etc., but that's just me.

It's really difficult to say for sure whether supplements work, which ones do and how much is needed. The precision is lacking because of lack of funding and controlled studies. So you have yourself as the test subject. I usually giver it at least a week, possibly two or even longer to see if a new supplement works. I use different brands, always focusing on the purest ingredients with fewest additives and fillers. I use Doctor's Best Benfotiamine, 300 twice a day, and use a number of products from Pure Encapsulations, which though more expensive is pure and uses quality ingredients. I also take vitamin C, B12 and folate, and D and a few others. MrsD., and other will likely chime in too.

Soon I'll add Acety L- Carnitine like Pinkynose and look forward to trying it.

good luck!

Thanks for that david.. I just ordered the alca myself.. From what I've read I believe from MrsD it can take much longer for these things to work certainly longer than a week.. But good question .. How long should one take a supplement before giving up... I'd love to hear from MrsD

Alot depends on the person, as to how long, one needs to take a supplement to see improvement.

For some people with long standing severe deficiencies, rapid onset of improvements may occur. B12 can do this, as it replenishes you.

But on the whole, repair is a slow process. Often improved sleeping can be quick, however. I found that topical magnesium can be obviously noticeable within an hour or so, and if applied at night it can help sleeping for that period.

For me the effects were pretty immediate. However, what has been my experience with most supplements and pharmas, etc., now that my body is used to it I can't tell as much. The real test for me now is what happens when I stop taking it.

Some things work immediately and don't need even a week or a day or an hour. It depends. With vitamin D3 I knew immediately; my energy and motivation was through the roof and the first night I couldn't sleep very much. With some that gave rise to a negative reaction, again, I knew immediately. With others, say B-complex, a week was sufficient to know that it increased my energy. It depends from person to person, from condition to condition, and so on and so forth.

But yes, if you mean long-term impact or healing of the nerves to be precise, that certainly takes a long time and is not at all obvious. So this is pretty much to echo what MrsD and Pinky have already said, including that over time the affect diminishes, say as with vitamin D in my case. It's all a fascinating, fun and art times frustrating experiment.

Good luck!