Thanks, I'm reading up on both and will give them a try. Insurance pays for Gabapentin so its basically free, but big pharma appears to want return customers instead of fixing anything. My neuropathy started after radiation for thyroid cancer, but doctors have told me that it's not related. I wonder about the timing though.

OP: Nothing is Free. More and more deaths from drug interactions and procedures every year. Doctors say whatever they want their patients to hear, I don't trust the medical industry. I've been around a long time and have seen and gone thru a lot myself and loved ones and friends.

After I just posted to you I thought of this story from a friend. She's gone thru yrs of radiation for cancers on her legs and ended up with with HORRID yrs of neuropathy and all her doctor would say to her, don't know what the neuropathy is from. She was NOT SMART enough to see thru this MD. She trusted docs, their medicine and believed them....she finally got on grape seed extract and got off the gab...

Caroline 2, I'm giving inosine a try and I really like it so far. Thank you for the recommendation. I will update after a while but I think its a winner

Good and read other reviews too.

Hi ricky, any updates on how inosine is working for you?

Still working with the Inosine. Having difficulties finding dosage instructions related to neuropathy. When I take 1500 I can actually feel circulation in my feet and lower legs for the first time in years. Without proper guidance, I am hesitant to take that large of a dose on a regular basis.
The information I have been able to find is very vague on dosage. Any members able to point me in the right direction?

The whole literature on Inosine is vague, frankly. From my limited understanding it is a chemical developed by the Eastern Bloc in the 1970s to enhance athletic performance. It was developed as a cheat drug and remains a dubious ingredient in the body building world. There is no evidence to support it's efficacy with respect to any sport. Any claims made are false.

However it has been show to promote nerve regeneration and has been used to treat MS and Parkinson's and as a potential pain reliever. I bought it on the strength of Caroline2's recommendation at the height of my symptoms. Due to Covid 19 lockdown and, I think it was imported from USA, it took over a month to arrive by which time my symptoms had subsided somewhat.

I have Swanson Inosine 60 veggie capsules 500mg. The "suggested use" is 'Take one capsule two times per day with water.' The Swanson Website itself makes vague claims about the benefits of Inosine and there are five 5 star reviews that smack of fakery. However Inosine is cheap and HealthMonthly.co.uk effectively delivered it for free such was the delay.

I can't find any upper dosage or toxicity information about Inosine. In the study quoted below they inject mice with 70mg/kg Inosine suggesting you are nowhere near a large dose.

I have taken maybe 1 or 2 tablets a day for about a month and have not noticed anything. But nerve regeneration is a slow process and did not expect to. I am astonished that a supplement like this can have such an effect on you. How can you be so sensitive? How can a chemical that affects nerves act on your blood supply? What is it's duration of action? The only similar experience I have is the effect of a cold shower.( It boosts the immune system) It sends a neural wave down my legs and into my feet. I become very aware of my skeleton for a few seconds.

The problem I have is that I have taken every suggested supplement for PN so I don't know what works, if anything. I will however continue to take Inosine because it has been proven to help nerve regeneration.


Here is a study that finds Inosine promotes nerve regeneration.

Inosine Accelerates the Regeneration and Anticipates the Functional Recovery after Sciatic Nerve Crush Injury in Mice - ScienceDirect.

I would be interested to hear of your continued experience with Inosine and from anyone else.

Atticus this is the program that has worked for me for 5-6 years, Inosine is being added to the mix.
Name
Dose Per
Rationale / Comments
------------------
Vit B12
1,000 - 6,000 mcg day
Boosts nerve function. Is required for and dramatically speeds nerve healing. Compensates for possible deficiency. Use sublingual methylcobalamin if available, or 1,000 mcg of cyanocobalamin if not. Take IN ADDITION TO the B-complex. Up to 36,000 mcg/day injected are prescribed in Japan for PN.
------------------
B-complex
B-50 1/day
Needed for energy, nerve function, nerve healing. A B-50 formulation is about twice as strong as a regular B-complex. Two B-50s or one B-100 is at the upper safety limit. Take with breakfast so it help your body utilize your food all day.
------------------
Folate or folic acid
Up to 1200 mcg. 1/day
An important component in nerve function, shown to be deficient in many cases of neuropathy. Helps fight depression and bipolar disorder. Check the folate level in your B-50, and supplement with enough to bring your folate intake to 800 - 1200 mcg/day. Men with neuropathy need more than women. If it doesn’t help within about six weeks, the amount in your B-50 should be sufficient.
------------------
Vit C
250 mg./day. The latest research is that this is all we can use. Not needed if you eat a good diet since almost all fruit and veggies have vitamin C. Antioxidant, heals nerves.
------------------
Vit E mixed tocopherals.
400 iu /day
Antioxidant, heals nerves. More than 400 iu of cheap sythesized l-alpha-tecopheral can cause heart problems. Formulations with plenty of gamma-tocopherals and are heart and nerve healthy. Is a blood thinner. Ask your doctor if you take prescription blood thinners.
------------------
Acetyl-L-Carnatine
500 mg. 2/day
Heals nerves, reduces pain, improves memory, elevates mood and increases energy. Works with Alpha lipoic acid. 3,000 mg./day heals nerves and reduces pain over a year's use in several studies. That would be very costly, but worthwhile if you can afford it.
------------------
Alpha Lipoic Acid
800 mg. day
Antioxident. 800 mg./day is prescribed in Europe for PN. Help all tissue repair and nerve function. The only antioxidant that gets into neurons because it is both fat and water soluble. Works with the Acetyl-L-Carnatine
------------------
SAMe
400 - 1200 mg 1/day on an empty stomach
Methyl donor. Potent antioxidant. Help vitamins and enzyme systems work. Fights depression, aids sleep, anti-arthritic. Helps liver detoxification. Ask your doctor if you have bipolar disorder because it can increase manic phase symptoms. Expensive, so start with 1200 mg/day, then taper to 400 or 800 mg. after two weeks.
------------------
Calcium/Magnesium
500 mg. Magnesium 2/day
Nerve and muscle function, bone strength. Magnesium helps stop twitches, cramps, and fascilations, reduces pain, lowers blood pressure, and prevents heart disease. Take a formulation of easily absorbed acid salts or chelates. Potassium, calcium, and magnesium are all required for muscle and nerve function. Potassium is in most fruit and vegetables. Too much Ca/Mg can cause kidney stones. The proper ration is two parts of elemental calcium to one of magnesium. A caution: magnesium citrate is a potent laxative. If you start supplementing with magnesium and get the runs, try another formulation or cut down the amount.
------------------
Fish Oil
1000 mg 2-3/day
Antioxidant. Promote joint health, circulatory system health. Anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic. Omega 3 fatty acids. Specific for neuropathy. Lower blood pressure. Moisturizes skin and makes hair shiny. Is a blood thinner. Ask your doctor if you take prescription blood thinners.
------------------
Flax seed
2 tbsp. day
Omega 3 fatty acids. Helps your digestion, blood circulation, general nerve and muscle function. Flax seed has lignins which provides cancer protection.
------------------
Milk thistle
200 mg-70% 3/day
Stimulate and promote liver detoxification. Use only if needed: if the liver is sore or if you were exposed to toxins or drugs.
------------------
PB-8 or other probiotic formula.
1 or 2/day
Probiotics-ensure good amount and healthy balance of intestinal bacteria. Healthy intestinal bacteria produce many nerve essential compounds. Live culture yogurt is a probiotic that has the same beneficial effect, if you can handle the small amount of milk sugar in it.
------------------
Coenzyme Q-10
50 mg, 2/day. Necessary for muscle and nerve function. Compensate for depletion caused by some drugs such as statins.
------------------
DHEA
50 mg. in morning on empty stomach
Promotes healing, energy, libido. Most people over 50 need to supplement with DHEA. Recommended by Life Extension Foundation for peripheral neuropathy.

I've been taking 1500 in the morning along with 900 gabapentin and really like the result. Adding compression socks is a plus too.
I take the inosine every other day, with the Wings 42 list of supplements on the alternate days.
I have concerns of Inosine creating kidney stones, which is listed as a possible side effect. I eliminated calcium from the supplements to help.
Just reporting what is working for me.