Thanks, Sally. I think you are definitely right about how all these things work together.

By the way - how much ALA do you take daily -and what's the brand and dosage?

The reason why I never took ALA was because I thought it was for use in PN only with those that have diabetes. I don't have diabetes, so I kind of brushed it off before I heard other great things about it.

I learned it's been used for diabetic neuropathy in Germany for many years.

I just did a lot of research on ALA from sites such as Live strong, Web MD and the University of Maryland, and now I feel that it also helps with some other health issues I am starting to notice as I get older.

My main concern was if it had any bad side effects -the worst one I found so far, was it might cause some painful cramps in the beginning of its usage...and even that seems quite rare, too.

I'm still researching this, but it seems to be something I definitely want to try out, as I've heard that it helps so much with reducing Neuropathy pain whether its diabetic or caused by toxins.

I'm just trying to figure out if it will interact with the 0.5 clonazepam/klonapin I have to take daily. If not - it seems like a safe vitamin to start trying.

As always, I really appreciate any advice and insight into this.:)

Many posts are on this very forum about lipoic acid. 400+

You can type in "lipoic acid" into our search function and
read them. Some are from older members who have moved on, but it has been a growing topic here for YEARS.

There have been improvements, in solubility and lowering of cost for it as a result, just recently.

This is one long thread as an example:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...ht=lipoic+acid

Your body makes lipoic acid, and with age or illness this may fail, and supplements may help. In Japan lipoic acid is very very popular.

I cannot give you a search result string for this search because our software will not accept a link by another poster in a post here for their own search. Each person has to do there own.

(Also be aware that ALA abbreviation is also used for an omega-3 fatty acid called Alpha Linolenic Acid. If you see ALA in a topic make sure of the context so you don't hit on the wrong ALA.)

The best resource on the web IMO is Linus Pauling Institute from Univ. of Oregon. It is fairly up to date and comprehensive.
On PubMed if you search, you may have to use the alternate name for lipoic acid which is thiotic acid. The chemical papers and non-American sources use the term thiotic often.

Many of us here use the new stabilized form NaRALA, from Doctor's Best. It is very affordable and one only needs 100mg a day or so.
The old racemic mixture is 600mg -1800mg a day and is only 50% active and has poor absorption. Expect to pay alot of money for this
from most suppliers. There are papers going back 30 yrs or more, mostly from Japan and Europe on this supplement.

My integrative MD chooses each brand. He looks into all supplements and constantly goes to conferences, etc to learn the latest research, and he likes various brands.
http://www.xymogen.com/products/prod...il.aspx?pid=11

I also take Alpha Lipoic Acid Supreme (Designs for Health) later in the day.

ALA is good for so many reasons, not just for diabetes. I don't have that.

It does so many things for us. I like that it raises glutathione, and it works with other supplements for our mitochondra.

Big thanks to both of you.:) I now take 300mg a day of regular b1 thiamin, so that was kind of an issue with me concerning ALA, but basically they say if we're taking B1 supplements, the drop caused by ALA won't be very much at all. I'm hoping that's true.

My decision to start taking ALA soon is more based on the possible benefits it brings to overall health, including cancer prevention, eye, prostate, lung, and circulatory health as well.

Still, looking to see if interacts with Clonozepam, but haven't found a peep about that on the net just yet. But it's an important thing to research before I start taking it.

As it is, my PN pains are often very frequent, but largely low-level pain these last 2 months - even in a flare-up and they are no where near the pain I used to have 4 months ago.

But I'd love to feel better and anything that was actually being prescribed as a natural healing agent for PN and its symptoms is obviously very interesting to all of us.

The only thing I find disconcerting about ALA is that in Germany, when it's used for diabetic neuropathy it is mainly used in IV form and not given out much as an oral pill to take by mouth.

I would NEVER inject anything into my body. But was wondering if taking the ALA by mouth was still effective in treating PN?

I'm also glad to hear that my local Walmart has now updated a pretty sizable vitamin isle. Hopefully I can save some money now instead of dishing out so much cash at my GNC. So I'm interested in checking that out soon, too.:D

Ah...almost forgot an important question here - I was wondering about dosage. I want to try out ALA but I'm not sure what an appropriate dosage would be to start out with. I want to see if it will reduce my PN pains, but don't want to start out at a high dosage. I'm thinking maybe 100mg or 200mg maximum daily -although I hear 800mg is what's used for PN patients. Still, I don't want to start out taking such high dosages, especially since I intend to take it for a long period of time.

What is an appropriate starting dose?

100mg a day average for R-lipoic stablized improved form.

600mg to 1800mg a day for the old racemic ALA.

The doses are posted all over this forum. All you have to do is look.

I have never seen ALA suggested for prostate issues.

Go to Linus Pauling Institute .....
example:
http://search.oregonstate.edu/?q=lip...fault_frontend

To find drug /supplement interactions :

drugs. com
University of Maryland Alternative Medicine

Yep, I found them. Thanks for a clear answer, too. I'm currently reducing my clonazepam some, so I'm still looking to see if taking ALA would interact, but found nothing on it so far. That's the only thing holding me back on buying it just yet. ...Thanks again.

The info on prostate health and ALA is on the Live-Strong website. :D

What I have seen on that site you mention (and it is very watered down for laymen)...is a study on tissues in a dish--in vitro, and not living systems either animal or human (in vivo).

I am sorry I don't have the time to post in detail right now, as I have been seriously ill, and waiting for my first round of blood testing to come back. So my time on the computer is limited.

Lipoic acid is an antioxidant, and research on it is still going on.
You are going to find all sorts of things, but some are not going to be pertinent to you today.

The drug checker at drugs.com is quite good. Also you can ask your pharmacist to check their data base for interactions of supplements with clonazepam. But none of these data bases are 100% reliable as things change in the medical and biochemical world fairly quickly.

How to take alpha lipoic acid and how much is on these forums.

I hope you will be better and the blood tests come back with good results, Mrs.D.

Ditto. Hope your tests will come back O.K.

@mrsD: Hope you feel better soon. You are in my thoughts as well.