My most severe pain was when I was hypothyroid.

I just have that "endurance" personality!

I only used pain opiates one day after my 15in long C-section, too. Opiates make me very depressed and sick feeling.

I also use high gauss magnets at times. But not every day.
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...hlight=magnets
Magnets work best when placed over the offending nerve before it gets the the spine. I use the graphics mentioned on that thread to help with placement. Same idea as with Lidoderms.

I've been using d-ribose, to increase mitochondrial functions and it also helps me sleep better. This then translates to less pain.

But remember I have been on many supplements for a decade.
This helps too.

I believe the Vit D3 has been especially useful.

My PN is of the burning type, when active. I control it now by avoiding nightshade veggies and MSG which really trigger it.
Biofreeze really helps with burning.

Some people have food intolerances which make for more issues. So you may have to do an elimination diet to see if you are triggered by gluten, nightshade, citrus, or dairy.

Interesting! My docs "thought" I had Hoshimoto's because one test showed the antibodies but several done thereafter have been either borderline or w/in range so there's been no treatment. Thyroid issues can cause neuropathy?! I'm learning new things every day on here.

WOW, you are tough!! I have such a high pain tolerence for surgeries(2 csections as well w/ no follow up meds other then motrin), headaches, body aches, etc. but THIS is unlike anything i have experienced. Sometimes I contemplate getting off the meds to see if I could adjust- and then my husband says- WHY would you do that when you can get a couple more months pain free?! And of course, that makes sense too I am raising little girls ages 6 & 2with no fmaily around ..and well..they're girls, need I say more! I need all the help I can get! Every time I break thru the neurontin, I go as long a sI can before increasing. This last time I made it 3 weeks but finally couldnt take it anymore and gave in. Since im unwilling to go higher, I will be learning to "adjust" in 2 months w/out choice anyway as I'll break through again.

Did you have any thoughts on the metals?

If you tested high on the metals, I'd do the chelation.

It will remove beneficial things too...like copper and zinc, but most doctors will tell you to take supplements after.

Some things naturally chelate:
selenium is supposed to help remove mercury
(don't go over 200mcg/day for any length of time--- but if you are not getting selenium in you food, 100mcg a day may help)

And Alpha lipoic acid too.
This is an article about r-lipoic
http://www.advance-health.com/rlipoicacid.html

The supplements aren't working for me this month. I am having my worst ever symptoms of pain and burning.

I took 2 mg of melatonin to help me sleep last night. Could that be making things worse?

No I don't think melatonin can hurt.

But the shifting weather can! I've been sneezing up a storm today, and very tired... the wet leaves and mold are bothering me and the sudden barometric pressure shifts are disturbing.

I am going to have to restart my grapeseed extract now!

We've had some friends around here complaining too. So whatever makes nonPN people miserable can make us miserable too on top of everything else! Just my opinion.

For several months, I have been taking 1 gram per day of d-ribose in the hope of improving my energy level and resolving some of my fatigue. Disappointingly, I had mild to no result at 1 gram per day.

Recently, mrsD posted a link to a fibromyalgia site that recommended 15 g per day of d-ribose ( http://www.fibroandfatigue.com/the-a...-d-ribose.html ). I was prepared to take 15g, but I found noticeable improvement, for the moment, with 10 g. This is a small miracle for me, since fatigue has prevented me from doing much of anything at all. The effect of the larger dose was immediate and I now have the energy to get through the day, go to work and exercise. Let's hope things continue along this line.

N.B. I found a note on webmd.com that recommended d-ribose doses as high as 60 g per day.

I posted here that I started at 2.5grams a day and worked up to 10, which I didn't like, and then dropped down to 7.5grams which is where I stayed.

I don't feel comfortable in those high ranges--- the people who use it that way, commonly, are body builders who are putting on alot of muscle weight would would mean more muscle metabolism stress.

The link in my ribose thread contains a study, about whether ribose can cause elevated blood sugars. Since many here are possibly insulin resistant at least or prediabetic or impaired glucose tolerance and maybe some diabetic I don't feel comfortable giving advice in really high ranges without the research behind it to explain effects on blood glucose.

One gram a day, is not very much for this supplement. But over time it might still lead to some small improvements. Ribose is not common in our food chain.

When one purchases the d-ribose powder, (not capsules), it typically comes with a scoop. 10 grams/ teaspoonful. This supplement is meant to be taken by the gram.

I see that I must make a correction to my post above.

I had been taking 5 grams per day with little or no result. Then, I upped the dose to 50 grams per day with very good result.

mrsD, I'll have to track down your d-ribose thread and review it again, and do more research on side effects of d-ribose. I don't have diabetes or blood sugar issues (yet), and I would hate to have to give up this supplement and lose its effects, as it has made all the difference for me.

Thanks, as usual, for your great information and circumspect advice!

Well if 50 grams works for you, then maybe you really need it that high.

I don't feel comfortable with that high dose, because of that link, and also because high use of ribose may increase uric acid in the blood, and cause gout. This was mentioned in that link too, and also in this one:

http://chronicallyme.wordpress.com/2...make-you-sick/

Gout is very sneaky. In fact I think my ankle which has been bothering me alot for months may be gout, because of the reduced blood flow I have in it from the previous surgery.
My doctor agrees, and I have a slip for blood work, which I will take in next week to the hospital for testing.
You can have high levels of uric acid and no gout attacks, for a long time and boom... then you get one. So increasing uric acid in people with this tendency (some drugs like diuretics cause it too) is really not safe here either.

At the doses I used, I found a steady slow improvement with time. Perhaps taking more will give faster results, but once you are up there where you want to be, I'd consider slowing down on the ribose some, to a steady state lower maintenance amount. There are no studies on chronic use...but I suspect the systems get saturated over time, and the high amount may no longer be necessary. (unless you are building new muscle at a fast rate).

Keep in mind I don't have blood work on people here in front of me like a doctor would, to guide advice. I give conservative advice, and let the readers decide for themselves. That means it becomes YOUR responsibility to choose whether to take something and how much. Many people tolerate high doses of things that others can't. It is really impossible on the net to predict who is who.

I do think you understand that.

I hesitate to say this, because it sounds a little hysterical, but d-ribose at 50 g has been a little miracle for me. I feel like, in a fews days' time, I have gone from 1% energy level to 80% energy level. Nonetheless, I'll have to study the subject more.

It sounds as though you are saying that there is, or might be, a difference between an initial, effective treatment dose (say, 50g) and a lower, maintenance dose (say, 7-10 g). Yes?