[Lily]

I am trying to recover from beriberi I got from malabsorption due to several food intolerances. I was wondering if anyone else had this type of polyneuropathy and how successful their recovery was. How much thiamine should be taken a day and for how long?

[mrsD]

understanding that true diagnosed beriberi (which diagnosis in this country is
rare even when present) requires IV administration for a while (at least 2 weeks).

Oral doses may be 100-300mg daily orally, in divided doses. Thiamine is
excreted rapidly thru the urine. It is typically non-toxic and inexpensive.

I would test your absorption ability by taking a B-50 and timing when your
urine become bright yellow/green. If this happens, that means you do absorb.

Some people have genetic errors in acetaldehyde dehydrogenase enzymes. These people require high dose thiamine all the time irrespective of oral absorption.

[Lara]

Lily, I'm sorry to read that you're having this problem. I hope it can fixed soon so that you're returning to good health fast. It'd be very rare I would have thought to be diagnosed with beriberi these days unless living in certain parts of the world.

Aren't there different types of beriberi and the different types affect different parts of the body? I also think that alcoholism can involve symptoms of beriberi and if treated those symptoms can get better almost immediately if treated correctly... Anyone know about this? mrsd?

My father had beriberi from being POW in Burma and starved for nearly 4 years. His physical condition improved somewhat once the war was over and he got back home to a proper diet but some symptoms persisted all of his life. I guess it depends on the type of damage that the beriberi has caused initially.

I'd suggest you also post over on the Gluten Sensitivity/Celiac Disease board here http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forumdisplay.php?f=13

I would have thought in this day and age that prompt treatment for beriberi would turn things around for the better in a very short time. I'm no doctor, but if I had been diagnosed with beriberi myself, I'd be in the doctor's office demanding the fastest and safest way of getting the thiamine back into my body. I'd also look at my diet. If you can't eat unrefined grains or meat, bulk up your diet on other thiamine containing foods... green leafy vegies etc.. Don't eat anything in it with thiaminases. Some fish contain thiaminase.

http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/...hiaminase.html

[mrsD]

good overall monograph on thiamine:

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/thiamin/

This site has more "medical" information:
http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec01/ch004/ch004g.html

[Lara]

Thanks for those.

[charlotte]

Originally Posted by Lily

I am trying to recover from beriberi I got from malabsorption due to several food intolerances. I was wondering if anyone else had this type of polyneuropathy and how successful their recovery was. How much thiamine should be taken a day and for how long?

Hi Lily,

I have had malabsorption issues myself and was diagnosed with neuropathy. I had no pulse in my feet 10/30/07. My doctor was unsure what to do about my feet so I began searching on in internet for neuropathy medications, etc. It appears that neuropathy may come from a thiamine deficiency and I found a b-1 fat soluable thiamine called benfotiamine that proclaimed many users were being treated successfully. This product was formerlly a prescrip medication prescribed by German doctors for diabetic neuropathy. I gave it a try and within a few days the pain in my feet was much improved. Probably around 80% so. I'm on my third bottle and I have N O pain! You can check out my testimonial at benfotiamine.org. My case report is somewhere around #36, not sure exactly my number but it will be signed c zahnd. I am now on my third bottle and have had amazing results. Hope this helps you out!

[shelmericks]

Originally Posted by Lily

I am trying to recover from beriberi I got from malabsorption due to several food intolerances. I was wondering if anyone else had this type of polyneuropathy and how successful their recovery was. How much thiamine should be taken a day and for how long?

I have been taking about 400 mg of B1 a day in two doses. Sometimes I break it into three doses. It seems if I don't take it every 4-5 hours, the pins and needles feeling and head tics come back. No doctor has been able to tell me why this is happening? The daily requirment is only 1.5 mg. But, I need much more. I had no b1 or b5 in my body at all. I went for about 1 year before it was found. Maybe longer? I have three kinds of neuropathy.
And, I have food sensitivities as well. As long as I stay away from the foods, my G.I. upsets are at bay. I have been told it can take 6-12 months for the nerves to heal. I have nerve damage in my brain as well. And tachycardia of the heart.

I have been taking it for three months now. I don't recommend you stop it ever. Once you have a malabsorbtion, you should be on it for life. And all your other vitamins should be tested regularly. I have about 5 vitamin/minerals that I don't absorb due to food I guess? We have ruled out everything else except leaky gut. That is next.

Susan

[mrsD]

You might want to try the benfotiamine...it stays in the body longer. It is a form of thiamine.

It is now fairly reasonable in price. I get mine at iherb.com