There are a number of ways to manage neuropathy pain including over-the-counter pain killers, anti-convulsant drugs, and physiotherapy. Psychological therapy may also prove effective at reducing stress, which can in turn result in lower pain levels. Other treatments include acupuncture and electrical therapy. Each of these treatments may help reduce the pain from neuropathy, but the primary goal should be to address the root cause of the condition, otherwise the pain will continue to return.
The first step to managing pain from neuropathy may involve taking standard painkillers. These include drugs such as paracetamol as well as over-the- counter anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen. If neuropathy pain is severe, these drugs may not be strong enough to reduce the pain significantly. For managing minor pain, however, they can be useful.
There are several drugs that have been designed for other conditions, but are effective at reducing neuropathy pain. Anti-convulsants, for example, which were designed to prevent epileptic fits, have been shown to be effective at reducing pain from neuropathy. Antidepressants, which are usually used to treat people with depression, can also be helpful for a similar reason. These drugs often don’t provide instant neuropathy pain relief, however, so a patient must persevere with them for at least several weeks.
Aside from medication, physiotherapy can sometimes help in reducing neuropathy pain. The effectiveness of this sort of treatment depends entirely on the cause the pain. If, for example, the pain is caused by excess pressure on a nerve, then strengthening and flexibility exercises to reduce this pressure may be effective. Holistic treatments such as acupuncture and injections of local anesthetics may also help to manage the pain.
Neuropathy pain can be a distressing experience, but stress will sometimes increase the symptoms. For this reason, certain types of psychological help can be employed to reduce stress and anxiety. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a treatment that involves changing a patient’s perception of neuropathy pain and can be very effective in reducing pain levels. Educating a patient about his or her condition has also proven to reduce anxiety and stress.
There are a number of other ways of managing neuropathy pain, but not all have been proven to be effective. One of them, electrical simulation via a treatment known as TENS, appears to be useful at times. Generally, a mixture or blend of medication, physiotherapy, and psychological treatment may yield the best results.