Tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline, or carbamazepine may help stabbing pains and have central and peripheral anticholinergic and sedative effects. These agents have central effects on pain transmission and block the active reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin.Anticonvulsant drugs like gabapentin or pregabalin block the active reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin and have properties that relieve neuropathic pain. However, these medications take a few weeks to become effective and are rarely used in the treatment of acute pain.Topical analgesics like capsaicin may also relieve minor aches and pains of muscles and joints. Prognosis
Alcoholic polyneuropathy is not life-threatening but may significantly affect ones quality of life. Effects of the disease range from mild discomfort to severe disability.It is difficult to assess the prognosis of a patient because it is hard to convince chronic alcoholics to abstain from drinking alcohol completely. It has been shown that a good prognosis may be given for mild neuropathy if the alcoholic has abstained from drinking for 3–5 years. Early stage
During the early stages of the disease the damage appears reversible when people take adequate amounts of vitamins, such as thiamine. If the polyneuropathy is mild, the individual normally experiences a significant improvement and symptoms may be eliminated within weeks to months after proper nutrition is established. When those people diagnosed with alcohol polyneuropathy experience a recovery, it is presumed to result from regeneration and collateral sprouting of the damaged axons. Progressed disease
As the disease progresses, the damage may become permanent.
Alcoholic polyneuropathy is a neurological disorder in which peripheral nerves throughout the body malfunction simultaneously. It is defined by axonal degeneration in neurons of both the sensory and motor systems and initially occurs at the distal ends of the longest axons in the body. This nerve damage causes an individual to experience pain and motor weakness, first in the feet and hands and then progressing centrally. Alcoholic polyneuropathy is caused primarily by chronic alcoholism; however, vitamin deficiencies are also known to contribute to its development. This disease typically occurs in chronic alcoholics who have some sort of nutritional deficiency. Treatment may involve nutritional supplementation, pain management, and abstaining from alcohol. Signs and symptoms
An early warning sign (prodrome) of the possibility of developing alcoholic polyneuropathy, especially in a chronic alcoholic, would be weight loss because this usually signifies a nutritional deficiency that can lead to the development of the disease.Alcoholic polyneuropathy usually has a gradual onset over months or even years, although axonal degeneration often begins before an individual experiences any symptoms.The disease typically involves sensory issues and motor loss, as well as painful physical perceptions, though all sensory modalities may be involved. Symptoms that affect the sensory and motor systems seem to develop symmetrically. For example, if the right foot is affected, the left foot is affected simultaneously or soon becomes affected. In most cases, the legs are affected first, followed by the arms. The hands usually become involved when the symptoms reach above the ankle. This is called a stocking-and-glove pattern of sensory disturbances.