Cymbalta And Exercise May Be the Ticket for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Most people living with diabetic neuropathy are not new to diabetes, finger sticks, insulin injections, calorie counting and medication. If you have lived with diabetes for over ten years, your odds are over 50% that you are living with some neuropathy. If you have pain, you may take Cymbalta, and feel some pretty deep gratitude for it.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is a condition where diabetes damages nerves, usually in the feet, sometimes in the hands, and occasionally in other body parts. In some cases a patients’ feet will go numb, and in others they feel the damaged nerve sending mixed signals that result in sensations of tingling, burning or pain. People with pain have been able to turn to a relatively new drug, Cymbalta (generic name duloxetine), with pretty good success. So, news of these possible undesirable side effects may be discouraging.

It turns out that Cymbalta may elevate blood sugar levels a little bit. Keep in mind that this is just one study; and, this information needs to be validated. Nevertheless, it is worth asking your doctor about at your next visit, if you are taking Cymbalta, or have pain in your feet.

To help you make up that small rise in blood sugar, perhaps you can try Tai Chi? According to a kinesiology professor at Louisiana State University, Tai Chi may provide some relief from peripheral neuropathy. In preliminary analysis patients report that they can walk better, and have improved feeling in their feet. Keep in mind that participants in this study probably have neuropathy from other conditions besides diabetes.

If you are already working hard to manage your diabetes through exercise, diet and perhaps insulin, you and your physician will have to decide together if the risk of a small increase in your blood glucose is worth the decrease in pain. It very well may be worth it. However, if you are one of the many that still struggles to get exercise, you are probably in a somewhat fortunate situation. You could lower your A1C scores significantly. But exercising regularly you could probably make up for the possible Cymbalta blood glucose increase a few times over.

It seems like a number of people with pain from neuropathy could benefit from Cymbalta and exercise. Please consult with your physician before making any changes in your medications or beginning an exercise program, including Tai Chi.