A lot of women here have mentioned problems with neuropathy from their chemo treatments, so I wanted to pass along my naturopath's recommendation of L-Glutamine. I'd love to think some suffering could be prevented.
My naturopath was recommended by my oncologist and is a Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology (FABNO), which is a new certification.
Here's a published study that supports it, from Clinical Cancer Research Vol. 7, 1192-1197, May 2001
"Reduction of Paclitaxel-induced Peripheral Neuropathy with Glutamine"
http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/full/7/5/1192
which says in part "For patients who received glutamine, there was a statistically significant reduction in the severity of peripheral neuropathy ..."
For what it's worth, I've had 3 rounds of IV Taxol and 2 rounds of IP Taxol so far and have not had any neuropathy yet.
This Chemocare website has some additional advice about preventing neuropathy, which in part involve protecting hands and feet from extreme temperatures:
http://chemocare.com/managing/numbness__tingling.asp
P.S. To see more of my naturopath's suggestions, please see the "Naturopathic Prescription" discussion here:
http://www.inspire.com/groups/ovarian-cancer-national-alliance/discussion/n aturopathic-prescription/
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Preventing neuropathy with L-Glutamine
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- By Patricia123
- Posted June 26, 2009 at 4:20 pm
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I have been using this since I started iv/ip carbo taxol and it works. I take 10 grms in OJ three times a day starting the day of chemo for five days then slack off to twice a day. If I miss it, I get tingling in my legs and arms and hands. So I take it and it goes away.
THus far I keep some mild tingling in the side of my left foot and rarely in my left hand. I am on weekly maintenance taxol and take it twice a day.
We order it on the net from somewhere and it dissolves in juice or hot cocoa,,no taste. I am grateful for it!!
I read Effexor 50 at time of chemo and 37.5 BID works to prevent neuropathy from staying after chemo. Seems like a good thing to do if one's neuropathy is bad and I might do it.
- By Crit
- Posted June 26, 2009 at 9:21 pm
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my wife used it all through her first line treatment of taxol and Cisplatin, it worked very well. She had a minimal amount of neuropathy that has completely passed a year later. Her hospital recommended it's use.
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