Treating Numbness and Nerve Pain - Without Prescription Medication

by Heather Grace

Living in Misery and Pain, Without Relief

When I was injured in 1999, no one could have told me to expect to be in a place of serious hopelessness, anger and fear about my future. I didn't know that I would be seriously contemplating whether it was realistic to expect any sort of recovery. I wasn't sure if I would work again, feel good again, have any sense of happiness. It was as if the dark clouds rolled in and surrounded me, and there was no sunshine breaking through those clouds.

I even thought about suicide, because the pain was so intense, so overpowering. The doctors that treated me seemed to act like it was either my fault somehow, or I was faking. It was maddening.

Finally, I found an excellent doctor in January 2007. He would change my life forever. Different than the other doctors I had seen, he listened to me, asked questions and treated me as an individual. My symptoms actually made sense to him... I had Intractable Pain: "A severe, constant pain that is not curable by any known means and which causes a bed or house-bound state and early death if not adequately treated. It causes adverse biologic affects on the body's cardiovascular, hormone and neurologic systems." (IntractablePainDisease.com)

The Wonders of GABA

When I began seeing my new physician, I was taking Lyrica in an effort to address my nerve symptoms. I had excruitiating numbness that made it nearly impossible to sleep. While it had helped somewhat, there were drawbacks. The medication was expensive and I was experiencing side-effects. Lyrica made me really dizzy and tired. At times, I felt faint. My new doctor made an immediate change to my treatment. He introduced me to a neurotransmitter called GABA--also called gamma aminobutyric acid. Then, he gave me some shocking news about Lyrica (generic name Pregabalin or Pre-GABA-lin). Lyrica is a GABA analogue. This means it increases the availability of GABA in the body. By taking Lyrica, I was using a synthetic drug to do what GABA did naturally. I was shocked! I had no idea that there was a natural way to do what Lyrica did. Lyrica and several other medications that are taken for nerve pain actually work on the GABA in the body. So, we made the switch. Within 30 days, I had a lot of success with GABA. It was the first truly miraculous over-the-counter product I had tried. My doctor helped me to see that better relief WAS possible, and that the answer to my suffering wouldn't come solely from a prescription bottle!

After several months of taking GABA, it had helped me a great deal. However, I still had numbness that was occasionally bad enough to wake me from a sound sleep. This was nothing compared to the nightly battle I had to get comfortable previously; numbness so severe I could not sleep even an hour at a time. Even if this degree of nerve pain was something I had to live with, I was willing to accept it--I had come so far. Instead, my doctor had a wonderful surprise for me... He recommended Taurine. I had no idea what it was at first, but I soon read all I could about it.

My Taurine/GABA Miracle

Taurine is a conditionally essential amino acid which is found in most tissues of the body, especially throughout the nervous system. Taurine is well known for its role in neurotransmitter activity and its relaxing effect on the mood. Taurine is important in skeletal muscle, the heart and nervous system.

Taurine is important for those who are very physically active, in addition to its benefits for those who have experienced a serious injury, like me.

Taurine is beneficial to athletes because it maintains electrolyte balance, but it's also essential to people with nerve injuries. Because it is a precursor to GABA, it helps calm the nerves. And, as an amino acid, it helps prevent muscle wasting, weakness and diminished mental capacity associated with low protein intake. By taking Taurine and GABA combined for about 45 days, I went from waking up maybe once a week due to numbness and/or what I call 'nerve pain' to sleeping soundly nearly every night, for four hours at a time.

For someone with my degree of injury, it was mind-blowing, and it seemed so simple. Things that naturally occur in our bodies get depleted. In order to get back to the health we used to have, we supplement these with an inexpensive bottle of the very same thing!

These two supplements have been the greatest, most surprising miracle in my pain treatment. I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT MYSELF, but they work amazingly well for nerve pain.

Combining these two supplements has taken away my constant painful numbness and nerve irritation. It no longer impacts me all day every day, like it once did. When I overwork my body, or put myself in situations that are overwhelming and/or painful, I do experience flare ups. This is part of life with a serious neurological injury. However, my condition is now liveable. I've tried them separately, but believe I get the greatest benefit by taking them both. I feel more like myself again! If you have nerve symptoms, you owe it to yourself to try GABA and/or Taurine. You will need to give them at least 30 days to see an effect, and 60 to get a more complete idea of what they will do for you. And remember, by reducing the numbness, they significantly reduce pain.

Recommended directions from a renowned pain doctor, in his recent handbook (see below): Take 500 mg, 4 times daily. This recommendation is for uncontrolled pain. If pain is fairly well controlled, and other remedies are being taken, you may reduce the dose.

* Source: 2009, "What To Do While Looking For A Good Pain Doctor"

Synthetic vs. The Real Thing

Why did Pfizer decide to produce Lyrica? I believe they saw the benefits of GABA and decided to release a synthetic version. The medication is prescribed for diabetic nerve pain, post-herpetic neuralgia, fibromyalgia and even anxiety. When it was released, the medication cost $800 per month. Unlike natural GABA or Taurine, Lyrica also has a far greater potential for side-effects. And, when do these side-effect not sound scary? Because I was prescribed Lyrica before the natural treatments, I know how it stacks up against GABA and Taurine. To me, there is simply NO comparison. The pharma industry would love to sweep these supplements under the rug. Synthetics are the only way they can make money. Please, don't be fooled by cheap imitations. You owe it to yourself to get the best treatment possible for your nerve pain. Why not check out Lyrica's site for complete details on the prescription option? The Lyrica web site has a great interactive assessment tool, to discover whether you have nerve pain and would benefit from treatment with Lyrica, or with natural options like GABA or Taurine. See http://www.lyrica.com/main_assess_my_pain.aspx. Below the assessment, you will also see several paragraphs of scary side effects that come with taking a prescription like Lyrica, instead of the natural option. It makes you think, doesn't it? That's why I recommend Taurine and GABA so highly, over any prescription synthetic.

The good news is, you don't have to take my word for it. Try Taurine for around $7 and GABA for about $10 per bottle at any online health store. What do you have to lose? Better pain management and a serious reduction in nerve pain await you! My miracle can be your miracle too.