Beware: 7 Medications That Can Cause Peripheral Neuropathy
Certain medicines can occasionally damage peripheral nerves, causing symptoms such as burning, tingling, numbness, weakness, or pain—usually in the hands or feet. However, the risk varies considerably by drug, dose, duration, and the individual.
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Examples include:
Some chemotherapy drugs — Several cancer treatments can cause chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.
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Metronidazole — Prolonged or certain courses can be associated with peripheral neuropathy.
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Nitrofurantoin — A rare but recognized adverse effect is peripheral neuropathy, particularly in susceptible patients.
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Amiodarone — This heart-rhythm medicine can cause numbness, tingling, pain, or weakness in the extremities.
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Some HIV/AIDS medications — Certain antiretroviral drugs have been associated with peripheral nerve damage.
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Some medicines used for seizures — Certain anticonvulsant medicines can be associated with nerve problems, although many are actually used to treat neuropathic pain.
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Some medicines used for infections, cancer, heart/blood-pressure problems, and autoimmune disease — NINDS notes that medications in these categories can occasionally cause neuropathy.
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What to do
Don’t stop a prescription medicine on your own. If you develop new burning, tingling, numbness, weakness, balance problems, or nerve pain after starting a medication, contact your doctor or pharmacist. They can determine whether the medicine could be responsible and whether an alternative is appropriate.
Also remember that diabetes is one of the most common causes of peripheral neuropathy, so medication isn’t necessarily the explanation.
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If you give me the names of the medicines you’re taking, I can check each one for neuropathy risk and explain what the evidence says.
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