Individuals affected with neuropathic diseases, such as CMT, may be more vulnerable to the effects of certain medical conditions, stresses, and medications.
A small number of medications are known to cause damage to nerves or cause neuropathy. These drugs can act as neurotoxins: substances that are poisonous or destructive to nerve tissue. Neurotoxic drugs can cause a loss of muscle control and/or nerve sensation.
CMT patients and their health care providers need to be aware about the medications that might worsen their neuropathy and be harmful to their strength, sensation, and function. Symptoms of CMT can remain dormant, only to be severely increased by a neurotoxic drug. Prevention of progression should focus on avoiding the medications that can affect any pre-existing neurological disease.
Most of the neurotoxic drugs fall into two broad categories: chemotherapies and antibiotics. However, numerous other treatments are also known to cause nerve injury and each must be evaluated before administration. With each medication, the risk of exposure must be weighed against the benefit of use.
There is only one example of a treatment that must be avoided in all circumstances. The chemotherapy agent vincristine may cause severe weakness and nerve injury after only 1 or 2 doses in patients with minimal or unknown CMT1A, the most common form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth.
While most all other treatments carry a relative, but not absolute risk of use, it’s imperative to always discuss any known family history of CMT with your health care providers before taking any medication.
Avoiding certain medications is extremely important for CMT patients. Make a minimum donation of $10 and receive a Neurotoxin wallet card.
This fact card alerts CMT patients about medications that may worsen their neuropathy. You can provide this vital information easily to all your Health Care Providers when they prescribe a medication.
Make your donation here: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/neurotoxicmeds
HNF will send your card via snail mail. It will arrive within seven days.
Hey folks I know a lot of people are helped by neurontin by I would urge caution using this drug. Ataxia and gait disturbance are common side effects and that is the last thing some of us with CMT need, This med was Rx’d to me by and incompetent physicians assistant in July 2014 for idiopathic low back pain and ruined my life. This med caused so much disability that it actual led us to discover I have CMT since it took my symptoms from being mild and undiagnosed to full blow catastrophe. Do your own research on this and just be careful.
WHAT IF YOU CANNOT AFFIORD A DONATION. DO WE HAVE TO GUESS SINCE MOST OF MY DOC DO NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT IT. IT IS LOUSEY TO TELL ME ABOUT MEDICATIONS THE MAKE ME BUY THE LIST.
I agree with you that it’s lousy to us pay for a list of neurotoxins when we have CMT or a variation of it!!!!!
You can download the list for free here https://www.hnf-cure.org/neurotoxic-drugs/
You can download the list for free here https://www.hnf-cure.org/neurotoxic-drugs/.
You can go to the CMT website and print off the list, it’s just not in a card format
Yes, you can visit https://www.hnf-cure.org/neurotoxic-drugs/ and download the list.
I have a neuro-muscular disease and would like a list of the neurotoxic medications.