Written by Katrina Gould
I’ve had CRPS/RSD 25 plus years from a devastating injury to my left brachial plexus. I slipped and fell backwards in a parking lot and violently jammed my left arm underneath me. As a result I have severe nerve pain in the upper left quadrant of my body, including my chest, neck, back, and especially my left shoulder, arm, and hand.
My neurologist is always working to find relief for the excruciating pain that his CRPS/RSD patients suffer, including me. And I love him for it, because those of you that have it know how unrelenting this pain is.
Several months ago, Dr Neurologist’s latest experiment was to prescribe the over-the-counter amino acid L-Arginine to reduce my CRPS/RSD pain. Dr Neurologist told me that L-Arginine increases blood flow in various areas of the body including the heart, head, and eyes, and it enhances vascular function. He also told me that, to his knowledge, there are not any circumstances under which L-Arginine would be contraindicated and it would not interfere with any blood thinners.
Once Dr. Neurologist and I got my L- Arginine dosage high enough, the amino acid began to take the edge off the nerve pain. It actually started to work!
As I took L-Arginine longer and more consistently, I got more relief. Because I feel warm when it increases the blood flow in my body, it also helped me this winter with my extreme sensitivity to the cold weather.
Let me be clear that L-Arginine has not permanently healed my CRPS/RSD. I do have to keep taking it to renew the relief effect. But as those of you with CRPS/RSD know, taking a few pills every day is a small price to pay for any relief, let alone measurable relief.
I usually take 2000 mg per day, divided up into four doses of 500 mg each. I take more when I have a flare. My daily dosage is substantially more than the label recommends, but I take that amount with the approval of my neurologist. I don’t experience any stomach upset when I take it which is a huge blessing.
I can buy 50 1000 mg caplets of L-Arginine at my local grocery story for about $5.50, for a cost of about $.11 per pill. They are easy to break in half.
Dr. Neurologist told me today during my recheck appointment that he has prescribed L-Arginine for all of his CRPS/RSD patients, and “all of them are saying the same thing you are saying: that L-Arginine has been a miracle in their lives in terms of reducing their pain.”
I understand L-Arginine may not work for everyone. I also know it is very easy to get evangelical about a treatment or medicine that works well for us individually because we are so excited about our own relief. And also because we have such compassion for anyone else with our same diagnosis.
I am sending you my story of relief with L-Arginine as a beginning point for your own research and investigation if you are interested. You and your doctors know your bodies best.
Because each of us has a unique medical profile, you absolutely must consult with your physician before you consider making any changes, including taking L-Arginine.
This information and my story are only related as anecdotal and are not intended as medical advice in any way.
I do wish you complete and total relief and healing from the hideous pain of CRPS/RSD. If you do try L-Arginine please share your results with me. I would love to be able to tell Dr. Neurologist about it and encourage him to share all the results with the medical community.
It would be a fine thing if we could determine if L-Arginine could bring even partial relief to a significant portion of CRPS/RSD patients. I’m very interested to hear what you and your physicians have to say about this experiment and your results, if any.
Relief, healing, and peace be with you today and every day.
This blog is not intended to provide advice on personal medical matters or to substitute for consultation with a physician.
Reach out to Katrina Gould via [email protected].