Peripheral neuropathy is a condition in which some form of damage is occurring to the nerves of the body that are located outside the brain and spinal column, medication for peripheral neuropathy can be any one of a large number of drugs that are commonly prescribed.

The disease most often afflicts those who suffer from diabetes, though it can be caused by other processes. Peripheral neuropathy may involve severe pain, numbness and loss of sensation, and even problems with motor control and even autonomic function. The disease can be divided into two subgroups, mononeuropathy when only a single nerve is affected, and polyneuropathy when many different nerves are affected.

Medication for peripheral neuropathy is often dependent on which symptoms the disease presents with in a particular individual. In cases where only minor nerve damage is present and the pain and associated symptoms are also minor, over the counter pain medications may be sufficient to alleviate the symptoms. In more severe cases narcotic pain relievers are sometimes prescribed, but these are usually frowned upon due to the risk of drug dependency.

Some anti seizure medications like gabapentin and phenytoin which are generally prescribed for epilepsy have shown to be very effective in the treatment of peripheral neuropathy. One of the newest types of medication for peripheral neuropathy is the tricyclic anti-depressant. Tricyclic anti-depressants are effective at treating peripheral neuropathy due to the fact that they interfere with the way the chemical pain signals are processed by the brain and spinal column.

Even though medication for peripheral neuropathy is available and can be highly effective, the best way to treat the disease is to avoid it in the first place. This is especially true for diabetics who can often head off the nerve damage before it happens of becomes too severe by keeping their blood glucose under control and following a regimen of diet and exercise.