Doctor Reviews: Nervive

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Looking into Nervive Nerve Relief, it’s marketed to tackle age-related neuropathy, a condition causing discomfort like weakness, numbness, and pain, mainly in the hands and feet. But does it really work within just 14 days, and should you give it a shot?

Ingredients of Nervive

To understand its effectiveness, let’s look into its ingredients and their doses per capsule. The recommended intake is one capsule daily.

We’ll assess each ingredient to gauge if it provides an ample dose, contains the active compounds needed for efficacy, and how effective it might be for neuropathy.

B vitamins

Let’s dive into B vitamins and how they play a crucial role in supporting our nerves. These vitamins are essential for keeping our nervous system in top shape.

For instance, thiamine (B1) helps in producing energy in nerve cells, while pyridoxine (B6) aids in creating neurotransmitters, which pass signals between nerve cells. Vitamin B12 is necessary for making DNA and RNA, crucial for the growth and repair of nerve cells.

Now, we understand the importance of these nutrients for nerve health and how a shortage can cause nerve problems. But what about using higher doses, called therapeutic doses, to tackle neuropathy?

Unfortunately, the evidence supporting this idea is limited, with the most substantial proof backing up large doses of B12 for neuropathy treatment.

The issue with supplements like Nervive is they don’t provide these therapeutic doses of B vitamins; the amounts are too small for therapeutic purposes and are mainly sufficient for addressing deficiencies.

So, unless you have a B vitamin deficiency, taking B vitamin supplements like Nervive likely won’t alleviate your peripheral neuropathy.

Calcium

Talking about calcium, it’s linked to nerve function, but there’s not much evidence suggesting that taking calcium supplements helps with nerve problems. Its inclusion in Nervive could be for reasons like balancing pH levels or improving the supplement’s stability, but there isn’t strong evidence supporting calcium supplementation for nerve health.

Alpha Lipoic Acid

Let’s talk about alpha-lipoic acid (ALA). It’s an antioxidant naturally made in our bodies and found in foods like red meat, organ meats, and veggies.

Studies suggest that taking ALA, especially in doses from 600 to 1800 mg daily, might help ease symptoms such as burning, pain, numbness, and prickling in people with diabetic neuropathy.

There’s also some evidence, though not as strong, that ALA could be helpful for chemo-induced neuropathy, but its effectiveness may vary depending on the chemo type.

In Nervive, ALA plays a crucial role in fighting neuropathy. However, it’s worth noting that the 600 mg of ALA in Nervive is on the lower end of the effective range. Higher doses within 600-1800 mg have shown better results in relieving neuropathy symptoms.

Turmeric and Ginger

Let’s talk about turmeric and ginger. Turmeric, especially its active compound curcumin, is believed to offer benefits for neuropathy because of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Ginger, known for its traditional pain-relieving effects, is also seen as a potential helper in easing neuropathic pain.

However, there are two main concerns with Nervive here. First, the doses of both turmeric and ginger are too small to make a significant difference. Effective doses usually range in the thousands of milligrams, not the 30 mg offered by Nervive.

Second, the research backing the use of these herbs for nerve problems is not strong, and most studies have been conducted on cells and mice, not humans.

Side Effects and Warnings

When it comes to safety, potential concerns with Nervive are mainly tied to the alpha-lipoic acid it contains. Alpha-lipoic acid might lead to a heartburn-like sensation, tummy discomfort, or a bitter taste, especially when taken on an empty stomach. However, these effects usually occur with higher doses, and the 600 mg dose in Nervive is likely to be well-tolerated by most folks.

Oral intake of alpha-lipoic acid has also been linked to around 50 reported cases of insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS), a rare condition causing low blood sugar. This happens because the body starts producing antibodies to attack insulin. This problem is mostly seen in Japan and seems to have a genetic component. Hence, only a very small group of people might be at risk.

Is Nervive Effective?

Nervive mainly consists of alpha-lipoic acid, but the other ingredients in it have doses too low to be helpful. Alpha-lipoic acid is most useful for diabetic neuropathy, a nerve issue caused by diabetes-related nerve and blood vessel damage.

Studies suggest it usually takes 3 to 5 weeks for ALA to improve diabetic neuropathy, longer than the 14 days Nervive promises. While ALA may provide initial benefits, these effects might lessen over time. Research shows that after six months of use, the advantages of ALA may decrease.

So, if you have diabetic neuropathy, Nervive could help, but it’s less likely to work for age-related nerve issues. Also, don’t expect quick results – it’s more realistic to see positive effects closer to a month, given Nervive’s lower doses. And these benefits may not last beyond 6 months.

Comparisons

Different Versions of Nervive

Let’s break down the different versions of Nervive, with a focus on Nervive Nerve Relief. The other options are quite similar, with minor differences. Nervive Nerve Relief PM is tailored for nighttime use. It contains the same amount of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) but adds 2 mg of melatonin. While it includes some calming herbs, their doses are too small to make a significant impact. Essentially, it’s similar to regular Nerve Relief but with added melatonin to aid sleep.

On the other hand, Nervive Nerve Health is marketed as a supportive formula with more B vitamins but less alpha-lipoic acid. It’s likely to be less effective than regular Nerve Relief for neuropathy. In my opinion, if you’re looking for extra B vitamins, it might be more practical to opt for a separate dedicated B complex supplement.

Alpha-lipoic acid vs Gabapentin

When we look at alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) supplements like Nervive compared to medications such as gabapentin and Lyrica for nerve pain, research indicates that ALA might be just as effective as many of these medications.

For example, one study compared Lyrica (pregabalin) to ALA, showing that ALA reduced pain scores from 5.32 to 3.96, while Lyrica reduced pain scores from 5.32 to 3.25. That’s a pretty close match in terms of effectiveness.

In another study, patients who switched from ALA to gabapentin or other medications showed interesting results. During the alpha-lipoic acid treatment period, they visited the doctor about 3.8 times per 3 months on average. However, this increased to 7.9 times per 3 months after switching to gabapentin or other pain medications. This suggests that these drugs led to more doctor visits, possibly due to higher rates of side effects, and may not have addressed nerve pain much more effectively than ALA.

So, based on these studies, it seems that alpha-lipoic acid does a commendable job in addressing nerve pain, possibly comparable to many medications.

Is Nervive worth it?

Nervive Nerve Relief is selling for around $20 per month. If I wanted to replicate its effects but better, I would combine alpha-lipoic acid with vitamin B12. Generic alpha-lipoic acid is around $3-4 per month. B12 is also around $3-4 a month. So getting generics individually will cost around $6-8 a month.

Overall rating

Rating Nervive by effectiveness for neuropathy, I’m giving it a B. It contains ALA which is moderately effective for neuropathy. Just keep in mind that it’s best for diabetic neuropathy, and uses a low effective dose.

Rating it by cost, I’m giving it a C. Nervive can be easily replicated at a much cheaper cost by getting the generic ingredients individually.

Rating it for safety, I’m giving it a B. It’s relatively safe to take, but may cause some people GI discomfort if taken on an empty stomach.

Overall rating, I’m giving a C. If you suffer from diabetic neuropathy, Nervive could be helpful, however it is overpriced, and I would recommend you just take generic ALA at a higher dose if you can tolerate it.

Top alternatives to Nervive

• Alpha Lipoic Acid (generic) – 1 to 3 caps / day
• Alpha Lipoic Acid (Nervive) – 1 cap / day
• Vitamin B complex – 1 to 2 caps / day
• Vitamin B12 – 1 cap / day

Learn more about

• Alpha Lipoic Acid for Weight Loss
• Supplement reviews

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