If You Feel "Stabbing, Burning Pain" in Your Feet Every Night… You May Be Entering a Dangerous Stage of Diabetic Nerve Damage

Ignore the burning sensation today, and you could lose your ability to walk tomorrow. See the shocking proof of how this internal destruction can damage your balance and your dignity.

By Dr. James Harlan, Neuropathy Specialist.

3 minute read — Updated Wed, February 19, 2025 at 10:56 AM

▶ Watch How Thousands Are Reversing Neuropathy Naturally

See What Could Be Behind Your Night Pain

Understanding Your Condition

You Already Know What Diabetic Neuropathy Is. You've Lived With It.

The burning that starts in your feet when the house goes quiet. The electric shocks that shoot up your legs without warning. The feeling of walking on gravel when you're standing on flat carpet. The nights you lie still, trying not to move, because even the sheets touching your feet is too much.

And you already know that diabetic neuropathy gets worse at night. Every neurologist confirms this. But very few explain clearly why — or what to do about it beyond increasing your medication.

"I've tried gabapentin, Lyrica, creams, vitamins. Nothing works. My biggest fear is ending up like my uncle who lost both legs." — YouTube comment, American Diabetes Association channel

That fear is real. And it is not irrational.

50%

of people with diabetes develop diabetic peripheral neuropathy — the leading cause of non-traumatic lower limb amputation in the United States.
Source: American Diabetes Association

But here is what most people are never told:

Painful diabetic neuropathy does not always progress because your blood sugar is out of control. In many cases, it progresses even when glucose levels are managed. And the reason for that is something happening inside the nerve itself — something that standard treatments simply do not address.

The Hidden Enzyme Behind Neuropathy Pain

Why Does Neuropathy Pain Get Worse at Night?

The standard answer is: "Less distraction, more awareness of pain."

That is partially true. But it is not the whole story.

Research published in the Journal of Diabetes and its Complications points in a different direction. A specific enzyme — identified as MMP-13 — appears to play a central role in progressive nerve fiber damage in people with diabetic neuropathy.

Here Is the Chain of Events, Explained Simply:

Chronic deficiency of B1, B9, and B12 vitamins — extremely common in diabetic patients — triggers an uncontrolled increase in MMP-13 activity.

This enzyme then degrades the myelin sheath — the protective layer that surrounds and insulates your nerve fibers. Think of it like the plastic coating on an electrical wire.

When that coating wears away, the wire doesn't work properly — it short-circuits, sends the wrong signals, fires when it shouldn't.

At night, circulation drops and competing signals disappear. Those exposed nerve fibers send their distorted signals into silence — there is nothing to compete with them.

That is what creates the burning. The stabbing. The electric shocks. The feeling that your foot is on fire while it feels cold to the touch.

This is why increasing a gabapentin dose often does not solve the problem at its root. Gabapentin suppresses the signal. It does not address what is creating the signal in the first place.

"My doctor wants to increase my gabapentin again, but I'm already taking 900mg and it barely helps. I'm desperate for something that actually works." — Facebook, Rio Grande Valley Diabetes Support Group

The nerve is not necessarily dead. In many cases, it is inflamed, compressed, and starved of the nutrients it needs to protect itself. That distinction matters — because it changes what you do next.

Expert Perspective

After 22 Years, This Neurologist Changed His Approach

Dr. James Harlan, MD

Neurologist · 22 Years Specializing in Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

"For most of my career, I told patients what every other neurologist tells them: 'We can manage the pain, but we cannot reverse the damage. You'll have to learn to live with this.' I believed that. And I was wrong — at least for a subset of patients who still have recoverable nerve function."

"The research around MMP-13 enzyme activity in peripheral neuropathy changed how I approach treatment. The question is not just 'how do we block the pain signal?' The question is 'why is the nerve sending that signal in the first place — and is there still a window to address the underlying damage?'"

"What I found — and what the clinical data increasingly supports — is that for patients still in an early-to-mid stage of neuropathic progression, targeted nutritional support combined with anti-inflammatory compounds can meaningfully slow or partially reverse the deterioration of the myelin sheath. Not in every case. But in enough cases that we should be having this conversation with every patient."

"The window to act is not permanent. That is the part most people do not understand until it is too late."

Is It Still Treatable?

If You Answer Yes to 3 or More of the Following, Your Neuropathy May Still Be in a Stage Where Intervention Can Make a Meaningful Difference:

✓ Do you feel burning or electric shocks in your feet or legs, especially at night?
✓ Do your feet feel like they are on fire, even when they feel cold to the touch?
✓ Have you noticed that your neuropathy pain gets worse after sunset, making it hard to sleep?
✓ Do you have random stabbing pain — even when sitting still — that hits without warning?
✓ Have you tried gabapentin, Lyrica, or similar medications and found only partial relief or unacceptable side effects?
✓ Are you worried about your long-term mobility, your independence, or the risk of serious complications including amputation?
✓ Do you feel like you are getting older faster than you should — that your body is failing you after everything you have put into it?

If you answered yes to most of these, the explanation in the video below was made specifically for people in your situation.

Watch The Short Explanation Now

What Real People Are Saying

Thousands of People Have Already Seen This Explanation

"I have had diabetic neuropathy for 6 years. Some days I can barely walk to the mailbox. The burning pain wakes me up every single night at 2 or 3 AM. I am so tired of doctors just saying 'it's something you have to live with' and throwing more gabapentin at me. I just want one good night of sleep."

Reddit r/diabetes — u/RGVdiabetic68 · 942 upvotes

"Anyone else deal with the stabbing pain that shoots up from your feet at random times? I will be sitting watching TV and BAM — feels like someone stuck a knife in my foot. Happens 10 to 15 times a day. Gabapentin helps a little but makes me so foggy I cannot think straight. I am 67 and feel like I am 90."

DiabetesDaily.com Forums — User "SouthTexasBobby"

"Complete waste of $32. The burning and tingling did not go away at all. I still cannot feel my toes and the shooting pain at night is just as bad. Do not believe the commercials. This is just another supplement that does not do anything."

Amazon — 1-star review, "TexasRetired" · Verified Purchase — This person had not yet seen the explanation in the video below.

This Is Not Another "Just Try It" Story

Peer-Reviewed Research. GMP-Certified Manufacturing. Zero Financial Risk.

The mechanism behind the formulation explained in the video has been referenced in peer-reviewed research, including publications in the Journal of Diabetes and its Complications examining MMP-13 enzyme activity in peripheral nerve degeneration. Work from research institutions including Harvard Medical School and Mayo Clinic has also looked at the relationship between B-vitamin metabolism and neuropathic progression in diabetic patients.

🏭 FDA-Registered Facility

✅ GMP-Certified

🔬 Third-Party Tested

🇺🇸 Made in the USA

🛡️

90-Day, No-Questions-Asked Guarantee

If you do not see a meaningful improvement in your neuropathy symptoms within 90 days, you get your money back. Every cent. Because you have already spent money on things that did not work — and you should not take another financial risk without a real safety net.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common Questions, Answered Directly

My doctor told me diabetic neuropathy is permanent nerve damage and cannot be reversed. Why should I believe this is different? +

Your doctor is not wrong — in advanced stages, significant nerve fiber loss may be irreversible. But the key word is "advanced." Emerging research on MMP-13 enzyme activity suggests that earlier in the progression, the damage is not structural loss of the nerve itself, but a biochemical environment that is preventing the nerve from functioning and protecting itself properly. The video explains how to identify whether you may still be in a stage where this makes a real difference.

I have already tried B-vitamins and they did not help at all. Why would this be any different? +

Standard B-vitamin supplements face a significant challenge: the same biochemical environment that creates the problem — dominated by elevated MMP-13 activity — also degrades conventional vitamin forms before they can effectively reach and support the nerve tissue. The approach explained in the video addresses this specific barrier. It is not about adding more of the same vitamin. It is about how the vitamin is delivered and what it is combined with to reach the actual site of damage.

I am on a fixed income and have already wasted money on supplements that did not work. How is this worth the risk? +

That concern is completely understandable — and it is exactly why this formulation is backed by a full 90-day money-back guarantee. You are not being asked to trust a promise. You are being given a 90-day trial period with zero financial risk. If your painful diabetic neuropathy does not improve meaningfully, you pay nothing.

I have diabetes and take several medications. Is it safe to use this alongside my current treatment? +

The formulation is made from natural compounds — including Alpha Lipoic Acid, B vitamins, Coenzyme Q10, Magnesium, and Butcher's Broom — with no prescription-level active ingredients. It is not designed to replace your current medications. As with any supplement, it is always appropriate to mention it to your physician, especially if your medication regimen is complex.

Why does the neuropathy pain at night get so much worse specifically, and does this approach address that? +

At night, peripheral circulation decreases, competing neurological signals from movement and activity disappear, and exposed nerve fibers have nothing to counterbalance their distorted output. The result is that the underlying damage becomes the loudest thing in the room. The formulation targets the source of that distortion — the MMP-13-driven degradation of the myelin sheath — rather than simply masking the signal. Several people who have used it report that nighttime pain is one of the first things that begins to change.

How do I know if I am still in a stage where this can actually help — or if my neuropathy is already too advanced? +

That is the most important question you can ask — and it is one that the explanation in the video addresses directly. There are specific indicators — including the pattern and type of your symptoms, how long you have had them, and how they respond to temperature and position — that help identify whether recoverable nerve function is still present. Watching it costs you nothing. Not watching it could cost you a window that does not stay open indefinitely.

873 people are watching this video right now.
This video is currently available, but may be removed at any time due to high demand and pressure from pharmaceutical-related interests. If you're seeing this page, you still have time to watch.

Watch Before It's Taken DownNo commitment. No credit card. Just the explanation.

You Have Managed This Alone for Long Enough.

You have tried the medications. You have done the research. You have followed the instructions and still woken up at 3 AM with feet that feel like they are on fire.

What you may not have seen yet is a clear, logical explanation of why that keeps happening — and what the research now suggests about addressing it at its source.

That explanation is in the video below. It is free to watch. It is presented by a neurologist with more than two decades of experience with painful diabetic neuropathy. And it will take less than fifteen minutes.

After everything you have been through, you deserve at least that.

See What Could Be Behind Your Night Pain No commitment. No credit card. Just the explanation.