For years patient organisations handed out a long list of drugs "to avoid". That list was based on isolated case reports rather than systematic research, and it caused a great deal of unnecessary worry — sometimes even the refusal of a treatment somebody needed.
What the research says today
In 2022 the American patient organisation CMTA had the available literature reviewed systematically by neurologists specialised in drug-induced nerve damage. On that basis the list was reduced in 2023 to two names:
- Vincristine — a cancer drug. Here the evidence is clearest: in people with a demyelinating form of CMT it can trigger severe, rapidly progressing nerve damage. The manufacturer lists CMT explicitly as a contraindication.
- Paclitaxel — also a chemotherapy, where an increased risk is probable but less certain.
For the other drugs on the old lists, the review found that people with CMT are at no demonstrably greater risk than anyone else. That does not mean a drug capable of causing nerve damage is given carelessly — it means CMT in itself is not an extra reason to refuse it.
What to do in practice
- Tell every doctor, dentist and pharmacist that you have CMT, and which type if you know it. Put it in your medical record too.
- Facing chemotherapy: ask your oncologist to consult your neurologist beforehand. For most cancers alternatives exist, and where they do not, monitoring can be tightened.
- Having surgery: tell the anaesthetist about your CMT. There is no general contraindication, but positioning on the table, pressure points and getting moving again afterwards deserve extra attention.
- Never stop prescribed medication on your own because you saw a list somewhere.