A different variety of PN?

  My grandfather was diagnosed with "Polyperipheral Neuropathy" a few years ago.  He is in his late 60's / early 70's  and is in otherwise good health.  His regular practicioner and neuro-specialist both concurred that this disorder was due to a history of abusing alcohol (he does not have diabetes).  This disorder affects his arms and legs (leg pain is more severe), also loss of balance, and poor motor abilities. The pain he has can be described as "mild'.   I have a few questions:  Is "Polyperipheral Neuropathy" just another term for Peripheral Neuropathy affecting the arms AND the legs?  We have encouraged him to walk, when he can, for exercise in order to try to keep some of the muscle mass he has left;  is this recommended for PN sufferers?  Are there any other medications available, besides asprin or ibuprofen, that can help in times of extreme pain?  Is there any hope for a cure for neuropathy of this type?  I thank you very much in advance for any information you can provide for me.    
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We distinguish neuropathies based on their pattern. For example, damage to a single nerve is called a mononeuropathy. Damage to multiple nerves is called polyneuropathy.
A very common pattern is distal and symmetric. That is, both sides are affected about equally. Feet are more affected than the thighs. If the upper extremities are involved, the hands are affected before the upper arms.
Often we try medications such as imipramine, nortriptyline, amitriptyline in low doses and raise the dose slowly (from 10 mg at night to perhaps 50 mg over the course of several weeks). There are some side effects (talk to your doctor), but they are less bothersome if you start low and go slow.
Other medications include Neurontin, Tegretol, Dilantin. It's a different class of medications. Neither the tricyclics (above) or the anticonvulsants (in this paragraph) were originally designed for pain control, but they've turned out to be really useful.
Talk with your doctor about these. As you know, this forum is only for education, and we can't give you actual medical advice. If you would like a second opinion, you are welcome to call 800 223-2273 and ask for neurology appointments at 4-5559.
I hope this helps. CCF MD mdf.