Evidence supporting the use of: Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)
For the health condition: Neuralgia and Neuritis

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Synopsis

Source of validity: Scientific
Rating (out of 5): 2

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) has been investigated for the treatment of neuralgia and neuritis, primarily due to its anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and membrane-penetrating properties. Several small clinical studies and case reports from the 1960s and 1970s explored topical and injectable DMSO for neuropathic pain, including post-herpetic neuralgia and peripheral neuritis. Some patients reported reduction in pain and improvement in function, theorized to result from DMSO’s suppression of inflammatory mediators and modulation of nerve conduction. However, these studies were generally of low methodological quality—often open-label, non-randomized, or lacking placebo controls. Systematic reviews and large, well-controlled trials are lacking. The FDA has not approved DMSO for neuralgia or neuritis, and its medical use in the U.S. is limited to interstitial cystitis. Despite some mechanistic plausibility and limited early data, the overall strength of scientific evidence supporting DMSO for neuralgia or neuritis remains weak, with most recent clinical guidelines not recommending its use. Consequently, DMSO’s use for these conditions is not supported by high-quality evidence, though isolated reports and some older literature exist.

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