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alias_sqbrI am having to stop myself evangelising PEA to everyone I know with chronic pain, because I know how annoying that can be. But I am glad a friend told me about it, and it may be helpful for someone out there. So I'm going to put the info under a cut and you can read or not!
Palmitoylethanolamide or "PEA" is an over the counter pain reliever for chronic inflammatory pain. It has no serious side effects or contraindications, even for people who have problems with NSAIDs.
Upsides:
Studies show it is twice as effective as ibuprofen for neuropathic pain
No significant side effects
Reduces inflammation but doesn't have the negative effects of steroids or NSAIDs
No prescription required
Can be taken simultaneously with other medication, including other painkillers
Has been used safely for decades
The downsides:
It doesn't work for everyone.
It's kind of expensive, costing at least a dollar or two a day.
It can cause mild digestive issues in some people
It can take up to a few months to fully kick in
I am super happy with it for the pain caused by my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Systemic Exercise Intolerance Disease. My daily pain is down significantly with no side effects except very slightly worse reflux. When I have breakthrough pain opening a capsule onto my tongue works fairly well though that sets off my reflux a moderate amount. (note: my reflux is especially sensitive, ymmv) It started working within a few days.
Some general notes:
My understanding is that it's a chemical the body naturally produces but can get low on, which causes pain. It's thus more effective for systemic "the body thinks it's sick when it isn't" stuff like arthritis or fibromyalgia and less helpful for acute physical injury. But I have a friend with fibro it hasn't made a huge difference for, it's definitely very variable.
I bought mine for $110 delivery for 300 tablets from Fremantle Compounding Chemist. Apparently Bayswater 777 has it a little cheaper. You may have to ask your chemist to order it in, or order it online yourself.
I take 3 tablets a day, the suggested minimum dose is 2 and the maximum 16. I take two in the morning and one at night with food.
I asked my GP's advice and he'd never heard of it but said it sounded worth a shot. As far as I can tell it's not well known except by pain specialists but is gaining popularity.
Note: my information is for Perth, Western Australia. As far as I can tell the situation tends to be similar elsewhere but I can't say for sure. Also this is just intended as a brief intro to help people figure out if they want to research more thoroughly for themselves, I am Not That Kind Of Doctor.
Palmitoylethanolamide or "PEA" is an over the counter pain reliever for chronic inflammatory pain. It has no serious side effects or contraindications, even for people who have problems with NSAIDs.
Upsides:
Studies show it is twice as effective as ibuprofen for neuropathic pain
No significant side effects
Reduces inflammation but doesn't have the negative effects of steroids or NSAIDs
No prescription required
Can be taken simultaneously with other medication, including other painkillers
Has been used safely for decades
The downsides:
It doesn't work for everyone.
It's kind of expensive, costing at least a dollar or two a day.
It can cause mild digestive issues in some people
It can take up to a few months to fully kick in
I am super happy with it for the pain caused by my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Systemic Exercise Intolerance Disease. My daily pain is down significantly with no side effects except very slightly worse reflux. When I have breakthrough pain opening a capsule onto my tongue works fairly well though that sets off my reflux a moderate amount. (note: my reflux is especially sensitive, ymmv) It started working within a few days.
Some general notes:
My understanding is that it's a chemical the body naturally produces but can get low on, which causes pain. It's thus more effective for systemic "the body thinks it's sick when it isn't" stuff like arthritis or fibromyalgia and less helpful for acute physical injury. But I have a friend with fibro it hasn't made a huge difference for, it's definitely very variable.
I bought mine for $110 delivery for 300 tablets from Fremantle Compounding Chemist. Apparently Bayswater 777 has it a little cheaper. You may have to ask your chemist to order it in, or order it online yourself.
I take 3 tablets a day, the suggested minimum dose is 2 and the maximum 16. I take two in the morning and one at night with food.
I asked my GP's advice and he'd never heard of it but said it sounded worth a shot. As far as I can tell it's not well known except by pain specialists but is gaining popularity.
Note: my information is for Perth, Western Australia. As far as I can tell the situation tends to be similar elsewhere but I can't say for sure. Also this is just intended as a brief intro to help people figure out if they want to research more thoroughly for themselves, I am Not That Kind Of Doctor.
no subject
Date: 2018-03-15 05:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-03-19 02:16 pm (UTC)Cool! Good luck!
no subject
Date: 2018-03-16 05:39 am (UTC)There's a compounding chemist in East Vic Park too, I recently noticed, so I might check with them sometime soon.
Would be really nice if I could cut back on the current 'take most days' dose of 1 x sustained release 750mg naproxen plus 300mg of ranitidine to ease the NSAID hit on my guts.
Would not miss the bleeding side effects at all, I've gotta say.
no subject
Date: 2018-03-19 02:15 pm (UTC)Ouch, yeah. Good luck!
no subject
Date: 2018-03-16 03:19 pm (UTC)Having looked at the way it works, and the results of some of the trials, I figured it was worth trying out as a systemic suppressor for my migraines. This is making use of the aspect of it that inhibits the pain/inflammation cycle that seems to be what gets out of whack for me.
And it seems to be working - I've had at least two major trigger events, and a possible third, and they've responded to nothing more potent than paracetamol. Given that they would normally require Zomig or codeine, this is a major step up!
So, again, thank-you!
no subject
Date: 2018-03-16 03:37 pm (UTC)Oh that's fantastic! I'm really glad to hear it worked for you!
no subject
Date: 2018-03-18 02:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-03-19 02:06 pm (UTC)Good luck, I really hope it does you good as well!