Methylene Blue: A New Pain Relief Option
/By Dr. Forest Tennant
Over the past 1-2 years, the fatty acid palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) was found to reduce pain and inflammation. PEA occurs naturally in our bodies and in some foods, and is sold in over-the-counter supplements.
PEA has been urgently needed because of the poor accessibility of opioid pain medication. The menu of non-opioid pain relievers is small: ketamine, oxytocin, CBD, marijuana, and kratom.
I am pleased to add methylene blue (MB) to the list. Every adhesive arachnoiditis (AA) patient needs to try PEA and MB. One can no longer be confident that their doctors and insurance plans will cover opioids.
Methylene blue is a salt first used in the 1870’s as a textile dye. It was then used medically as an anti-malaria drug and to treat a rare blood disorder called methemoglobinemia.
MB has also been used off-label for a variety of medical conditions. Its best-known value has been for the treatment of severe pain associated with head and neck cancer.
About a year ago, Arachnoiditis Hope began receiving reports that MB was being used by persons with AA. Some had stopped taking opioids or were no longer able to obtain them.
There are multiple ways to purchase MB online as a supplement. MB is typically sold as a liquid taken orally, or in capsules and gummies. It is inexpensive and the recommended dosage is on the label.
AA patients can take MB to boost the effect of opioids or PEA. It is important to note that MB is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, so patients who are taking an anti-depressant should not take it.
The medical world is well aware of the CDC opioid guidelines and the prosecution of physicians who prescribed high dose opioids. For the most part, there was not a governmental assault on the use of short-acting low potency opioids, such as tramadol and codeine.
I cannot identify a single case in which a physician was disciplined for prescribing a short-acting, low potency opioid to an MRI-documented case of AA.
The movement to force all patients to stop taking potent long-acting opioids doesn’t seem to be calming down. Their goal is to stop patients from taking high dose opioids and to use electric stimulators, intrathecal pumps, or buprenorphine/methadone.
Every AA patient needs to be aware of PEA and MB as alternatives.
Forest Tennant, MD, DrPH, is retired from clinical practice but continues his research on the treatment of intractable pain and arachnoiditis. Readers interested in learning more about his research should visit the Tennant Foundation’s website, Arachnoiditis Hope. You can subscribe to its research bulletins here.
The Tennant Foundation gives financial support to Pain News Network and sponsors PNN’s Patient Resources section.
