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Condition

Neuropathic Pain

Neuropathic pain comes from damage or disease in the nervous system, which sends faulty signals that feel burning, shooting, stabbing, or like electric shocks. Among supplements, alpha-lipoic acid, especially for diabetic nerve pain, and acetyl-L-carnitine have the strongest support, rated moderate. In four small cannabis studies, people used less pain medication, though that evidence is limited. Those studies enrolled just 34 people in total.

Sources: PMID 18688212; PMID 22483680

Supplements studied
2
Graded outcomes
1
Trials
5
People studied
429

Evidence by supplement

  • Strong
  • Moderate
  • Limited
  • Very limited

2 supplements

Cannabis

Cannabis: outcomes studied for Neuropathic Pain
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
Analgesic Use

Small Decrease

Improves (the measure goes down)Small effect4 studies34 people

Studies that measured analgesic use

and 1 more on the Cannabis page

Sleep QualityImproves (the measure goes up)4 studies394 people

Studies that measured sleep quality

and 1 more on the Cannabis page

Sleep LatencyImproves (the measure goes down)23 people

Astragalus

Astragalus: outcomes studied for Neuropathic Pain
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
Kidney FunctionImproves (the measure goes up)1 study1 person

Studies that measured kidney function

Key findings

  • Analgesic UseCannabisImproves (the measure goes down)

The Neuropathic Pain Support protocol

2 primary supplements · 3 supporting supplements

  • Alpha-Lipoic Acid600–1,200 mg daily
  • Acetyl-L-Carnitine1,500–3,000 mg daily

See the full protocol

Studies cited

9 studies from PubMed

  1. Smoked cannabis for chronic neuropathic pain: a randomized controlled trialCMAJ · PMID 20805210
  2. Sativex successfully treats neuropathic pain characterised by allodynia: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trialPain · PMID 17997224
  3. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel group study of THC/CBD spray in peripheral neuropathic pain treatmentEur J Pain · PMID 24420962
  4. Results of a Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study of Nabiximols Oromucosal Spray as an Adjunctive Therapy in Advanced Cancer Patients with Chronic Uncontrolled PainJ Pain Symptom Manage · PMID 28923526
  5. Sativex oromucosal spray as adjunctive therapy in advanced cancer patients with chronic pain unalleviated by optimized opioid therapy: two double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase 3 studiesBr J Pain · PMID 28785408
  6. Nabiximols for opioid-treated cancer patients with poorly-controlled chronic pain: a randomized, placebo-controlled, graded-dose trialJ Pain · PMID 22483680
  7. Cannabinoids for adult cancer-related pain: systematic review and meta-analysisBMJ Support Palliat Care · PMID 31959586
  8. Smoked medicinal cannabis for neuropathic pain in HIV: a randomized, crossover clinical trialNeuropsychopharmacology · PMID 18688212
  9. Treatment of idiopathic membranous nephropathy with the herb Astragalus membranaceusAm J Kidney Dis · PMID 18037104