DMSO: Pain relief or toxic chemical?

 the use of a solvent for pain relief that led to medical personnel caring for her to collapse was the story on a recent Murdoch mysteries.

Not the best episode, since the plot was unbelievable.

Or was it?

wikipedia page on Gloria Ramirez.

An investigation by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory proposed that Ramirez had been self-administering dimethyl sulfoxide as a treatment for pain, which converted into dimethyl sulfate, an extremely poisonous and highly carcinogenic alkylating agent, via a series of chemical reactions in the emergency room.

In medicine, DMSO is predominantly used as a topical analgesic,

a vehicle for topical application of pharmaceuticals, as an anti-inflammatory, and an antioxidant.[29] Because DMSO increases the rate of absorption of some compounds through biological tissues, including skin, it is used in some transdermal drug delivery systems. 

I remember at the time it was being touted to use for arthritis as a liniment (which is how they use it in horses). Then the fad sort of disappeared. Maybe this lady's death had something to do with it.

it is approved to treat interstitial cystitis, where the spastic bladder causes painful peeing.

Medical article discusses the way it is being used.

Because it absorbs easily into the skin, DMSO may be a beneficial alternative to other pain medications. However, further investigation into this area is needed before any conclusions can be drawn.

DMSO has also been touted for its ability to reduce the amount of leakage during chemotherapy administration, but more studies, and real-world usage, need to be done before it can be labeled as a trusted method.

Additionally, there has been some research into DMSO’s benefits when it comes to inhibiting cancer cells. A 2020 study published in the Journal of Medical Discovery found evidence of benefit. However, research is just beginning in this area, so many more studies need to be done before any conclusions can be made.

more studies? If it relieves pain, etc. shouldn't it have been approved for this by now? Ah, but no way for big pharma to make money off of a medicine that's been around for decades.

Sigh

and this article is about side effects.

Results: We included a total of 109 studies. Gastrointestinal and skin reactions were the commonest reported adverse reactions to DMSO. Most reactions were transient without need for intervention. A relationship between the dose of DMSO given and the occurrence of adverse reactions was seen.

Conclusions: DMSO may cause a variety of adverse reactions that are mostly transient and mild. The dose of DMSO plays an important role in the occurrence of adverse reactions. DMSO seems to be safe to use in small doses.....

DMSO is mostly excreted through the kidneys, but a small part is excreted through the lungs and liver.  Part of the DMSO is transformed to the volatile metabolite dimethyl sulfide, which gives a characteristic garlic- or oyster-like smell when excreted through the lungs .

DMSO may induce histamine release, which can be the reason for adverse reactions such as flushing, dyspnoea, abdominal cramps, and cardiovascular reactions .,,,,

Many studies on the use of DMSO have been performed in Russia. These studies have not been readily accessible to the global community due to the language barrier.

 So another possible miracle drug that hasn't been approved by the FDA, and few docs use it. However I suspect a lot of people are using it on the sly: when I worked in rural areas, people frequently used vetinary drugs, such as antibiotics, when they got sick. That is why the scandal of Ivermectin being banned during covid needs more publicity, and the reason a lot of our patients use herbs and unapproved medicines when they are sick.

Sigh.