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Vitamin C was found to be safe and effective as additional therapy for pain management; consumption of opioids was significantly decreased in surgical and cancer patients administered high dose vitamin C.
Pain is an offensive visual and emotional experience linked with actual or possible tissue damage or described regarding such damage. Scurvy caused due to the deficiency of Vitamin C disease is characterized by musculoskeletal pain. Latest epidemiological evidence has demonstrated the association between suboptimal vitamin C status and spinal pain.
In addition, some evidence found that the administration of Vitamin C can provide analgesic effects in certain clinical conditions. The incidence of hypovitaminosis C and vitamin C deficiency is high in numerous patient groups like surgical/trauma, infectious diseases, and cancer patients. As per the evidence from the latest research studies, a significant decrease has been noted in the symptoms of chronic regional pain syndrome after the administration of vitamin C. The administration of Vitamin C also causes the reduction in the acute herpetic and post-herpetic neuralgia. Moreover, it was observed that high dose vitamin C decreases the cancer-related pain, thereby improving quality of life of the patient.
Various mechanisms have been proposed for the analgesic properties of vitamin C. Researchers stated a novel analgesic mechanism for vitamin C; where it acts as a cofactor for the biosynthesis of amidated opioid peptides. It is already known that vitamin C participates in the amidation of peptides, by acting as a cofactor for peptidyl-glycine α-amidating monooxygenase, the only enzyme which amidate the carboxy-terminal residue of neuropeptides and peptide hormones. Supporting studies for this proposed mechanism shows a decrease in the requirement of opioid analgesics in case of surgical and cancer patients administered high dose vitamin C.
Therefore, vitamin C appears to be a safe and efficacious add-on therapy for patients with acute and chronic pain.
Journal of Translational Medicine
The role of vitamin C in the treatment of pain: New insights
Carr AC et al.
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