How about that.

Vitamin B12 as a Treatment for Pain, Pain Physician, 2019 (Here’s the pdf.)

This was a review. It found:

Results:

Animal studies support multiple beneficial effects of vitamin B12 including the regeneration of nerves and the inhibition of cyclooxygenase enzymes and other pain-signaling pathways.

In addition, animal studies have demonstrated synergistic benefits of vitamin B12 combined with other pain medications, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opiates.

Clinical trials provide evidence for the effectiveness of vitamin B12 for the treatment of low back pain and neuralgia, although data is still fairly limited and optimal treatment regimens have not been identified.

Vitamin B12 is a COX inhibitor. NSAIDS, like Advil, are COX inhibitors. Why am I just stumbling upon this?

In the 1950s, researchers began to focus on pain-relieving effects from vitamin B12 administration with some potentially impressive clinical results (3,4). … Unfortunately, over the ensuing decades interest in clinical uses of vitamins and minerals waned in favor of pharmaceutical treatments.

I wonder what other vitamins and minerals were set aside so drug companies could market their profitable treatments.

I summarized the paper’s findings up top. But, for me, it had some other gems:

“Vitamin B12 is the largest and most complex vitamin in the human body.” [It’s unique in that it contains a metal, cobalt, much like hemoglobin contains a metal, iron.]

“Nerve damage related to vitamin B12 deficiency appears to be a direct result of the body being unable to keep myelin basic protein methylated, leading to degeneration of the myelin sheath.”

“Vitamin B12 has a proclivity for neural [nerve] tissue. Initial animal models suggest that B12 helps to regenerate nerves by inducing axonal growth and Schwann cell differentiation, which improves functional recovery in difficult-to-treat nerve crush injuries (21–23). In addition, B12 upregulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and increases nerve conduction velocity, which may reflect part of the regeneration process (24,25).”

“Another potential mechanism of action for the pain-reducing properties of vitamin B12 comes from interactions with prostaglandin synthesis, including cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes.”

“There are also data showing that vitamin B12 may function through interactions with the capsaicin receptor (TRPV1). TRPV1 is a receptor involved in pain processing, responding to heat, acid, and capsaicin – the compound that gives hot peppers their kick – with an influx of positive ions into the cell, which produces a sensation of burning pain. Vitamin B12 appears to reduce TRPV1 effects, decreasing pain signaling.”

“Vitamin B12 appears to have synergistic effects when combined with opiates for pain. … decreasing pain more than morphine alone.”

“It is worth noting that vitamin B12 for pain is not limited in efficacy to treating patients with vitamin B12 deficiency. Doses of vitamin B12 in many of the clinical trials were typically above the threshold necessary to treat deficiency and most of the patients in the studies were not vitamin B12 deficient.”

Here’s a Table from the paper that lists some trials which found pain reduction from vitamin B12. (Click to enlarge.)