Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...

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Anyone used DMSO?

debRAinOC
debRAinOC
Now that gabesbabe is active on our board again (we missed you!), I thought I'd ask if anyone has used DMSO to treat their RA symptoms. It's commonly used for livestock, it's not FDA approved for RA, it's sold as a solvent, but some people apply it topically for joint pain.

If it didn't have such a weird odor (imagine the smell of garlic-laced oysters oozing from every pores and wafting on your every breath), I'm sure a lot more people would use it. (The distinctive odor is why double-blind clinical trials can't be done. Everyone knows who has the DMSO and who has a placebo.)
deleted_user
deleted_user
I use DMSO, medical/pharmaceutical grade, no smell. I recently bought some Dr. Jacobs 70% solution, slight smell. It works, the benefits are short lived but sometimes it's enough to help get in motion. I understand there is reason to be concerned about how it effects the liver. Any knowledge about side effects?
debRAinOC
debRAinOC
I've had a hard time finding unbiased information, but the Blue Shield site says that when DMSO is used topically, reported side effects include stomach upset, sensitivity to light, visual disturbances, headache, and skin irritation. It also says you have to be careful about quality because industrial-grade products can be contaminated. (I've read that more serious health concerns come from taking DMSO orally or as an infusion.)

I've used the gel only a couple of times--once when my foot hurt so badly that I couldn't walk at all. It relieved the pain instantly! I was shocked and thrilled with how fast it worked. I was able to get up and move around right away. (I also tried it on my ankles at another time, but it didn't seem to help much then.)