Health Benefits of Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO)

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a compound used in many products, such as makeup, paint removers, cleaners, essential oils, and as a flavoring agent for certain foods. The compound is also naturally found in water, grains, vegetables, and other foods.

DMSO can be found as a preservative in many medications and health-related products, including stem cells. The compound is also used to help topical products get past the skin barrier and into the body. DMSO has been shown to have a range of health-related benefits, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Research in animals and humans has found that DMSO may be beneficial in several conditions, offering pain relief, preventing chemotherapy side effects, and treating interstitial cystitis.

May Relieve Chronic Pain

Research has shown DMSO may be useful in treating pain caused by various health issues, including complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Studies suggest DMSO helps treat pain by blocking the nerve signals in the body caused by chronic (long-term) pain conditions. DMSO also has anti-inflammatory properties, which play an important role in pain management.

Complex regional pain syndrome is a term used to describe chronic pain or inflammation caused by a medical event or injury. Due to the pain, people with CRPS often require multiple treatment options to keep their symptoms under control. Researchers have evaluated topical DMSO as an option to help treat pain related to CRPS. However, the quality of information is low, and more data is needed to truly understand if DMSO should be recommended to treat pain in people with CRPS.

Data on DMSO's usefulness in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis is conflicting. Some researchers have found that topical DMSO lowers joint pain at rest and once pressure is applied. However, other studies found no difference in joint pain or stiffness with topical DMSO. Evidence suggests DMSO may also help with the formation of cartilage, the tissue that protects your joints and bones from rubbing together. More research is needed to truly understand the benefit.

Could Prevent Chemotherapy-Related Skin Damage

Topical DMSO has been used to prevent tissue damage caused by chemotherapy infusions, also called extravasation. Extravasation occurs when a drug leaks from the vein into the surrounding tissue and skin, causing pain, swelling, or possibly tissue death (necrosis). Chemotherapy treatments with a risk of extravasation include dactinomycin (Cosmegen), doxorubicin (Adriamycin), vinblastine (Velban), and vincristine (Oncovin).

More research is needed to fully understand how useful DMSO is in preventing extravasation and other chemotherapy-related side effects.

Treats Interstitial Cystitis

Dimethyl sulfoxide is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat interstitial cystitis. Interstitial cystitis occurs when the bladder wall is irritated or inflamed. This, in turn, makes it difficult to urinate normally. Symptoms of interstitial cystitis include pelvic and bladder pain and feeling the need to urinate frequently.

Research shows dimethyl sulfoxide can improve irritation of the bladder wall, which helps with pain and how much fluid the bladder can comfortably hold. DMSO likely helps relax the nerves found in the bladder and urinary tract while also improving inflammation.

If you are prescribed DMSO for interstitial cystitis, you will likely receive it as an intravesical instillation. Intravesical instillation means your healthcare provider places a liquid medicine directly into your bladder through your urethra (the tube that carries urine out of your body) with a catheter. After your healthcare provider instills the DMSO, they will ask you to hold it in your bladder for 15-20 minutes. After, you can urinate as you normally would.

Other Potential Benefits of Dimethyl Sulfoxide

Other conditions that DMSO may help treat include:

• Amyloidosis: Amyloidosis is a rare condition where your body produces too much amyloid protein, causing damage to various organs. Topical and oral DMSO have been studied in the treatment of amyloidosis. However, the studies are small in size.
• Diabetic foot ulcers: One small study found that topical DMSO may be useful in treating foot ulcers in people with diabetes.
• Peptic (stomach) ulcers: A few small studies showed that taking DMSO by mouth lowered the chances of repeat stomach ulcers when compared to no treatment or other common medicines.
• Cancer: One study reported that DMSO may help block growth and kill certain types of cancer cells. Other research has found that DMSO and the metabolite it becomes in the body may help certain chemotherapies kill cancer cells more easily.

More research is necessary for the use of DMSO in each of the listed health conditions. There has also been interest in using topical DMSO to treat conditions such as headaches, burns, and pressure ulcers. However, no large and high-quality studies with DMSO have been completed for these conditions.

How To Take Dimethyl Sulfoxide

You can take dimethyl sulfoxide by mouth, or a medical provider will inject a DMSO solution into your vein or instill it into your bladder, depending on the type of treatment. DMSO is also available as a topical cream, gel, or solution applied directly to the skin. Topical concentrations typically range from 5-90%.

Dosage

Due to limited research on the compound, dosage recommendations for DMSO are limited. Dimethyl sulfoxide 50% intravesical solution for interstitial cystitis is the only FDA-approved DMSO product.

For complex regional pain syndrome, studies have used a dose of topical DMSO 50% applied to the affected area up to five times a day for 2-12 months. For osteoarthritis, topical DMSO 25% gel applied three times a day for three weeks was beneficial. DMSO strengths as high as 60-90% two to four times a day also appear effective for treating rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis pain.

For extravasation prevention, topical DMSO 77% cream is recommended and applied every 3-8 hours for 10-14 days before or during chemotherapy treatment.

Studies of DMSO for stomach ulcer treatment ranged in doses from 5 milliliters (ml), or 1 teaspoon (tsp), of DMSO 10% four times a day for one year to 500 milligrams (mg) four times a day.

Is Dimethyl Sulfoxide Safe?

It's important to use products with DMSO amounts that are considered safe for the human body. Dimethyl sulfoxide is used outside of healthcare and can be found in many types of products. Using industrial-grade DMSO on the skin, as an injection, or by mouth can be dangerous for your health.

As mentioned previously, the only FDA-approved DMSO product for medical use is the 50% intravesical solution. This product is only injected into the bladder by healthcare providers. When searching for products containing DMSO, it's crucial to buy safe, high-quality products.

Supplements are not regulated by the FDA the same way medications are. Look for products tested by independent third-party organizations, like USP and NSF International. These organizations test for purity and safety, ensuring the ingredients listed are accurate and the product does not contain a harmful level of contaminants.

Dimethyl sulfoxide has not been studied in people who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Therefore, It is best to avoid the product if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Potential Drug Interactions

Dimethyl sulfoxide has not been widely studied with other drugs and supplements. Based on available research, DMSO may have potential drug interactions with the following drugs:

• Blood thinners and antiplatelet drugs: DMSO may increase the risk of bleeding when taken with other blood-thinning and antiplatelet medications. This may include warfarin (Coumadin), apixaban (Eliquis), aspirin, and clopidogrel (Plavix).
• Cholinergic drugs: DMSO may increase the risk of cholinergic side effects when taken with other cholinergic drugs. Cholinergic side effects include slow heart rate, abnormal heartbeats, low blood pressure, and difficulty breathing. Examples of other cholinergic drugs include acetylcholine, bethanechol, neostigmine, and donepezil.
• Platinum-based chemotherapy drugs: Research has shown that DMSO may lower the ability of certain chemotherapy drugs to effectively treat cancer cells. Examples of these chemotherapy drugs include cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin.

Can You Take Too Much?

There is no official upper recommended intake amount for DMSO. However, taking higher doses of DMSO or using non-FDA-approved DMSO products may increase the risk of experiencing side effects. It's also important to only receive medical-grade DMSO products through a healthcare provider.

Side Effects of Dimethyl Sulfoxide

Gastrointestinal and skin side effects are the most commonly reported issues with DMSO. Side effects are also more commonly reported with higher doses of DMSO. Examples of side effects seen with DMSO include:

• Skin rash or burning: Applying DMSO to the skin can cause various skin issues, including rash, blistering, burning, redness, or scaling. Skin reactions usually improve once DMSO is stopped.
• Garlic breath and body odor: DMSO is known to have a garlic-like taste and can cause breath odor and body odor. These side effects can occur no matter how you take DMSO (by mouth, topically, or through the vein or bladder). This is thought to be caused by dimethyl sulfide, a metabolite of DMSO.
• Heart and blood vessel effects: Blood infusion products that contain DMSO may cause hypertension (high blood pressure), tachycardia (fast heart rate), bradycardia (slow heart rate), or chest tightness. Dimethyl sulfoxide infused in the vein has also been shown to cause dilation of the blood vessels, hypotension (low blood pressure), and chest pain.
• Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms: DMSO may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation. This can occur no matter how you take DMSO or if you are receiving other drug products that contain DMSO.
• Neurological symptoms: Headache, dizziness, drowsiness, and tiredness have been reported with topical DMSO. Dimethyl sulfoxide given through the vein may cause the same symptoms, as well as weakness, confusion, and agitation.
• Respiratory symptoms: Studies of topical DMSO have reported respiratory symptoms, such as dry throat, difficulty breathing, and flu-like symptoms.

If exposed to industrial-strength DMSO, side effects may include headache, dizziness, and drowsiness.

A Quick Review

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a compound used in many products, such as makeup, cleaners, and processed foods. It can also be used as a preservative in several medications and health-related products.

Research has found that DMSO may benefit several health conditions, including relieving pain, preventing chemotherapy-related side effects, and treating interstitial cystitis. If you're interested in learning more about DMSO, talk with your healthcare provider.