Pain News Network

12/10/2025

Does medical cannabis help relieve pain? Recent studies paint a very mixed picture. New research shows that medical cannabis reduces the use of prescription opioids, while another study says there's not enough scientific evidence to support cannabis as a pain reliever.

By Pat Anson Some new studies are muddying the water even more on whether medical cannabis is an effective treatment for pain, anxiety, insomnia and other health conditions.  The first study, a review of over 120 clinical trials, medical guidelines and meta-analyses (a study of studies) p

12/09/2025

Neuromodulation has been used for years to treat pain. PNN's Madora Pennington says it could also be used to treat anxiety, depression and fatigue. The key is to target the vagus nerve.

By Madora Pennington  After writing about a nerve stimulation implant approved by the FDA to treat rheumatoid arthritis by targeting the vagus nerve, I just had to try neuromodulation myself. While my condition is a genetic disorder, not autoimmune, there is a lot going wrong with me.

12/09/2025

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/mp-calls-pm-act-after-10687544

Her MP has called for government action after raising her case to the Prime Minister in Parliament

12/08/2025

The DEA has once again missed a deadline for setting annual production quotas for opioids and other controlled substances. It's a problem that goes back decades and has been linked to chronic drug shortages. Patients pay the price when DEA won't follow the law.

By Pat Anson In recent years, hundreds of physicians have been prosecuted by the U.S. Justice Department for violations of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). In many cases, the doctors were accused of prescribing opioid pain medication without “a legitimate medical purpose” – a vague ter

12/06/2025

Dr. Lynn Webster says the bombing of alleged drug boat traffickers typifies how the War on Drugs is more about political theater than it is about public health. Caught in the middle are pain patients and the doctors who treat them.

By Dr. Lynn Webster On September 1, 2025 , a U.S. warplane blew apart a small speedboat in the Caribbean, killing all eleven people on board. President Trump released the video like a trailer for a new season of a drug war TV series, boasting that the vessel was loaded with narcotics and crewed

12/06/2025

A new study linking pharmacy and Medicare data sheds light on pain management regimens for hip fracture patients in rehabilitation, and raises concerns about potentially dangerous drug-drug interactions.

12/05/2025

Do your pets give you a sense of purpose? This cat lets Crystal Lindell know every day that her purpose in life is to take care of him. That's a good thing, because a sense of purpose helps people manage their chronic pain and illness.

By Crystal Lindell Every morning, at around 5 a.m., my very fat orange cat Goose starts his daily routine: Screaming at the top of his lungs in an effort to wake up me and my partner. He’s hungry and he doesn’t care if we’re asleep – it’s time for cat breakfast.

12/04/2025

A new study of chronic pain patients found that the angrier they feel, the more pain they'll have. PNN's Crystal Lindell has a few words to say about studies like these: They p**s her off!

By Crystal Lindell A new study claims that the angrier someone is about their chronic pain, the worse their pain will be. But to be honest, the whole thing kind of p**ses me off. All kidding aside, the research published in The Journal of Pain , looked at four distinct “multidimensional ang

12/03/2025

The FDA has seized thousands of 7-OH tablets, gummies and shots from a Missouri-based vendor that sells kratom products around the country.

By Pat Anson Federal agents have seized thousands of tablets, gummies, shots and packages containing 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) – with an estimated value of $1 million – from a Missouri company that sells 7-OH products nationwide.  It’s part of a growing effort by federal and state regul

12/02/2025

Yet another study highlights a weird side effect from gabapentin: Doctors could misdiagnose the problem and mistakenly prescribe another drug that causes even more side effects.

By Pat Anson Over the years, we’ve published many warnings about gabapentin (Neurontin), a nerve medication that is widely prescribed off-label for pain conditions it was never intended to treat.  Common side effects from gabapentin include brain fog, dizziness, weight gain, headache,

12/02/2025

Reposting this important story because some of you may not have been able to click on the link.

By Pat Anson The Drug Enforcement Administration is planning to cut the supply of oxycodone by over 6% in 2026, along with marginal reductions in the supply of hydrocodone, morphine and other Schedule II opioids.  If the DEA’s plans are finalized after a short public comment period, it wo

12/02/2025

https://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2025/12/1/lupus-may-be-triggered-by-common-virus

By Graham Taylor and Heather Long Around 5 million people worldwide live with the autoimmune condition lupus. This condition can cause a range of symptoms, including tiredness, fever, joint pain and a characteristic butterfly-shaped rash across the cheeks and nose. For some people, these symptoms