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CRPS and alcohol: Studies suggest that as many as one in four people with persistent pain self-medicate with alcohol. CRPS and alcohol
Studies suggest that as many as one in four people with persistent pain self-medicate with alcohol. However, after many years of working with people suffering from CRPS, it’s clear to me that many either avoid alcohol or are only very occasional drinkers. And frankly, that’s not surprising, as CRPS and alcohol are poor bedfellows.
Fatigue
I struggle to think of anybody with CRPS who’s not absolutely shattered 24/7. Pain robs you of sleep and drains your energy, and the very last thing you’re looking for is a drink.
Loss of control
Even a moderate amount of alcohol inhibits coordination. Living with CRPS, you will spend every waking moment protecting your limb. So, you will be highly conscious of the increased potential for inadvertently knocking your arm or leg after drinking.
CRPS and alcohol: how does it mix with medication?
Alcohol is a very poor ‘mixer’ with your daily cocktail of meds, causing or contributing to unwelcome side effects.
Alcohol for chronic pain
However, in the interest of providing a complete picture, what does research have to say about the purely analgesic (painkilling) effect of alcohol consumption?
I could not find a study specifically involving CRPS and alcohol. But in 2018, the journal Pain Medicine published a paper involving alcohol consumption and chronic pain more generally. The study carried out at the University of Michigan involved “2,583 new chronic pain patients presenting at a university pain clinic”, approximately a third of whom reported fibromyalgia (FM) symptoms.
The stated aim “was to assess associations between pain, fibromyalgia symptoms, and moderate alcohol use in a large chronic pain sample.” The results were very interesting. Moderate drinkers consuming between 7 and 14 units of alcohol per week reported less pain and other symptoms than non-drinkers. The authors concluded that:
“Moderate alcohol consumption in chronic pain patients was associated with decreased pain severity and interference, fewer painful body areas, lower somatic and mood symptoms, and increased physical function. A similar effect was observed in non-FM patients, but to a lesser extent in FM patients, suggesting chronic pain patients with less centralized forms of pain may benefit most from moderate alcohol consumption.”
These results mirror those of an earlier but smaller-scale study.
How does alcohol relieve chronic pain?
Whilst not proven, one theory is that a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) may work to block certain impulses between nerve cells in the brain and nervous system. Alcohol may either stimulate the production of GABA or act directly on the brain and nervous system in a similar way. Either way, calming the nervous system may produce the reported beneficial effects.
That’s all well and good but…
Unfortunately, whether you suffer from FM, CRPS, or another form of persistent pain, your pain tends to worsen over time. So, if you are self-medicating with alcohol, you are likely to need to increase your consumption in line with higher levels of pain. In addition, as your tolerance to alcohol increases, you will need to consume more to maintain the same effect.
And there’s another problem. Research shows that excessive drinking causes a condition called small-fibre peripheral neuropathy, which actually increases the sensation of pain.
So, unsurprisingly, the dangers of self-medicating with alcohol seem to outweigh the benefits significantly, particularly in the long term. And although those treating you are unlikely to deny you the occasional drink, always follow their advice.