More US adult deaths from Fentanyl than autos or COVID (Vitamin D might help) - several studies

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Biggest cause of deaths in <50 - July 2023

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, more Americans under 50 have died from fentanyl than any other cause of death recently, including heart disease, cancer, homicide and suicide.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. 

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More American's aged 15 - 54 died of Opiod overdose than of COVID in 2021 - reported Sept 2023

New England Journal of Medicine

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If Vitamin D were given with Opiods, perhaps less would be used,
fewer would become addicted, and fewer would die

• Hypothesis: Drug addiction in humans can be prevented and treated by vitamin D -May 2014
• Less morphine recall if preceded by twice a week Vitamin D (400 IU per kg in rats, human weights 80 kg) – Aug 2023
• Off Topic: 4X increase in Americans taking morphine-type drugs in last decade (consider Vitamin D instead) – Aug 2014
• Putative role of vitamin D in the mechanism of alcoholism and other addictions – a hypothesis - Feb 2021 https://doi.org/10.1017/neu.2020.41 FREE PDF
• Vitamin D and Its Potential Interplay With Pain Signaling Pathways - May 2020 https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.00820 FREE PDF
• Does vitamin D supplementation decrease opioid use in patients with cancer? - Feb 2022. https://doi.org/10.1097/EBP.0000000000001536
• Vitamin D status and associations with substance use patterns among people with severe substance use disorders in Western Norway August 2022 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-17804-w FREE PDF
  • Most opiot patients were vitamin D deficient

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9+ VitaminDWiki pages with OPIOID or MORPHINE in the title

This list is automatically updated

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Reduced Fentenol for Cancer if 4,000 IU Vitamin D daily - RCT July 2021

‘Palliative-D’—Vitamin D Supplementation to Palliative Cancer Patients: A Double Blind, Randomized Placebo-Controlled Multicenter Trial
Cancers 2021, 13(15), 3707; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13153707
by Maria Helde Frankling 1,2ORCID,Caritha Klasson 1,2,3ORCID,Carina Sandberg 3,Marie Nordström 3,Anna Warnqvist 4,Jenny Bergqvist 5,6,Peter Bergman 7,8ORCID andLinda Björkhem-Bergman 1,2,3,*ORCID
1Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, SE-141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
2 ASIH Stockholm Södra, Palliative Home Care and Hospice Ward, SE-125 59 Älvsjö, Sweden
3 Stockholms Sjukhem, Palliative Medicine, SE-112 19 Stockholm, Sweden
4 Department of Environmental Medicine, Division of Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
5 Department of Surgery, Breast Centre, Capio St Gorans Hospital, SE-112 19 Stockholm, Sweden
6 Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
7 Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Microbiology, Karolinska Institutet, SE-141 86 Stockholm, Sweden
8vDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Immunodeficiency Unit, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-141 86 Stockholm, Sweden

Simple Summary
In this study, the effect of vitamin D supplementation on pain, infections, fatigue and quality of life in patients with advanced cancer with verified vitamin D deficiency was studied. To this end, a randomized controlled trial, ‘Palliative-D’, was conducted, comparing the effect of 4000 IU vitamin D3/day for 12 weeks to placebo in cancer patients admitted to palliative care. Pain was assessed as change in opioid dose and infections measured as days on antibiotics. Vitamin D-supplemented patients increased their opioid doses at a significantly slower rate than patients receiving placebo, i.e., 0.56 µg less fentanyl/h per week with vitamin D treatment. Vitamin D reduced self-assessed fatigue but did not affect antibiotic use or self-assessed Quality of life. The treatment was safe and well-tolerated. In conclusion, correction of vitamin D deficiency may have positive effects on pain and fatigue in palliative cancer patients.

Abstract
The aim of the ‘Palliative-D’ study was to test the hypothesis that correction of vitamin D deficiency reduces opioid use in cancer patients admitted to palliative care. A multicenter randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial in three home-based palliative care facilities in Sweden was performed. Patients with advanced cancer and 25-hydroxyvitamin D < 50 nmol/L were randomized to vitamin D3 4000 IU/day or placebo for 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was the difference of long-acting opioid use (fentanyl ug/h) between the groups during 12 weeks, based on four time points. Secondary outcomes included changes in antibiotic use, fatigue and Quality of Life (QoL). A total of 244 patients were randomized, and 150 patients completed the 12 weeks. The major reason for drop-out was death due to cancer. The vitamin D-group had a significantly smaller increase of opioid doses compared to the placebo-group; beta coefficient −0.56 (p = 0.03), i.e., 0.56 µg less fentanyl/h per week with vitamin D treatment. Vitamin D-reduced fatigue assessed with ESAS was −1.1 points after 12 weeks (p < 0.01). Antibiotic use or QoL did not differ significantly between the groups. The treatment was safe and well-tolerated. In conclusion, correction of vitamin D deficiency may have positive effects on opioid use and fatigue in palliative cancer patients, but only in those with a survival time more than 12 weeks.
 Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki

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VitaminDWiki – Pain - chronic category contains:

159 items in category Chronic pain

See also

• Overview Pain and Vitamin D
• Percentage of people with pain increased 25 percent in 18 years – Jan 2019
• Pain not reduced by 60,000 IU monthly vitamin D (need 50,000 IU weekly) – RCT Aug 2023
• Overview Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue and vitamin D
• Overview Rheumatoid Arthritis and vitamin D
• Shingles and vitamin D
• Shin splints decrease with vitamin D
• Migraine and Vitamin D
• Headache category 79 items
• "musculoskeletal pain" 490 items as of Aug 2023
• "chronic fatigue" 185 items as of Jan 2017
• Category Back Pain 42 items
• 7 pain studies in VitaminDWiki with KNEE in the title as of Aug 2023 (see below)
• Opioid OR Opiate OR Morphine in the title 10 pages as of June 2021

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