Questions people ask

These are the questions people type into search engines about palmitoylethanolamide. Each answer points to the studies. None of them is advice.

What is palmitoylethanolamide?

A fatty acid amide that the body makes, found also in foods such as egg yolk and peanuts. It was identified in 1957. See what is palmitoylethanolamide and history.

Is PEA the same as palmitoylethanolamide?

Yes. PEA is the abbreviation. Palmidrol is the official pharmaceutical name. The spelling palmitoylethanolamine, with an n, is a common error for the same molecule. See names and spellings.

Does PEA work for pain?

That question has several answers, one per study. The meta-analyses that pooled randomised trials report an average benefit over placebo (Artukoglu 2017, Lang-Illievich 2023, Vina 2025) with wide disagreement between trials. The largest single trial, in sciatica, found a benefit (Guida 2010). A well-run independent trial in spinal cord injury pain found none (Andresen 2016). Read the chronic and neuropathic pain page and the limits on each study.

How much PEA did the trials use?

Most human trials used 300 to 1,200 mg a day, in one or two doses. Every dose on this site is the dose the researchers used, listed by study on the doses table. It is not a recommendation.

How long did the trials run?

Mostly 3 to 12 weeks. The longest was about 6 months. No trial has followed people for a year. See safety and interaction data.

What side effects were reported?

Mild and uncommon: stomach upset, dizziness, sleepiness. Several trials reported none. An independent review found the data could not rule out rarer events with longer use. See safety and interaction data.

Does PEA interact with medicines?

No interaction study exists. Some trials added it to antipsychotics, opioids or antidepressants and reported no extra adverse events in those small groups. See safety and interaction data.

Is micronised PEA better?

One rat study found faster and higher absorption with the ultramicronised form. No trial in people has compared micronised with plain PEA on a clinical outcome. See micronised and ultramicronised.

What is Levagen?

A trade name for one maker’s palmitoylethanolamide; Levagen+ adds a dispersion coating. One absorption study and about a dozen trials used it. See Levagen and dispersion technology.

What about PEA with luteolin, or with polydatin?

Those are combination products, and their trials test the combination. The results cannot be assigned to palmitoylethanolamide alone. See combination products.

Has PEA been studied for sleep, mood, migraine, gut, eyes, smell?

Yes, each with a small number of trials. The human research is grouped by topic on the humans page, with study counts.

Has PEA been tested in dogs?

Yes, in a small number of studies, several of them open-label or owner-reported. See dogs.

Has PEA been tested in cats?

Yes, mainly for skin conditions, with one placebo-controlled trial. See cats.

Can horses have PEA?

There is almost no published horse research, and the FEI lists it as a controlled medication in competition. See horses and horse sport rules.

Is PEA banned in sport?

Not for people. WADA does not prohibit it. For horses, see above. See human sport rules.

Is PEA legal in Australia?

It is a permitted ingredient in listed medicines and has a poison schedule entry with exemptions for therapeutic and cosmetic use. See status in Australia.

Does PEA work as a cream?

A handful of trials tested creams for eczema and dry itchy skin. One found a benefit over the base cream; one found no significant difference on its main outcome; the largest was uncontrolled. See topical and skin.

Who funds PEA research?

Mostly the companies that make the products. See researchers, companies and funding.

Where can I read the original papers?

Every study page links to PubMed or the DOI. Many are open access.

Can this site tell me whether to take it?

No. It reports what published studies did and found. Questions about your own situation, or your animal’s, are for a doctor or vet.