Methods are provided for reducing chronic inflammatory pain, increasing the levels of endogenous opioid peptides, as well as increasing the pain threshold of a subject having symptoms of androgen deficiency, comprising transdermally administering a composition comprising a bioactive androgen on a daily basis. In addition, the invention also relates to increasing the levels of endogenous opioid peptides in a human subject by administering an androgen composition to the subject. The invention also encompasses administration of a composition consisting essentially of an androgen for the treatment of chronic inflammatory pain, and for increasing the pain-threshold in a subject.