Pain and Capsaicin Products

I’m going to finish off the week with some random things I’ve come across over the previous few months. I occasionally see some capsaicin(creams, gels etc.) products used from time to time for the treatment of pain. I also frequently see as needed orders for this medication. This medication applied topically is recommended to be used 3-4 times per day to affected area with best results occurring 2-4 weeks after continued use(per Lexicomp). This repeated application causes the depletion of substance P (a chemomediator involved in pain impulses). So clinically what does this mean? This medication most likely will not work without that consistent administration so an as needed order as I’ve seen probably dozens of times will most likely be ineffective and hence time, effort, and money potentially wasted due to the drug not be utilized appropriately.

1 Comment

  1. Constantinos Perantzakis

    Hi. I think that topical use of capsaicin can also produce hyperaemia and thus decontract muscles that are spasming. I’ve seen it work many times in patients (eg back pain, neck pain) even overnight.

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Written By Eric Christianson

November 8, 2013

Study Materials For Pharmacists

Categories

Explore Categories