Hi all. Any one out there been prescribed Capsaicin cream ? I have put a question about it before but Although there was a bit of debate about it, I don't think anyone was using it. I started using this morning, Pain Cons prescribed via GP back in January - I'm notoriously resistant to taking meds especially as I'm running out of options - saving meds for a rainy day!
Anyway, this cream is derived from chilli peppers and said to be highly effective. It is certainly VERY warming and is full strength at 0.75%. It takes a couple weeks for full effect and its diddly - you have to use 4 times a day or it can hurt on reapplication if you miss a dose! You have to be careful with hand washing and eyes contact but I have to say so far the result is very comforting. The old folk knew a thing or two with their Algipans etc!
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Calceolaria
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When I was in early days of my disability I used this stuff, called Fiery Jack then, showing my age., You could not get the stuff off your hands and if you tried to move hair out of eyes etc
and it got on skin around eyes etc it was the devil to get the stuff out your eyes it really stung, also it had a really strong smell that spread around the house and lingered on clothing
Hi Calceolaria, I did put a reply about this Capsaicin on the site and told you it can cause a burning effect Did you also ask about Lidocaine Patches ?
I'm now asking if anyone has tried it and currently using it. As it happens I've had three applications now and can't sleep, the effects are so strong. I'm going to take a couple of paracetamol to cope! Another treatment bites the dust! Why can't I find something that works for me! I have been using lidocaine patches too but Im not that impressed. If I could have one for my neck and one for lower back, maybe. I will ask about that at next appt, and a lower strength capsaicin. A skeleton transplant is the answer! Thanks Moggie.
When I used it, I discovered that if I applied it before I went to bed and then lay under the covers my legs felt like they were on fire. So I would apply the cream and lie on top of the bed and fall asleep. When I awoke I would then get under my duvet as the 'tingling' sensation would have ended by then. Alternatively, I would just put a sheet over my legs to prevent them over-heating. Hope this helps. Sx.
Hi, I used capsaicin 0.075% and felt like it was burning my skin off my body.. I didnt want to exchange my pain for a burning pain lol.. When I spoke to the doctor he advised the 0.025% and even thought it burns if u put it on 4 times a day the burning lessens.. But.... I stopped for a good 6 months to try volterol cream and when I went back to using the capsaicin cream 0.025% it was soo bad the burning I had to wash it with milk to reduce the burning.. Hope this helps.. Maxine xx
Hi, I have been proscribed this and lidocaine patches too.I find that when I have a shower in fhe evening, the places where i have applied the cream burn, so much more than when the cream is first applied.I use the lidocaine patches on my back as I have spinal canal stenosis and the cream on my knees.somedays ni feel like I am falling apart!.thinks are looking up yhough, I am on the waiting list for a knee replacement and have an appointment on 17th July with yje neurosurgeons yo see why the spinal injections aren't working.until I will just carry on with things the way they are "smile and wave"
I was prescribed it by a pain clinic some years ago. I was told it didn't work for everyone but could be very effective. Always willing to try anything that might help, I gave it a go. Sadly it did nothing at all for the pain in my case, it just meant I had to have tepid water in my baths when usually a nice hot bath was/is the only relief from pain I get as I can't tolerate pain meds, get weird side effects from the joint injections and migraines from TENS I forgot once while using the cream and had a hot bath... the burning sensation was unbelievable - it didn't stop for hours either! It was wintertime and I was going out to a firework night with friends - on the bright side, I wasn't really bothered by the cold that night! LOL I also don't recommend leaning cream slathered knees against a warm radiator to look out of the window either!
I gave it a good try but sadly it just didn't work for me. I hope you have better luck with it xxx
No Lindy, sadly I've had to kick it into touch after the night I had with it ! Like you, nothing works for me. Tens makes me twitch even when I've stopped it ! Haven't tried the jabs yet, a again my fear being they won't work and then what .....?
Hi have you tried Tiger Balm? It is available at the chemist for just under a fiver. Tiny bottle but you only use a very small amount. I must be honest and mention I have only used it on my hand joints when the pain flares up. I ran out and my brother got me a pack of three similar bottles from the £ shop and they were useless. I am going to get more and try it on my back and leg. It is an old Chinese remedy. worth a try. Ann
Hi Calcoleolaria, that's good to know. Thanks, I might try it. Concerning meds there is a good reason for taking them (though of course ask Drs' advice). It took me too long to be taught , by pain consultants, that if you shut down pain as much as possible with pain killers the pain may well be shorter lived. Injuries which stay untreated for pain can heal, but the nerves have been pain carriers for so long that they and the brain learn the pattern permanently and keep firing pain signals in a feedback loop. Hence chronic pain! I was diagnosed after 2 years, meaning I have permanent pain. Had my GP understood some pain neurology, this might have been avoided. I have taken meds, but only prescribed by consultants (GPs not qualified) for 7 years now and my quality of life and activities of daily living have improved a good deal, AFTER 4 years housebound. No I'm not an addict, a lot of that is myth.
Yes Bowbells, I stupidly struggled years thinking that avoiding meds was the right thing to do. How wrong I was. Doc will give me anything but nothing really helps chemical-wise. Waiting Pain Clinic again but it's a one man band here. Paracetamol, Disprin, Biofreeze and acupuncture are my only treatments.
I tried capsaicin cream. I liked the tingly burnt effect as it distracted from the pain. Worked a bit like a tens machine. But then surgeon told me I should use voltorel gel instead, as capsaicin was for nerve pain, and mine is joint pain. But it did seem to help, if only as a distraction.
I am on my second week of the high dose. It does burn but I am persevering. I make sure I wear pyjama bottoms so not to rub against sheets, I go in the shower before I put it on. After nearly 2 weeks the burning is less so will continue. Use glove or cotton wool to put it on so to avoid it being all over hands because even if you wash them thoroughly it can still affect you if you touch your eyes, face, etc. If intolerable try the lower dose. x
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I forgot once while using the cream and had a hot bath... the burning sensation was unbelievable - it didn't stop for hours either! It was wintertime and I was going out to a firework night with friends - on the bright side, I wasn't really bothered by the cold that night! LOL I also don't recommend leaning cream slathered knees against a warm radiator to look out of the window either! 
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