If you haven’t heard of capsaicin’s uses as a pain reliever, you’ve been living under that proverbial rock. This natural extract from peppers has actually been used as a medicinal treatment for thousands of years by the indigenous peoples of the Americas, but modern science is finally catching up. Today, you can find capsaicin patches, creams and other treatment options.
What Do Capsaicin Patches Do?
While creams containing capsaicin have been around for quite a few years, capsaicin patches are relatively new to the scene. What do they do? Where can you place them? What are the advantages of patches versus a cream?
There are two types of capsaicin patches on the market – low concentration and high concentration. Low concentration patches are used to treat many different conditions, including:
- Lower back pain
- Muscle pain
- Joint pain, including arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis
- Fibromyalgia pain
- Shoulder aches
- Neck aches
Then there are the high concentration patches. Understand that capsaicin patches are not used to treat the same ailments as low-concentration options. These have been used for many years with great success for treating mild to moderate pain and discomfort. They’re largely considered safe to use, and cause no to relatively minor side effects.
Those side effects generally include a mild burning or “hot” sensation at the location where the patch was applied. Most patients report that the burning sensation fades, and actually reduces the more often these patches are used. With that being said, there is at least some possibility of an allergic reaction in some people. If you are allergic to capsaicin (or peppers), consult your physician prior to using any patch (or cream) containing capsaicin.
Other Types of Capsaicin Patches
Higher concentration patches contain a much more significant amount of capsaicin than creams and OTC patches, and are used to treat neuropathic pain. They contain around 8% capsaicin. These are not available over the counter. With that being said, you can find some patches with much lower capsaicin levels – as low as .75% or even .25%. These are available over the counter, and are primarily used for muscle or joint pain, similar to the uses for capsaicin creams.
Higher concentration patches are used by patients suffering from a very wide range of conditions, including pain from herpes lesions, pain from scarring and more. Diabetic patients have utilized these patches, and even those with HIV-related neurological conditions have found pain reduction using them.
In order to use patches with a higher concentration of capsaicin, you will need a prescription. You will also need to have your doctor apply the patch. These cannot be applied at home, and must be used under medical supervision. This is due to the significant concentration of capsaicin, and the potential for injury should you apply the patch incorrectly.
If you are suffering from neurological pain, speak with your doctor about the potential use of a high concentration capsaicin patch.