Persistent neuropathic pain treated with capsaicin patches: a novel promising approach

Abstract

Neuropathic pain is associated with a functional abnormality of the nervous system due to a direct lesion or disease of the somatosensory system, leading to a continuous pattern of pointless and detrimental pain signal: the pain itself rather than the predisposing condition becomes the main pathological element. In this framework, capsaicin has been used in several clinical settings as a topical medication to treat neuropathic pain. We report three cases of persistent neuropathic pain who underwent our protocol: three applications of the capsaicin 8% patch separated by one month. In all the reported cases, the outcome has been a significant reduction of the symptoms, and the pain relief has maintained, staggered only by sporadic episodes of exacerbation. The treatment is safe and effective in reducing the intensity of the pain, being a valid therapy for the treatment of the chronic neuropathic pain, administered in association with other drugs.