Topical Agents – Worth the Cost or Not?

 

Millions of Americans spend their hard earned money every year on pain remedies, topical pain relievers being one of those. The question is, is it worth the money? Read a summary of information printed in the March 2007 edition of the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, Topical Agents for the Management of Musculoskeletal Pain.

One benefit of topical agents is that medications can be directly applied to the painful area without the systemic (whole body) effects of ingesting the medication. Two terms are used to describe topical application of medications, topical and transdermal. Topical agents are used directly over the painful site and are absorbed through the skin affecting underlying soft tissues and peripheral nerves. Transdermal agents are often applied distal to the site of injury (e.g. sustained release nicotine patches, or long-acting fentanyl patches) and typically deliver medication over an extended period of time and have a slow onset of action.

There are good studies that show topical applications of NSAIDS (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories) such as ibuprofen can result in therapeutic levels of the medication immediately below the area of application. One benefit of topical application is that less medication is distributed throughout the body. Studies vary in their findings, most identify the best effect is gained in 1-2 weeks of use. Topical anasthetics   Studies demonstrate minimal evidence that topical patches lidocaine 5% are effective in relieving knee pain due to osteoarthritis.

Topical conterirritants, such as capsaicin and menthol are also sold over the counter to relieve pain.

Helping you make better decisions,

The Back to Motion staff