Study finds repetitive high concentration capsaicin patch applications beneficial for nerve pain

Capsaicin, derived from hot chili pepper plants, has been used to treat various types of pain, and a high concentration capsaicin patch (HCCP) is approved for the treatment of nerve (or neuropathic) pain.

In a real-world study published in Pain Practice that included 97 outpatients in Germany diagnosed primarily with neuropathic back pain, postoperative/posttraumatic neuropathic pain, or postherpetic neuralgia (shingles pain), patients appeared to benefit from multiple HCCP applications.

Among the study participants, 38 received two HCCP treatments, and 59 received at least three. Following HCCP treatments, most patients required significantly lower doses of opioids to manage their pain. Also, two-thirds of patients experienced a reduction in pain intensity after multiple HCCP treatments, and the proportion of patients experiencing a reduction in pain intensity was substantially higher among those who received at least three applications compared with those who received two applications.

"Consistent with the progressive response seen in prospective clinical trials involving repeated use of topical capsaicin, our research indicates that patients appear to benefit from multiple applications in terms of pain intensity and concomitant opioid use in real-world clinical practice," said corresponding author Kai-Uwe Kern, MD, Ph.D., of the Institute for Pain Medicine/Pain Practice, in Wiesbaden, Germany.