Intermittent application of large-dose topical capsaicin may provide significant pain relief, decrease chronic analgesic dependence, and decrease aggregate health care expenditures.

PMID: 

Anesth Analg. 1998 Mar ;86(3):579-83. PMID: 9495419

Abstract Title: 

Treatment of intractable pain with topical large-dose capsaicin: preliminary report.

Abstract: 

UNLABELLED: Complex regional pain syndromes (CRPS) and neuropathic pain are often poorly controlled by conventional pharmacologic interventions. We administered 8-methyl-N-vanillyl-noneamide (capsaicin) at doses of 5%-10% to individuals with such disorders in this trial. Previous limitations to trials with larger-dose, topical concentrations of capsaicin included intense burning sensations experienced after application. To enable patients to tolerate the high concentrations, we first performed regional anesthesia. All patients reported at least some relief. Of 10 patients, 9 obtained substantial analgesia that lasted 1-18 wk. At Week 1 after therapy, the mean verbal analog scale (VAS) scores decreased from 8.0 to 3.0. At Week 4 after therapy, mean VAS score was 4.5. Analgesia lasted from

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