Qutenza, a capsaicin skin (cutaneous) patch, has been granted authorization for market in Europe. Qutenza is approved for use for treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain (nerve pain) but not for people who have this pain but also have diabetes.
Capsaicin is a component fount in certain plants, such as cayenne and red pepper. It works by stimulating the release of too much of substance P, which triggers the burning sensation you usually feel if you taste very hot peppers. However, once this is released, there is no more for a while, numbing the area. A second action involved releasing a chemical …read more

If you’ve ever had shingles, you know how painful it can be – especially if it’s not caught early enough to take the antiviral medication. That’s what happened to me about four years ago when I had shingles. I didn’t know what it was until it was too late.
One of the things I remember the most was not only how much it hurt, but how tired and run down I felt. Just awful. And then there’s the itch too. Not fun at all.
Treating shingles (herpes zoster) pain is hard because it’s nerve pain (neuropathic pain), the toughest there is to …read more

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N is also for…
Neuropathy: Pain caused by the nerve endings is called neuropathy. The most common neuropathies are diabetic neuropathy, a long-term effect of diabetes, and postherpetic neuralgia, which some people develop after having shingles.
NSAIDs: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, (NSAIDs) are pain relievers that include acetomeniphen (Tylenol), ASA (Aspirin), and ibuprofen (Advil). There are also some stronger, prescription NSAIDs. These medications provide pain relieve by reducing the inflammation.
Narcotics: Narcotics are controlled drugs such as codeine, morphine and fentanyl. These are pain relievers that work by altering the pain messages sent to the brain.

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It’s Friday again – funny how that day just keeps coming back week after week…
A quick look at the statistics for the week show that these are the 10 most popular posts for Help My Hurt visitors:
1- This one makes the top 5 consistently: Press release: Lupus Foundation of America Launches Website Message Boards to Connect People With Lupus
2- This one was just posted yesterday and already has over 550 page views: Narcotic and opioid myths – it’s time to smarten up
3- This one is a give-away and you have until July 14th to enter so you still have time: …read more

Neuropathic pain, nerve pain, can be very severe and intense. It’s also a type of pain that can be difficult to treat. I found three different radio shows that discuss neuropathic pain that you may be interested in. Just click on the picture of the radio below.
From March 2008 -

From May 2008 -

From June 2008 -

Images: Newscom 
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Ok, just after we learn that medicinal marijuana is *not* good for acute pain (Study Finds Oral Cannabis (Marijuana) Ineffective In Treating Acute Pain…), we learn that it may be good for treating neuropathic – nerve – pain (Marijuana May Be Effective For Neuropathic Pain). I’m going to need some of this to stop my head from aching after all this back and forth news.
 
Have a look at the article and see what they say. What do you think?
Image: Newscom
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