End of 8 hour period Report:
Actually, the patches remained on for about 9 hours, as I went for a snooze at 7:00 pm and woke 2 hours later when I dutifully removed both set of patches...
- No redness whatsoever on either foot and no side effect. The left foot where the all Capsaicin patch was located is a bit more sensitive and felt less numb, while the right foot is its usual numb self at superficial skin level...
- The pain, usually in the 6/7 range is barely noticeable, perhaps in the 1/2 range to put a number on it...
- I am not taking any other pain management medicine orally or otherwise, except for anti-inflammatory herbs, such as Curamin (high absorption Cucurmin) Bromelain, Boswellia, Turmeric and Astaxanthin...
So far, so good...
Instead of continuing the experiment as planned, wearing one Capsaicin/Menthol patch for 8 consecutive hours on top of the foot one day alternating with one patch on the bottom the next day, starting at 12 noon tomorrow, I now intend to wait for the pain to return to at least a level 5 before using the Capsicum/Menthol patches again and proceeding with the rest of the experiment...
In conclusion, the 0.025% Capsaicin/1.25% Menthol patch has proven best, as contrary to the whole Capsaicin patch, there is no stinging while wearing it and it's more comfortable.
Although both patches have substantially lowered the pain at a similarly low level, because the CM patch is thicker and more substantial in bulk, it may be best worn at night when it won't interfere with wearing shoes...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seagem
Preliminary report:
Well, the first 4 hours of the experiment have gone by without any hitch:
- The all Capsaicin 0.025% Hot Salonpas patch is thin enough to fit inside a shoe and one patch cut in two will cover most of one foot, top and bottom for about $1.00, if bought in packs of 10. There is no burning but a mild stinging sensation that is relieved by not wearing socks when at home...
- The 0.025% Capsaicin, 1.25% Menthol Salonpas Gel patch is much thicker and 2 will be required to cover a foot top and bottom, which may no longer fit comfortably inside certain shoes: cost $4.81 for a set of 6, or $1.60 per foot. They are much more comfortable to wear and there is no stinging at all...
So far, the winner appears to be the combination Capsaicin/Menthol (CM) patch, as there is no stinging and no Peripheral Neuropathy pain noticeable at present. The foot with patches on top and bottom with socks on will still fit inside some Crox...
Starting tomorrow, I plan to wear one (CM) patch on top of the foot one day alternating with one patch on the bottom the next day - for 8 hours (12 noon to 8:00 pm) for one whole week to assess the remaining Neuropathic pain at the end of the period: cost ~80 cents per foot per day, which should hopefully be affordable for most...
Alternatively, one should be able to wear the patch in bed for 8 hours, so that it won't interfere with the wearing of shoes during day time...
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