Hi all,


I have for a long time just put up with the burning pain from PN. The worst is the bottoms of my feet....they scream at me. I have tried neurontin, lyrica, cymbalta, and lamictal. None have been effective and I'm having a hard time coping with the pain anymore.

About 15 years ago I had a sural nerve biopsy. I suffered from disabling phantom pain for months afterward. The doctor gave me some sort of prescription cream to ease the pain. It didn't resolve it, but I remember it did take the edge off some.

Sadly, I have no idea of the name. I was hoping someone here might know what this is and whether it could be effective for short term pain relief...even if just enough to get to sleep at night.

Thanks,
Anita

There is Zonalon cream (doxepin)

Also various compounded transdermal things with
gabapentin
amitriptyline
ketamine
etc.

various recipes.

do any of these work?

And Lidoderm cream...didn't help me, but it might help some people.

Good luck. I hope you figure out was it was.

Anita,

I use "Topricin" for short term pain relief. I add a few drops of pure peppermint oil to the lotion which also helps with the burning. My pharmacist recommended this product. I found the best price at vitacost.com. There are two types, regular and foot therapy cream, which is more expensive. I've tried both, and found that the regular works even better than the foot therapy cream. They both have just about the same ingredients. I get better results with the regular. I posted the ingredients below. I hope this will help you.

TOPRICIN®'s INGREDIENTS
Topricin®'s patented combination of natural medicines is formulated to provide an array of benefits. Each ingredient passes through rigorous quality control procedure to ensure strength and purity. These superior ingredients effect their action while concurrently conditioning and moisturizing your skin.

Topricin® does not contain petroleum, mineral oil, lanolin, menthol, capsaicin, fragrances, or irritating chemicals. The cream is odorless, non-greasy, and will not stain your clothing. Topricin®'s hypoallergenic base is formulated for maximum absorption of its eleven medicines.

Arnica Montana - For injuries and bruising to the muscles and joints. Arnica is considered especially useful for arthritis, joint injuries, and bruising (6X)

Rhus Tox - For sprains, arthritic pain, and backaches (6X)

Ruta Graveolens - For relief from injuries to the bone or bone covering; often used to relieve trauma to the knee, shin, elbow and cheekbone (6X)

Lachesis Muta - For relief from sciatica, arthritis, lower back pain and carpal tunnel (8X)

Belladonna - Relief of pain, spasm & inflammation to muscle tissue (6X)

Echinacea - Anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial (6X)

Crotalus - For improving localized circulation, and considered effective for bruises and contusions, and for accelerating repair to damaged nerves, joints, and muscles (8X)

Aesculus - For chronic pain, especially in the legs & varicose veins. (6X)

Heloderma - For relief from burning sensation in the hands or feet. (8X)

Naja - Relieves inflammation and pain in nerve tissue in the treatment of Carpal Tunnel and neuropathy (8X)

Graphites - For relieving symptoms of skin conditions (6X)

Thanks MrsD.

Have you tried the Zonalon cream or any of the other compounds? Any comments as to effectiveness?

Thanks Rosie.

I will be checking this out.

I have found creams only help areas with no fat and thin skin etc - and is pretty useless on places with thicker skins. I am not sure that any cream would help the bottom of the feet as the skin is so thick

It was ages ago I used to use feldene gel on my knuckles and fingers - it helped for those areas, but not for anywhere else.

hope you find something to help

raglet

Someone else here uses Zonalon with success. I can't recall who right now...you can search it. People taking AIDs drugs use Zonalon too for their foot PN.

I use Biofreeze when I have severe burning, which is not often anymore, but still appears now and then.

The other creams are used by many people with severe pain.
The RSD forum has members who have posted about compounded pain transdermal gels. The recipes vary from doctor to doctor, because certain doctors feel certain things are more useful, than others.

When I get burning, it is mostly on the tops of my feet, not the bottoms.

You will want to make sure you don't have athlete's foot fungus there on the bottoms. It can lie dormant in the skin and not cause lesions, but it can still cause burning. Aggressive use of Lamisil cream for 14 days, would be a good experiment to see if that is your culprit.

The burning I have is 'inside' the bottoms of the feet, not on the surface. Maybe burning isn't the best word. It stings with fire like it would if someone smacked hard the bottom of your bare feet with a plank...but stays constant.

It certainly can't hurt to try the lamisil. They don't itch at all, but if dormant, I guess it wouldn't.

This 'nerve' type pain is similar to the pain i get deep in the backs of my legs at times...radiating from the back through the butt and down the backs of my legs. The feet are just more constant and bothersome.

I have heard others mention biofreeze. I can't stand anything cold or that would cause a cold/chilled feeling. I must wear gloves just to get something out of the freezer because it burns/stings instantly.

I have also read some of your threads/posts about r-lipoic acid. I wonder if it might be worth a try also. What dosing should someone start with? Does it react with other meds?

Thanks so much for your input.