Yes, I first came across this article as I was doing background reading for a compounding cream that I am using. The cream that I am using includes Clonodine and has quite a drug store of compounds:

Flurbiprophen Powder - an NSAID, an anti-inflammatory,
Bupivacaine Powder - a local anasthetic, (with cardiotoxic risks),
Psyclobenzaprine HCL - a muscle relaxant (fexaril) (and off-label treatment for fibromyalgia),
Tramadol HCL Powder - an opiate working on the mu transmitter,
Clonidine HCL Powder - see below, and
PCCA Custom Lipo-max Cream - the base into which the compounds are mixed.

Clonidine HCL Powder - is an approved treatment for ADHD and High Blood Pressure and used off-label quite a bit. According to wikipedia, it is a sympatholytic medication used to treat high blood pressure, ADHD, anxiety/panic disorder, and certain pain conditions. It is used to treat torrette syndrome (tics), stress, sleep disorders, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, PTSD, migraine headaches, hot flashes associate with menopause, and facial flushing and redness associated with rosacea. It is used as an epidural for severe pain. And, as in my off-label compound, It has also been successfully used topically in a clinical trial as a treatment for diabetic neuropathy.

For those who may not be aware of compounding, "Pharmacy compounding is the art and science of preparing personalized medications for patients. Compounded medications are “made from scratch” – individual ingredients are mixed together in the exact strength and dosage form required by the patient. This method allows the compounding pharmacist to work with the patient and the prescriber to customize a medication to meet the patient’s specific needs." (Taken from the PCCA website. PCCA is something like the Professional Compounding Association.)

I got involved through my pain management physician who enrolled me into a clinical trial,

P,L,U,

Mike

One thing you miss by only reading.... is that the actual clinical use does not always match what you read.

Clonidine is not easy to tolerate, so it is not used as much as you would think. My son took .05mg daily with his Ritalin...it really was hard on him! That treatment didn't last long. I discovered that Omega-3 supplements completely removed his need for ADHD drugs.

Clonidine is also not used much anymore for hypertension. It has a nasty side effect of causing mania and insomnia in some people.
It is also seriously dangerous in hypertensive people who may run out of medication or skip doses. For a while it was also used as an adjunct for addiction to drugs. Cocaine especially. So popular on the street at one time we'd get forgeries for it.

Flexeril works mainly centrally in the brain ...so I don't know how effective it would be topically transdermally.

But many of the topical compounded creams do work.

You should try the new Morton Epsom Lotion! It is fantastic on the feet, or cramping areas, or swelling. Available at WalMart, Walgreen's and online at Amazon. Many people on the NT forums are using it successfully now including me.

Some of the transdermal compounded creams have magnesium added. This you can do yourself.

http://www.amazon.com/Morton-Epsom-L.../dp/B008X365AU

Magnesium is a NMDA pain receptor antagonist and will reduce nerve pain. It relaxes muscle tension and improves circulation to the small vessels in the feet and lower legs and hands.