Reactions to topical treatments
 

I have had peripheral neuropathy for 8 yrs, diagnosed at Mayo Clinic. It is pain in my feet with the worst being a burning sensation on the top of my feet. I am having strong reactions (deeper pain and burning) to any creams, lotions, or Vaseline that I put on my feet. Has anyone else had this problem?

History:

Capsaicin cream prescribed by podiatrist: Immediate burning.
Amitriptyline / ketamine cream prescribed by Mayo doctor: Some relief in the beginning but caused deeper pain within a week.
Topical lidocaine: Instant relief. Great drug. I could get over the counter burn creams and Band-Aide wash with lidocaine that worked well. This worked well for about a year and then they started causing pain themselves.
Vaseline and foot cream for dry cracked feet. These now cause pain too. I could not believe Vaseline would have any topical effect, but I tried it on one foot and not the other and the resulting pain was clear.

If you have dry cracked skin, most things will hurt.

This may be because you are not consuming essential fatty acids which are the main building block of your skin.

Omega-3 fats from Flax are incorporated into skin to make it
smoother and crack free.

Use of soaps that defat the skin, like Zest or other detergent soaps accelerate this dryness. Also if you don't rinse off 100% after a shower and soap residue lingers, it damages skin.
Switching to Dove unscented may help.

So first off I'd get some Omega-3's into your daily intake and perhaps some fish oil too, which helps with inflammation.
http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/fam...s-and-flax-oil

If you do not eat foods high in magnesium you won't be able to metabolize the flax oil properly. So a good magnesium supplement is needed as well.
Magnesium oxide is not absorbed, so please avoid that and read labels before choosing.

Thanks for the comments and suggestions about dry skin, and that may be part of the issue with the Vaseline. But these problems started long before dry skin became an issue. When I apply a lotion or cream, the pain is not instant and burning like when something is applied to an open sore. Rather, it is a modified but distinct form of the neuropathy pain. Compared to the normal tingling neuropathy pain I get on top of my foot, the lotion pain is a bit deeper and little lower frequency than tingling (but not throbbing). Ther pain starts about 5 min after application and lasts several hours. Even when I apply the Vaseline on the callases of the bottom of my feet, this ""lotion pain" develops under the top of my foot.

My original question was if any one else has had this experience of reactions to topical applications. The fact that many people have looked at this thread and no one has responded I guess answers my question that no one else has had this experience.

I do think that putting creams on the skin, alters perceptions you are used to. The pressure of the air on the skin, or cloth that touches it.

The tops of the feet are a test location for Tinel's sign.
Tapping there, will cause nerves to "shoot" and this is a sign of nerve compression.

In the feet this is called tarsal tunnel syndrome.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinel_sign

If your feet are seriously impaired, anything may irritate them.

Have you tried menthol containing products? Menthol as in Biofreeze, tends to block burning sensations for several hours.

I would never put Biofreeze on my feet. It would drive me up a wall. It works well on my calves and back but never on my feet. I know others with CMT say it works for their feet but not mine. It's probably been at least a month since I have used it at all.

The tops of my feet burn too and about 6 inches up my leg from the ankle the skin is always red and hot. I put Eucerin lotion all over my body after showering, and there are several different varieties, one with sun screen, one with pain reliever, and the original, maybe more. I avoid sugar when I eat, try to stick to whole foods, and at night use the Biofreeze or Lasting Touch Analgesic Gel from Whole Foods (both with menthol--secret ingredient for neuropathic pain, I've found!) I also take Krill oil daily and we eat a lot of fish. My supplements also include R-Lipoic Acid, stabilized, and L-Theanine in the morning and before bedtime, and of course B-12, 5000 mcg on an empty stomach. Also Acetyl-L-Carnitine. I take a few more supplements, but these are the big guns, I think.