Has anyone tried Capsaicin (Qutenza) for neuropathy in their feet?

Posted by Steve @stevebern, Aug 17, 2022

Hello everyone, I’m not sure if I’m allowed to post a link like this, and if I’m not, please remove it, but… someone (non-medical person) sent this to me as a possible treatment.

I have idiopathic non-diabetic neuropathy of the feet, and would definitely try this (although the way it gets applied indicates it could be harmful if any of it gets on any other area), but at this point I’ll try anything.

So, has anyone tried this? It seems to be an ingredient in pepper spray, if you can believe it.

https://www.qutenza.com/

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Neuropathy Support Group.

I tried the OTC, but never felt any decrease in the pain in my feet - only the burning from the capsaicin. My neurologist hasn't suggested the in office treatments. Lidocaine cream 5% is what I use, mostly at bedtime. I need it then because the pain really spikes when I lie down, from a base level of 5, up to 8 or 9. Sleep is often hard. After an hour or so the pain calms down enough to go to sleep, but it never stops, and it wakes me up numerous times at night. Having a blanket lifter helps.

Jim

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@steven120566

I also am being scheduled for qutenza. I also tried the OTC capcaisin cream. It worked great on shoulder, but I put on tops of feet. I thought I was going to die, it hurt so bad, like I stuck my feet in a barrel of acid. Tried to wash off and that made it worse. I am now scared to death of what its going to do in the dr. office application. They prescribed a topical anesthetic to use an hour before going in, which I did not have with the OTC capsaicin, but Qutenza is 80 times stronger than OTC. Help, the OTC cream almost killed me.

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Thank u for your response if u lived in my house u would know what pain is all about l think I can handle it.

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@piatkowskisc

$3,000/treatment covered by Medicare

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Are you kidding us? $3000 for a patch with capasicin in it? That is just the ingredient in chile peppers (hot peppers). You can buy capasicin cream at any drug store. Just use a very tiny amount to start! I would go with the 0.1% cream. I tried one that was several percent and it burned my feet for hours and you can't wash it off!

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I’m dietetic for 10 years started getting neuropathy in my right foot after I had Achilles tendon surgery. Than in 2023 had back surgery it started in left foot and I have been taking pregablin it works for a two month and Dr just increase dosage. The last time Dr. recommended Qutenza capsaicin treatment has anyone any experience with this treatment for neuropathy.

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@bds66

I’m dietetic for 10 years started getting neuropathy in my right foot after I had Achilles tendon surgery. Than in 2023 had back surgery it started in left foot and I have been taking pregablin it works for a two month and Dr just increase dosage. The last time Dr. recommended Qutenza capsaicin treatment has anyone any experience with this treatment for neuropathy.

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My PCP prescribed capsaicin about a year or two ago for my neuropathy.

I really disliked it. It created extra severe burning that would not go away for many many hours. At least for me it made any part of my body that I put it on worse.

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@bds66

I’m dietetic for 10 years started getting neuropathy in my right foot after I had Achilles tendon surgery. Than in 2023 had back surgery it started in left foot and I have been taking pregablin it works for a two month and Dr just increase dosage. The last time Dr. recommended Qutenza capsaicin treatment has anyone any experience with this treatment for neuropathy.

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Look back a couple of weeks, there's a couple of notes from me about Qutenza. Good luck.

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@bds66

I’m dietetic for 10 years started getting neuropathy in my right foot after I had Achilles tendon surgery. Than in 2023 had back surgery it started in left foot and I have been taking pregablin it works for a two month and Dr just increase dosage. The last time Dr. recommended Qutenza capsaicin treatment has anyone any experience with this treatment for neuropathy.

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Hi @bds66, you asked if anyone else has tried Qutenza for neuropathy s o I combined your discussion with an existing discussion titled, "Has anyone tried capsaicin (Qutenza)?" - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/has-anyone-tried-capsaicin/

I did this so you could read the many experiences of members talking about Qutenza, like @26sabrina, @mayoscout, @steven120566 and others.

@bds66, has increasing the dosage of your pregablin helped at all? When will you be trying Qutenza, or have you already?

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Thanks to all of you for your help I am going to make a decision on Qutenza treatment.

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@dianeee

Has anyone tried Frankincense cream

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Tried the oil. It really stinks, both literally and figuratively. Save your $.

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@stevebern

Hi John,

Wow, thanks for those links. It seems pretty good, with pain reduction up to 5 months… although it sounds like the application might hurt for a bit.

I haven’t asked my doctor about it yet, but those links you sent showed that this been known since 2013… so why didn’t my doctor tell ME about it?

Still, I’ll surely check it.

Thanks again!

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Disculpen que ayer y hoy he escrito varias veces Es que ayer entré por primera vez y con tantos años con diabetes 1 y tantas consecuencias que me ha traído tengo tristemente muchas cosas para decir Primero que he pasado por MUCHOS médicos que aún teniendo conocimiento de algunos tratamientos NO se tomaron la molestia siquiera de comentarme que existían! O no usaron la lógica para entender que no me podían servir aplicados de determinada manera ( ej tomar vía oral vitamina b12 teniendo una gastritis atrófica autoinmune que. No permite que en mí aparento digestivo se asimile dicha vitamina! Un amigo fue quien me dijo " deberías tomarla e forma sublingual para poder asimilarla" un amigo y no los tres neurólogos por los que pasé ( y no cuento diabetóloga o reumatólogos)

Bueno lo que yo quiero contar es que gracias a Dios o a el ADN no sé, pero mis dolores por el tema de la neuropatía periférica que afectaron tanto mis pies nunca llegaron a la gravedad de muchos de los compañeros de ruta en este tema Pero si sé que estoy mucho mejor! Sé que duelen mucho más si la glucosa está alta y muchísimo más si está muy alta! Algo que empecé a usar hace años fue el ácido tióctico en cápsulas por décadas y recientemente en suero endovenoso También me hace bien caminar las medias eras indispensables hasta hace unos meses E. Los que en mí desesperación comencé a leer y leer qué podía ayudar Y como ya escribí ayer más suscintamente una polvo que se llama MSM ( algo relacionado al dsmo del que hablo alguien) me ayudó mucho A otra gente no También siento que mejoré al sumar vitamina b1 con ço encima q10 y vitamina b3. Les cuento que en mí manía que tomar cosas naturales hace décadas que no tomo paracetamol y hace casi 4 años no tomo ibuprofeno Que era lo más fuerte que tomaba. Caminar descalza por casa me alivia y ahora sólo tengo molestias Y no dolor Es cíclico Hay temporadas mejores y tiene. Que ver tal vez con niveles e glucosa mejor llevados Aunque soy muy lábil y pueda llegar a registrar hi en mí medidor! Mí hemoglobina glicosilada más baja es de 8,6 y es para mí caso un éxito A veces no sé exactamente que me ayudó, pero si estoy segura que la desesperación con optimismo ayuda La desesperación lleva a leer y leer El optimismo a conversé te que vas a estar mejor ! No hay que hacer cosas riesgosas en la desesperación porque al final todo empeora Pero no hay que dejar de buscar qué te va a ayudar. No sé por qué te go esta bendición que haber mejorado tanto Tampoco sé por cuánto tiempo Pero si sé que nunca hay que darse por vencido Aunque los médicos sepan y no informes o no sepan o nieguen la posibilidad de lo que es más simple pueda ayudar y sólo crean en lo que sale de un laboratorio y cuánto más costoso mejor conceptuado Nunca darse por vencidos!

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