The Capsaicin 8% Patch for Neuropathic Pain in Clinical Practice: A Retrospective Analysis

Objective To investigate the response of patients with peripheral neuropathic pain ( PNP ) to capsaicin 8% patch treatment in a clinical setting. Design Retrospective analysis. Setting The C linic for P ain T herapy and P alliative M edicine at the M edical C entre for the region of A achen, G ermany. Subjects Patients diagnosed with PNP who attended the clinic for capsaicin 8% patch treatment between J anuary 13, 2010 and F ebruary 7, 2011. Outcome Measures Pain intensity was assessed using the N umeric P ain R ating S cale ( NPRS ) at baseline and following each capsaicin 8% patch treatment. Changes in prescribed concomitant neuropathic pain ( NP ) medications and response duration were recorded.Results Overall, 68 patients with PNP conditions, including facial neuropathy (severe trigeminal neuralgia in V 2), polyneuropathy, post‐herpetic neuralgia, and mononeuropathies, received 96 treatments with the capsaicin 8% patch. The 53 patients with a follow‐up of ≥8 weeks demonstrated a 48.4% mean reduction in NPRS score from baseline to Weeks 1–8. Among the 37 responders (those exhibiting ≥30% reduction in NPRS score from baseline to Weeks 1–8), the median time to re‐treatment was 125 days. Following treatment, there was a significant ( P  < 0.001) 54% reduction in the mean number of prescribed concomitant NP medications taken by patients. Conclusions This analysis demonstrates that in clinical practice, the capsaicin 8% patch provides rapid and sustained pain reductions in patients with a variety of PNP conditions and a significant reduction in prescribed concomitant NP medications. The capsaicin 8% patch can be a valuable addition to the NP treatment armory for certain patients.