Use of 8 % capsaicin patches for the treatment of lumbar neuropathic pain

Abstract

Introduction: Lumbar neuropathic pain is a common pathology in daily clinical practice, with a complex treatment, both pharmacological and interventional. These treatments can be complemented with an 8 % capsaicin transdermal patch. Capsaicin is a selective agonist of TRPV1 receptors (transient receptor vanilla 1) whose activation blocks the release of substance P, which is heavily involved in the inflammatory process. Objectives: To assess the usefulness of the capsaicin 8 % patch as an adjunct in patients with lumbar neuropathic pain. As a secondary objective, to assess the adverse effects of the capsaicin patch both at the time of application and after 3 months. Patients and methods: Retrospective, observational and descriptive study, which included 20 patients with lumbar neuropathic pain, treated with capsaicin patch 8 % (Qutenza®) as an adjunct to the usual treatment of this pathology. Three tests were used to assess pain: VAS (visual analogue pain scale), DN4 and LANSS for neuropathic pain. The 3 tests were administered to the patients before the application of the patch and 3 months after the patch was applied. Outcomes: At baseline, 95 % of patients included in the study had very severe pain (VAS 8-9). At 3 months, 85 % of patients reported moderate pain (VAS 5-6). With respect to the DN4 test, we observed a decrease in values of slightly more than 2 points. In the LANSS test we found a decrease of more than 5 points in these 3 months. The application of the patch did not cause significant side effects. Conclusions: The 8 % capsaicin patch has been shown to be effective and safe as an adjunctive treatment for lumbar neuropathic pain.