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 Clinic for Pain Therapy and Palliative Medicine at the Medical Centre for the region of Aachen, Germany. SUBJECTS: Patients diagnosed with PNP who attended the clinic for capsaicin 8% patch treatment between January 13, 2010 and February 7, 2011. OUTCOME MEASURES: Pain intensity was assessed using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (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 V2), 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.