Plagued by Nerve Pain? Find Out If QUTENZA® Is Right for You

Up to 10% of women and men in the United States suffer from a type of chronic pain known as neuropathy, or nerve pain. The US Pain Foundation estimates that neuropathy accounts for more than half of the chronic pain that afflicts 50 million Americans.

Almost a third of neuropathy cases are related to diabetes, which can damage your blood vessels and nerves. Other diseases that result in nerve pain include kidney disease, cancer, and shingles.

If you’re in chronic pain, you want to avoid opioid drugs and other potentially addictive medications. You also want a treatment that lasts so you don’t have to return to your doctor’s office day after day. 

Our cutting-edge medical team at Advanced Medical Care in Queens or Brooklyn, New York, offers a novel prescription pain patch called QUTENZA® to relieve nerve pain. We expertly administer the QUTENZA system in the comfort of our office.

We can help you determine if QUTENZA is right for your nerve pain. It starts with asking some pertinent questions.

Is your nerve pain localized?

QUTENZA isn’t appropriate if you have generalized musculoskeletal pain, such as that experienced by people with fibromyalgia. Instead, this prescription-strength topical treatment is designed to dull pain in a single area, such as on your trunk or your feet.

Did you have shingles?

Post-shingles pain is known as postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), and it’s a result of contracting the herpes zoster infection. The virus damages nerves in the area where it’s located, causing extreme discomfort and pain. You may have shingles-related pain if you experience localized:

• Itching
• Pain
• Numbness
• Pins-and-needles sensations

About 20% of people who develop shingles from a herpes zoster infection experience PHN. You’re more likely to develop pain as you get older. 

QUTENZA is FDA-approved to treat shingles pain. To treat the affected area, we prepare and cleanse your skin. We then apply the QUTENZA system, which looks like a large patch. However, unlike other treatment patches, you don’t wear it home.

We leave the system in place for about 60 minutes for shingles pain. The system contains 8% of a natural chemical called capsaicin, which is found in chili peppers. The capsaicin interferes with the signals that your damaged nerves send to your brain, thereby dulling your pain. 

After your treatment, we remove the system and cleanse the area again. You may experience relief within the first week after treatment. Most patients report a 33% reduction in pain that lasts for up to three months.

Do you have diabetes?

The elevated blood-glucose levels that define diabetes can damage your blood vessels and your nerves, too. Most cases of diabetic neuropathy are localized to the feet. QUTENZA is effective in dulling the pain of diabetic neuropathy that affects one or both of your feet.

A treatment to alleviate diabetic neuropathy only takes about 30 minutes. As with shingles pain, relief from diabetic neuropathy can last for up to three months. That means you only need to see us four times a year for QUTENZA treatment. 

QUTENZA is safe, noninvasive, and proven

Physicians have used this treatment approach for more than a decade. Only 1% of those enrolled in a clinical trial with QUTENZA dropped out due to side effects.

However, it’s important to remember that QUTENZA is a prescription medication. While you receive your treatment, don’t touch the patch or the area around it. The capsaicin can irritate your skin and could cause damage if you get it into your eyes or airway.

QUTENZA is safe to use with other pain medications. Be sure to provide us with a complete list of drugs and supplements you take so we can be sure there won’t be an interaction.

You might also want to take it easy for a day or two after your treatment. Anything that heats your skin, such as a vigorous workout or sun exposure, could trigger pain or sensitivity. 

Are you plagued by nerve pain? If you think QUTENZA could be the solution you need for your pain, contact Advanced Medical Care today to set up a consultation with our caring, experienced team.