info@burtsrx.com
Pain is one of America’s greatest challenges; but there are many types of medication available to help reduce pain – including transdermal therapy.
Some 50 million people suffer from chronic pain in our country on a regular basis; many are either partially or even fully disabled by their symptoms.
Doctors work hard to help patients like these reduce their pain to gain a better quality of life, but it isn’t always easy to find the right option.
- Surgery is invasive and often kept as a last resort.
- Oral medications come with significant side effects, some of which can be life-threatening in the right conditions (like addiction and gastrointestinal bleeding).
- And lifestyle changes can certainly be beneficial, as can physio and massage, but what about when they aren’t enough?
Enter transdermal therapy for pain.
By delivering medication directly to the area affected by chronic pain, via the skin, some patients are able to achieve significantly more relief.
From topical steroids to advanced compounded neuropathy drugs, we’ll tell you about them in today’s post.
First: What is a Transdermal Therapy?
The term “transdermal” comes from the latin root words “trans” (meaning across or through) and “derma” (meaning skin).
In the scope of medicine, any substance formulated to cross the natural skin barrier is, in effect, a transdermal medication.
- Some of these formulas may be designed to treat the skin itself, the tissues directly underneath the skin, or the muscles and joints.
- Others simply use the skin as a transfer point, entering the bloodstream after they absorb.
Transdermal therapy delivery is available in a variety of formats, including:
- Creams
- Gels
- Solutions
- Patches
However, the “gold standard” definition is that true transdermal therapy is more than just topical; it’s almost always formulated in a patch for better absorbency.
The Benefits of Transdermal Delivery Systems
Transdermal medications have a number of benefits over traditional oral medications.
First, they aren’t swallowed, so there’s no need to worry about trying to give medications to someone who refuses to take them, cannot swallow, or even just plain doesn’t like to swallow pills.
But that’s really just the beginning.
1. Fewer Gastrointestinal Problems
Many transdermals also bypass the gastrointestinal tract entirely, lessening the chance for stomach and bowel side effects.
This includes:
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Nausea
- Stomach ulcers
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
For patients who are prone to ulcers, this can be the difference between being able to medicate safely and being unable to medicate at all.
2. Less Stress on Liver and Kidneys
Then, there is also the issue of how much stress oral medications can place on the liver and kidneys.
Many oral drugs must be metabolized by the liver in order to become effective in the body (especially opioids). This places stress on the liver.
To add insult to injury, the kidneys eventually need to filter the drug out and excrete unneeded metabolites created by the liver during uptake.
Thus, the kidneys are also under stress, too.
3. Fewer Long-Term Use Risks
The amount of stress placed on the liver and kidneys with either oral drugs or transdermals really depends on the dose, the oral drug used, and the person.
However, studies do show that because most transdermals treat pain locally or enter the bloodstream directly, they don’t put as much strain on internal organs.
- This can help to limit damage over time when ongoing pain control is a must.
- In the case of steroid drugs, transdermal therapy may also lessen other side effects, such as hormone imbalance due to chronic use.
When used as directed, topical steroids reach a much lower systemic level, even with regular use, especially when compared to oral steroid drugs like Prednisone.
Thus, the risk of associated side effects is much, much less.
4. Better Resolution of Skin Symptoms
Sometimes, transdermal medications are used to treat skin symptoms specifically.
This is often the case in conditions like:
In these conditions, treatment works best applied directly to the affected area because the drug can absorb and provide benefit on the spot.
For patients who experience pain with skin conditions like these, transdermal therapy may also be compounded with numbing or nerve-deadening agents that lessen pain.
The patient can then use the solution, cream, or patch on an “as-needed” basis.
This very often provides much better pain control coverage than using pills alone.
5. Better Pain Control Coverage
Transdermals like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and muscle relaxers can also give patients “another option” when combined with traditional oral medications.
Even if the patient is taking a painkiller orally to relieve their symptoms, they can often use topicals as a “backup” for localized breakthrough pain.
The result is that the patient is much more comfortable and better in control of their symptoms as they happen – without needing to worry about addiction.
6. Combine Medications Into a Single Solution
Some drugs work synergistically when combined into the same product (for example, steroids and antibiotics).
Similarly, some patients achieve better pain control by combining several different medications into a single treatment plan.
With transdermal therapy, compounding pharmacies work with base ingredients, allowing them to combine multiple drugs or treatments into just one or two formulas.
This significantly increases patient compliance and improves treatment outcomes.
Let’s say after joint surgery, you normally need to apply a:
- Topical muscle relaxer
- Painkiller
- Numbing cream
- Antibiotic
Using all of these separately will take you a significant amount of time.
Using them in a single solution solves the need for treatment in one step – and just might give you the best coverage, too.
Which Medications Are Available in Compounded Transdermal Formulas?
There’s no easy answer to this question; the list of potential drugs that can be compounded into transdermal versions is exhaustive and long.
However, we can help you better understand which transdermals are most likely to benefit you when you are experiencing acute or chronic pain:
- NSAIDs: like ketoprofen and diclofenac
- Muscle relaxants: like cyclobenzaprine or baclofen
- Anesthetics: like lidocaine or benzocaine
- Nerve blockers: like ketamine and amantadine
- Nerve agents: like amitriptyline and Lyrica
- Icy-Hot solutions: like menthol and capsaicin
If you have chronic pain, and are interested in reducing side effects or improving your pain control, talk to your pharmacist about transdermal therapy medications.
Whether compounded or not, there are options to help you achieve your goals.