Transdermal therapeutic device and method with capsaicin and capsaicin analogs

Abstract

Transdermal application of capsaicin (or a capsaicin analog) in a concentration from greater than about 5% to about 10% by weight has been discovered to be an extremely effective therapy for treating neuropathic pain, so long as an anesthetic, preferably by means of a transdermal patch, is administered initially to the affected area to minimize the expected side effects from subsequent capsaicin application.

It is claimed:  
     
         1 . A method for treating neuropathic pain of a patient comprising the steps of: 
 administering an anesthetic to the affected area; and then    transdermally administering a therapeutically effective amount of a composition containing one or more compounds having capsaicin-like properties, the compounds having capsaicin-like properties being present in a total concentration from greater than about 5% by weight to about 10% by weight.    
     
     
         2 . The method as in    claim 1    wherein the transdermally administered composition includes capsaicin.  
     
     
         3 . The method as in    claim 1    wherein the compound is a capsaicin analog.  
     
     
         4 . The method as in    claim 1    wherein the transdermally administered composition contains both capsaicin and one or more capsaicin analogs.  
     
     
         5 . The method as in    claim 1    wherein the transdermally administered composition also includes an agent having skin absorbing and skin penetrating properties.  
     
     
         6 . The method as in    claim 1    wherein the anesthetic is administered via a transdermal patch.  
     
     
         7 . The method as in    claim 1    further comprising the step of 
 administering a narcotic analgesic to further inhibit the irritant effects of the transdermally administered composition.  
 
     
     
         8 . The method as in    claim 1    wherein the total concentration of the compound or compounds having capsaicin-like properties in the transdermally administered composition is about 7.5% by weight.  
     
     
         9 . A device for treatment of neuropathic pain in a patient, comprising: 
 a skin-adherent patch, the patch including a reservoir, the reservoir being of a sufficient construction to contain a formulation and to continuously provide the formulation to the surface of skin for a predetermined period of time; and    one or more compounds having capsaicin-like properties being disposed in the reservoir, the compounds having capsaicin-like properties being present in a total concentration from greater than about 5% to 10% by weight of the formulation.    
     
     
         10 . The device as in    claim 9    further comprising a second patch, the second patch capable of delivering an anesthetic in an amount effective to desensitize C fibers to the side effects of the capsaicin-like concentration.  
     
     
         11 . The composition as in    claim 9    wherein the capsaicin-like compound is capsaicin.