Chili Pepper, Botox Ease Pain

Capsaicin Soothes Osteoarthritis; Botox Helps Many Types of Pain

(WebMD)  Botox injections can cause muscle weakness. But in this study no weakness or other side effects were seen.

Botox may reduce the severity of muscle spasms when injected into a muscle. However, it's possible that Botox may have an unknown effect on pain when given as a skin injection.

"If it works, it's really pretty nifty because it has no systemic toxicity and the results can last for four to five months," says Eric M. Chevlen, MD, a pain medicine specialist at St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown, Ohio.


Long-Term Outlook Uncertain

"You have to look for long-term effects, and it's not clear that [these injectables] provide long-term effects," says Gregory Terman, MD, an anesthesiologist at University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle.

Besides injectables, some painkillers are being developed that deliver pain medication through patches. Research into a process known as iontophoresis, which involves a low-level electrical current that allows medication to be delivered more quickly, is also under way.

Sources: 24th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, Boston, March 30-April 2, 2005. Gregory Terman, MD, anesthesiologist, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle. Beth Vause, executive director, clinical and regulatory operations, AlgoRx. Eric M Chevlen, MD, pain medicine specialist, St. Elizabeth Health Center, Youngstown, Ohio.