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kinda_alone t1_jbyy04h wrote

Someone recommended it to me. I had a bout of nerve pain following an accident myself. I was seeing some specialist who kept prescribing various nerve pain medicines. Nothing was working. Eventually she recommended I try a capsaicin cream, which did the trick for me. Not sure if it was a placebo or if there’s something actually to it, but god damn it was a life send

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Justtryme90 t1_jbyz5aq wrote

Capsaisin is an irritant. Constant exposure to it, leads to a depletion of neurotransmitters in nearby pain sensing nerves. I don't think it's placebo. So long as you keep using it, it should help.

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Papancasudani t1_jbzrb72 wrote

Tangential to what you said, it actually san't be placebo tested because there's no burning inactive placebo. If something doesn't burn then it can be distinguished from the actual treatment, which makes it useless as a placebo. If it burns, it's probably activating the same channels as capsaicin does, in which case it's not inactive.

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VoldemortsBallsack t1_jbz0375 wrote

I've seen commercials for them and had someone go buy some as I was desperate to end the pain and was willing to try anything. I was surprised it actually works, it's hot on the skin and your body reacts by releasing endorphins and such.

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