I'm going to try these next month when I have the money but was wondering if anyones tried a menthol cream to help with burning?
I have tried Penetrex and it was irritating and made my feet much worse.
My dr. had a compound pharmacy create a cream for me feet it is: 1% amitriptyline and 0.5% ketamine.
My insurance covered it (I had to pay my copay). I just started using the cream yesterday so I don't know if or how much it will help.
I have tried some of the "pain relief" creams OTC but none of them helped me.
I've tried a menthol cream at various strengths. It irritated and probably made the flares worse, it certainly didn't help. When I got up to the higher strength one, I had to wash it off immediately, as I could feel it starting a flare.
Ask why your doctor thinks they'll be of use, but find out if it has helped anyone with EM first and ask what the evidence for it helping is.
I just had the idea for a cooling cream. I do my own research and self medicate if I can.
starsmurf said:
I've tried a menthol cream at various strengths. It irritated and probably made the flares worse, it certainly didn't help. When I got up to the higher strength one, I had to wash it off immediately, as I could feel it starting a flare.
Ask why your doctor thinks they'll be of use, but find out if it has helped anyone with EM first and ask what the evidence for it helping is.
I use Aloe Vera gel and it does cool the fire for a little while. That's the green gel.
Certain cooling gels or creams cool my burning flares such as Bio-Freeze, Zim's Max-Freeze,Bengay-Zero, and Solarcaine. Also Arnica gel. But others like peppermint and Imu-oil make it much worse.Whitch hazel can work too since it constricts the blood vessels & evaporates fast.
Hi All. my ankle started swelling 2 weeks ago saw the doc who put me on naproxan this did take the swelling down but left me with itching and iflammation which has spread slightly up my leg.The itching isnt like the burning of EM so wentback to docs the other day and saw the nurse(no doc available) and she said to try this menthol which should help with the itching.I must state where as normally when EM flares its when my feet are down.With my ankle the itching starts when I am in bed and my feet are up. After 3 nights of only about 2 hrs sleep I am finding it hard to cope as I have all my other ailments which I am trying to cope with.Tried the menthol when I came out of the bath and now my toes are tingly. So dont know if the ankle is to do with EM or did I hurt it sometime as when I first had it it woke me up in agony as if all the bones had fused only thing i could do was strap it up.Please need advice. Thank you xxx
Hi snowdragon, it is so incredibly difficult to work out what symptom belongs to what isn't it.
I'm having a brain fog day due to my own tiredness so apologise if I should know this, but do you have any inflammatory arthritic conditions (RA, AS, PsA?) because I'm wondering with your description of your ankle pain and the naproxen reducing the swelling if this was an arthritis flare .... it certainly sounds very similar to what I have going on.
Being 'the queen of itching' myself I also know how debilitating this alone can be. I had a drug reaction that covered my whole torso in the worst itchy bruising rash imaginable and nothing really helped very much. An emoilient cream with lauromacrogols in it can help a bit. I had Balneum but I also think E45 do an itch relief cream that you can buy in the chemists. Menthol can help but I'd be cautious if you have skin issues .... it generally works on the distraction principal with the cooling/tingling distracting you from the itch. Unfortunately itching is always made worse by heat.
Have you now stopped taking naproxen?
One thing which can help itching is a few minutes soaking in water with oatmeal. Wondering whether if you have any porridge oats in your cupboard you could put some in a muslin bag or a sieve and run under hot water to make up a solution that you can let cool (with EM I assume warm isn't an option) before popping your feet/ankles in for a soak.
Hi Jules. I have Lupus,sjrojens,vasculitis,RA also could be raynauds but I am not to certain,had bad chilblains last winter after not having them for 15 odd years. First impression from doc when I think it was an EM flare was raynauds and he gave me Nipipine which did help even theough my toes and heel looked full of blood. Proff mcregor said EM when he looked at my feet last appointment. I also have a gu prolapse and just had the gall bladder op. RA in feet and elsewhere also osterperosous which i have an injection for every six months(one tommorow) Last night was terrible woke with the itching foot at 3 still awake at 5 so hubby got up with me bless him waitied till 6 and went back to bed only to wake later with a EM flare double whammy so to speak lol.The cream the nurse gave me(menthol) didnt do anything. I take 3 amitrytiline at night a sickness tablet which all make me sleep and started an anti histamine which doc gave me a while ago when I burned my leg and that was itching.Night before last it helped but not last night arghhh lol. Sorry about spelling but like you my mind is foggy. Think I might order some Arnica gel and see if that helps.havent got an appointment with doc till 2 weeks.Thanks for your reply Jules.I hope you also feel better soon xxx
Hi Ordered myself some Arnica gel and was wondering do you just put this on when you ave a flare or when your feet are cold? Went to docs again today about itching ankle she thinks it could be the vasculitis. Where as before I would flare up couple of times a week,now as soon as my feet get warm it flares up Arghhhhh lol
I was diagnosed 8 years ago with EM, no known cause. I have tried many creams, even compound pharmacy creams with little to no success.
I recently found an industrial hemp CBD salve that has really helped reduce my swelling and soothes the pain.
I use the 1000 mg Soothing Salve. I have also used the tinctures with some help in sleeping.
https://www.cannainfuzionscolorado.com/