Icy-Hot back patches. Yes!

[Simba's Mom]

They're the greatest thing "since sliced bread" (as my grandmother used to say). I wondered how they were, but they're kind of expensive. But one day, my lower back hurt so bad, DH went to CVS and bought me some to try. They're kind of like giant size band-aids with ben-gay type stuff infused in them. The bad news is that they smell at first and my back didn't feel better for at least an hour after I applied it. But the good news is that the smell went away within that hour, and once my back felt better, it still does, and it's two days later. I put the patch on around noon, and at bed time I felt so much better, I was afraid if I took the patch off, my back would hurt again. But the next morning, I took it off reluctantly to shower. And no pain! My problems seem to be sciatica/pitiformis syndrome/slipped disc (we're not sure which). But these patches are GREAT!

 

[pixiewings71]

I use these all the time, I love them. Sure they smell but the smell is temporary, I'd rather deal with the menthol smell then pain. Altho I will just caution you, they are not meant to be worn for that long, they are only supposed to be worn for 8 hours at a time. I put mine on at night and wear them overnight, by morning the pain has been relaxed away.

 

[briannesmom]

I love those things! I have found that the Walgreens store brand work just as well as the Icy Hot and they often have them buy 1 get 1 free or buy 1 get 1 half off.

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

If you love those, you should try Stopain roll on. I could not live without the stuff.

 

[quentina]

They're the greatest thing "since sliced bread" (as my grandmother used to say). I wondered how they were, but they're kind of expensive. But one day, my lower back hurt so bad, DH went to CVS and bought me some to try. They're kind of like giant size band-aids with ben-gay type stuff infused in them. The bad news is that they smell at first and my back didn't feel better for at least an hour after I applied it. But the good news is that the smell went away within that hour, and once my back felt better, it still does, and it's two days later. I put the patch on around noon, and at bed time I felt so much better, I was afraid if I took the patch off, my back would hurt again. But the next morning, I took it off reluctantly to shower. And no pain! My problems seem to be sciatica/pitiformis syndrome/slipped disc (we're not sure which). But these patches are GREAT!

No matter what, do not use a heating pad with any of these. I am not sure of the "brand name" however, one of my employees husbands was in severe pain, put a hot patch on and then lay on a heating pad. Allegedly, the heating pad made the medicine in the pad go through his system to quick, poisoned him and he died! SHe told me it was a freak accident but, when she read the box, it clearly had a warning about the heating pad and the results that could happen.

I have to say........I am not sure that I would read the box, in detail, for one of these items. I would probably just open it up and slap it on.

 

[Simba's Mom]

No matter what, do not use a heating pad with any of these. I am not sure of the "brand name" however, one of my employees husbands was in severe pain, put a hot patch on and then lay on a heating pad. Allegedly, the heating pad made the medicine in the pad go through his system to quick, poisoned him and he died! SHe told me it was a freak accident but, when she read the box, it clearly had a warning about the heating pad and the results that could happen.

I have to say........I am not sure that I would read the box, in detail, for one of these items. I would probably just open it up and slap it on.

OMG!! I hadn't thought of it before, but I appreciate the warning. I don't know what Stopain roll-on is, but I'll definitely look for it. Three dats, and no back pain yet. I was in soo much pain before I used this.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Here is some other info I found online:

Liniments [this includes the icy hot patch] can also become toxic when the creams are mixed with other members of the salicylate family, such as aspirin or the stomach-calmer Pepto-Bismol. A topical cream sinks into pores, reaching muscles and nerves close to the skin. However, some of that medicine also enters the bloodstream. If you were to then ingest a type of salicylate, like aspirin, on top of using an ointment, the chemical could build-up in your bloodstream, acting as a poison. Not only that, poisoning can result from mixing several different brands that contain methyl salicylate.

 

[sbell111]

No matter what, do not use a heating pad with any of these. I am not sure of the "brand name" however, one of my employees husbands was in severe pain, put a hot patch on and then lay on a heating pad. Allegedly, the heating pad made the medicine in the pad go through his system to quick, poisoned him and he died! SHe told me it was a freak accident but, when she read the box, it clearly had a warning about the heating pad and the results that could happen.

I have to say........I am not sure that I would read the box, in detail, for one of these items. I would probably just open it up and slap it on.

This is a danger of prescription pain patches that contain fentanyl, not OTC patches like Icy Hot which have menthol as the active ingredient.

 

[Simba's Mom]

This is a danger of prescription pain patches that contain fentanyl, not OTC patches like Icy Hot which have menthol as the active ingredient.

Whew-I'm glad you posted that, I was getting a little freaked out! This morning I went to the store, and I couldn't find Stopain, but I did find a spray that has Menthol in it, sort of similar to the patches. Might be good to have on hand, since if I'm home alone, the back is a hard to reach area.