To Walgreens for a safe, inexpensive topical analgesic cream! Did you know you can purchase the topical local anesthetic lidocaine cream in a 4% concentration at any drug store or supermarket?  Topical analgesics including methyl salicylate, menthol, camphor and capsaicin have been proven effective for treatment of both local and deep joint pain and reduce the likelihood of adverse effects seen in OTC and prescription NSAID's, opiates and muscle relaxants. 

     My personal and professional favorite are SalonPas patches. These patches cost about $12 for 60 and are available everywhere. They are easy to travel with and are a safe and effective method of pain relief for myofascial, musculoskeletal and musculotendinous pain. SalonPas patches are formulated with topical aspirin as methyl salicylate, menthol and camphor.

     I compound my own topical analgesic cream by combining topical lidocaine in a 4% preparation with menthol in a 10% preparation along with 4% camphor and 0.1% capsaicin. This compound is prescribed as LidoPro and is available by prescription for about $450 a tube. I purchase the generic ingredients from a local pharmacy in standardized OTC preparations for about $20 and this makes the equivalent of 4 tubes of LidoPro!