"Americans suffering from muscle pain are used to taking a pill or rubbing in a cream to help soothe their aches. But a new form of pain relief seems to be catching on analgesics delivered through a medicated patch placed directly where it hurts. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the countrys first overthecounter painrelieving transdermal patches in . But the patches marketed under the brand name Salonpas are nothing new. Theyve been sold in various countries in Asia since the s according to their manufacturer the Japanese firm Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical. Salonpas is the Western world catching up with Asia said Dr. Rick Rosenquist a professor of anesthesia and director of pain medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and chairman of the American Society of Anesthesiologists committee on pain medicine.  If you are an Asian kid youve had these placed on you since time immemorial he said. Its just now starting to hit more mainstream in the United States. Theyre gaining more acceptance. Before the FDA action painrelieving patches were available in the United States only by prescription said Dr. John Dombrowski director of the Washington Pain Center in Washington D.C. Their active ingredients include such medications as lidocaine capsaicin and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs or NSAIDs. The active ingredients in Salonpas are methyl salicylate and menthol common components of painrelieving gels and creams such as Bengay. Pain patches have a number of benefits Rosenquist and Dombrowski said not the least of which is convenience. With a patch you put it on and forget about it rather than having to remember to take pills Dombrowski said. The patches also deliver their medicine directly to the site of a persons pain. This may eliminate some of the side effects that come with taking pills. For instance some analgesics are likely to cause an upset stomach unless theyre taken with food. Obviously patches get around that he said. Its a very clever way of getting the medications right where they need to be. And because patches release their medication slowly into the body through the skin people also should get more consistent pain relief than they do with pills. On the other hand people have to be sure to carefully follow instructions for using the patches to avoid overdose. The main downside to pain patches however apparently comes from their effect on the skin. Some people may find themselves allergic to either the active ingredient in a patch or the adhesive used to keep the patch on the body. You need to pay attention when you put them on to see if you have any kind of skin reaction to the compounds that are contained in the patch Rosenquist said. Both doctors said that they expect more overthecounter pain patches to hit the market if the popularity of Salonpas continues to grow. Future overthecounter options they predicted could include reduceddosage versions of the NSAIDdelivering patches now available through prescription. Success begets success Dombrowski said. If this does very well other drug companies will say I want a piece of this action. More information The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more about pain http_paindetail_chronic_pain.htm. SOURCES Rick Rosenquist M.D. professor anesthesia and director Center for Pain Medicine and Regional Anesthesia Carver College of Medicine University of Iowa Iowa City Iowa John Dombrowski M.D. director Washington Pain Center Washington D.C."