ABSTRACT
Despite the availability of various treatment options, the satisfactory alleviation of painful peripheral neuropathic pain remains a challenge, due in part to the complex nature of this particular type of pain. Unlike nociceptive pain (caused by a painful stimulus in the presence of a normally functioning nervous system), neuropathic pain is typically produced in response to damage of, or pathological changes within, the peripheral and/or central nervous system. Many patients with neuropathic pain have comorbidities that result in the use of multiple pharmacotherapies, thereby causing a heightened risk of drug-drug interactions. Topically applied, peripherally acting analgesics provide a relatively safe treatment option due partly to low systemic absorption of the medication, thereby reducing the risk of drug interactions and systemic toxicity. The physiology of painful peripheral neuropathies is briefly presented along with a review of the evidence supporting the use of the lidocaine patch 5% as an effective pharmacotherapy option for the treatment of neuropathic pain.