Nitroglycerin to treat tendinosis/tendinopathies

[Jason Lopez-Ota]

So it does the same thing the heat Ive been using for my tendons has been doing.

Steriods also works for my tendonitis. I had some electronically injected into my wrists a couple times.

[Garrett Smith]

Corticosteroids do not work by the "increasing blood flow" mechanism.

Corticosteroid injections do locally weaken tendons and ligaments over time (and yes, sometimes they even resolve inflammation problems).

[Blair Lowe]

very, very interesting.

[Garrett Smith]

Howell, what size and brand name are the nitroglycerin patches that were prescribed to you?

[Howell Hsieh]

Dr. G, the brand is Mylan. The product is called Nitroglycerin Transdermal System, dosage rate 0.2 mg/hr. I'll try to upload a picture tomorrow when I get access to a better camera.

Edit: Actual size is 8 cm^2, recommended application is cutting into quarters for a lower dosage. I also experimented with using an eighth's portion depending on how the tendon is feeling and how long I've been patching it.

[Garrett Smith]

And what were your dosing instructions over time (it sounds like they change)?

[Howell Hsieh]

The instructions were to "Cut into quarters and apply to tendon every day." Each patch was good for 24 hours. I patched continuously and replaced daily, moving each successive patch to an adjacent spot as I found that if the patch was kept on the same spot for too long, I would develop an acne like reaction.

[Garrett Smith]

Gracias. I'm now checking with my local pharmacy for a patient with lateral epicondylitis.

[Tammy McClafferty]

Is anyone still using this? I've had it prescribed for my hamstring tendon at the insertion point... yes, I have a pain in the A$$!! lol
I have a couple questions: did any one have any side effects from this patch? I feel really funny after workouts, especially cardio.
Is it really going to work on such an area? It's larger than ankle, or knee, or even shoulder - deeper...
I'm only 4 days into the treatment... so i'm hoping to see something soon. Just thought I'd ask as this is the only place I've found any good discussion on this off-lable use.

Thanks!

[James Davison]

Your neck problems may not just be because of tendonitis though. The neck is complicated enough that often it's position, bio-mechanics, restricted flexibility or instability that often attach factors up there rather than tight tendinopathy in most situations.