Capsaicin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Capsaicin is a medicine sold in the U.S. under one brand, for diabetic neuropathies, herpes zoster and neuralgia. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Treats
- Diabetic Neuropathies, Herpes Zoster and Neuralgia
- Available as
- Kit
- Sold as
- Qutenza
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $0.19 per gm — not your price
How capsaicin is dosed
From the FDA label for Qutenza (application NDA022395). Other capsaicin products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Only physicians or health care professionals are to administer QUTENZA. ( 2.1 ) Administer QUTENZA in a well-ventilated treatment area. ( 2.1 ) Wear nitrile (not latex) gloves when handling QUTENZA and when cleaning treatment areas. ( 2.1 ) Use of a face mask and protective glasses is advisable for healthcare professionals. ( 2.1 ) Do not use QUTENZA on broken skin. ( 2.1 ) PHN: Apply up to four topical systems for 60 minutes. ( 2.2 ) DPN: Apply up to four topical systems for 30 minutes on the feet. ( 2.2 ) Repeat every 3 months or as warranted by the return of pain (not more frequently than every three months). ( 2.2 ) See Dosage and Administration, Instructions for Use, for detailed instructions on QUTENZA administration. ( 2.3 ) 2.1 Important Dosage and Administration Instructions Do not dispense QUTENZA to patients for self-administration or handling. Only physicians or healthcare professionals are to administer and handle QUTENZA. Unintended exposure to capsaicin can cause severe irritation of eyes, mucous membranes, respiratory tract, and skin in healthcare professionals, patients and others [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] . Because unintended exposure to capsaicin can cause severe irritation of eyes, mucous membranes, respiratory tract, and skin, when administering QUTENZA, it is important to follow these procedures: − Administer QUTENZA in a well-ventilated…
Capsaicin side effects
The following serious adverse reactions are discussed elsewhere in the labeling: Severe Irritation Due to Accidental Exposure of Eyes, Skin, Respiratory Tract, and Mucous Membranes [see Warning and Precautions ( 5.1 )] Application-Associated Pain [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 )] Increase in Blood Pressure [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 )] Sensory Function Reduction [see Warning and Precautions ( 5.4 )] Severe Application Site Burns [see Warning and Precautions ( 5.5 )] The most common adverse reactions (≥5% and greater than control) in all controlled clinical trials are application site erythema, application site pain, and application site pruritus. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Averitas Pharma at 1-877-900-6479 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of other drugs and may not reflect the rates observed in clinical practice. Across all controlled and uncontrolled clinical trials, 2848 patients have received QUTENZA. A total of 924 patients received more than one treatment application and 732 patients were followed for 48 weeks or longer. A total of 590 DPN patients and 1112 PHN patients have received…
Who shouldn’t take capsaicin
None. None
Capsaicin drug interactions
No clinical drug interaction studies have been performed. Data from in vitro cytochrome P450 inhibition and induction studies show that capsaicin does not inhibit or induce liver cytochrome P450 enzymes at concentrations which far exceed those measured in blood samples. Therefore, interactions with systemic medicinal products are unlikely.
Every capsaicin product we track (1)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
Only one: Qutenza.
How long capsaicin keeps
No capsaicin label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.
Does capsaicin expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsWhat people report to the FDA about capsaicin
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 1,562 reports naming capsaicin, and the FDA flagged 79% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- fatigue156 reports
- weight increased102 reports
- insomnia98 reports
- dyspnoea78 reports
- poor quality sleep76 reports
- hypertension72 reports
- cataract69 reports
- herpes zoster69 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean capsaicin caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved July 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is capsaicin?
QUTENZA (capsaicin) 8% topical system contains capsaicin in a localized dermal delivery system. The capsaicin in QUTENZA is a synthetic equivalent of the naturally occurring compound found in chili peppers. Capsaicin is soluble in alcohol, acetone, and ethyl acetate and very slightly soluble in water. QUTENZA is a single-use topical system stored in a foil pouch. Each QUTENZA is 14 cm x 20 cm (280 cm 2 ) and consists of a polyester backing film coated with a drug-containing silicone adhesive mixture and covered with a removable polyester release liner. The backing film is imprinted with “capsaicin 8%”. Each QUTENZA contains a total of 179 mg of capsaicin (8% in adhesive, 80 mg per gram of adhesive) or 640 micrograms (mcg) of capsaicin per square cm of topical system.
Can you take capsaicin with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run capsaicin against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What forms does capsaicin come in?
Across the brands we track, capsaicin is currently marketed as kit, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic capsaicin?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled capsaicin product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Capsaicin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/capsaicin
- MLA
- “Capsaicin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/capsaicin.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for capsaicin on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.