Salonpas Pain Relieving Patch, 140 Patches

I have Ehlers Danlos syndrome (EDS) which is a painful genetic connective tissue disorder. I have severe pain in my upper neck (cervical C1-C2) and upper thoracic area. These patches were recommended by patients in an EDS forum, so I decided to try them. I am so glad that I did!Now, they aren't a miracle cure. But they DO help. I normally use Cryo-Derm in the liquid roll on (which is very good and helps make bruises not turn so dark if you put it on early in an injury) for milder pain and Asper-cream lotion (original type) for more moderate pain. I love both of them and still use them (not under the Salonpas of course!) and highly recommend them (especially the Asper-cream).I was skeptical that a patch could be better than a liquid or cream. But it is! I get 4-6 hours out of the patch. I've used them on my neck, shoulders, upper back and even on my forehead for headaches (like the headache pads they sell, but do be careful and don't get it in your eyes or too close to them, right over the eyebrows is fine).I can sometimes avoid oral pain medication (NSAID, Ibuprofen) if I use these. I also find them helpful to use also when the pain is severe and I still have to take an NSAID.One thing I love is that the patches, which are smallish but still a good size-is that the area of pain relief is MUCH larger than the patch itself. I'd say about 2" circle around the edges of the patch also gets relief.You can't do a lot of repositioning with the patches. You can a little, but probably not more than one or two times.Also, they don't stick well to very hairy areas. My husband can get them to stick to his moderately hairy knee and it won't fall off. But I have trouble getting them to stick right under (and into) my hairline on the back of my neck.So I cut my hair into a shoulder length angled bob haircut and then pinned up all my hair and shaved unerneath up to above the C1 vertabrae area. It can not be seen though my hair (which is fine and thin, not that thick) and so there is no "edgy" haircut that I might not choose for myself. You can not tell I did that, nor does it itch even with regrowth or feel weird in any way (I used an electric razor). Literally it is invisible unless I pinned my hair up (which I can't do now). It was a great idea I should have done sooner.Even the other topicals I use absorb better in those areas instead of in my hair. I can use my TENS unit (love Tac-gel to reuse and retack the electrodes) better in the area and am now about to also try kinesio tape. I I did find that I couldn't leave much hair in the area, it had to be pretty clean shaved. Again, I swear it can not be seen unless I put my hair up. I'm pretty sensitive and have had to shave other areas pre-surgery and found it "prickly" and itchy but this doesn't bother me at all.I am going to be a fan of Salonpas for life. They do help and I think are better than topicals. But I still think there is also a place for topicals too. Especially since the topicals go further and are cheaper. I highly reccomend Salonpas patches. They may not take all the pain away but they do help a lot.

I've been using Salonpas patches for years. I use them after workouts and by the time I take them off, I have no pain. They are great for someone with sensitive skin because they don't stick very strongly but the problem is that they catch easily on my shirt sleeves or if I move around too much. I've found them bunched up inside my sleeves. WELL! I don't know if they changed the formula on all size boxes but I bought the 140 patch size this time. They use the more traditional rubbery type patch that uses a lot more adhesive plus it's more flexible so it stays put. So happy. Now I can do my pilates later in the day and not worry about moving my arms :-) Yay Himatsu!After submitting this review, I thought I'd better add a caveat. I only use this patches on the days that I workout my arms with weights. I'm really trying to get stronger so I push myself. I put the patches on right after my workout and any twinges I might have go away really quickly. But this is my caveat. . . I only use this patches once a day, every other day. If you have a chronic pain, like arthritis, and put patches on and off 2 or 3 times a day, the extra adhesive might start irritating your skin. If the other patches that are less sticky are still available, you might want to "stick" with those. Just saying :-)

I found these in Wal-Mart years ago & started using them at that time. They were used in Japan for many years before the FDA approved them for use here. I have little confidence in the FDA. There are many things that could be used here in this country that are much better than some of the drugs they have approved. This is one of them. It is the best pain relief patch I've found so far & several of my family members use them. They usually lessen the pain within a few min. after applying & last a decent amount of time. I like these newer, somewhat larger ones, even though I normally use more than 1-2 at the time. I think they work as well as taking aspirin or ibuprofen orally. I have chronic pain from spinal arthritis & other forms of arthritis & they help me. I'll continue to use them & will definitely be buying them again.

Excellent topical patches. Review based on experiences of three people over the last two years (i.2. 2012-2014).One patch gives us more relief than one prescription pain patch (and we had different prescription patches). This product greatly reduces the need and usage for prescription pain medication. It has staved off migraines, eliminated tension headaches, and relieved an area of broken vertebrae bones without pain medication.We are amazed this patch does not require a prescription. The toplical ingredients are balanced ideally for us despite disparate sizes and weights (one person over 6' tall, two persons under 5'4".)This product is the smallest-sized patches made. This size is convenient for various joints (e.g. hands, wrists, knees, ankles), forearms, and at the base of the skull.A larger patch is available, which is approximately four times the size of these patches.Safe with our prescription medications. None of us have had any reactions, negative interactions,or side effects. Although we usually do not take prescription painkiller medicine whlie using/wearing a patch of any size, there have been times a disabled veteran (who endures tremendous pain daily) has worn two to four patches at the same time he took his prescription medications (including 2 painkillers).Two of us find the relief so great that we fall asleep, then awaken without pain.The adhesive is stronger than most topical patches. However, if you sweat, these patches wrinkle up or slide around.Bulk purchasing here is very convenient for the three (3) of us. We also buy the large patches, available at Amazon in bulk.