Dermatology Medicine

Topical Acetaminophen Gel Safe And Effective OTC Medication For Itching: Study

• byDoctor News Daily Team
• 18 February, 2025
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USA: A recent study in the journal Advances in Dermatology and Venereology finds that topical acetaminophen is a safe and effective over-the-counter medication for pruritus (itching).
Itch or pruritus is one of the most common skin complaints in dermatological patients and is linked to a multitude of skin and systemic conditions. However, in recent years only a few topical therapies, which are still the first-line treatment for the mild, moderate, and localized itch, have been developed. The main therapies used currently are topical corticosteroids and antihistamines. Topical corticosteroids are shown to have an effect on skin inflammation, but no direct antipruritic mechanism. Also, with long-term use, topical corticosteroids are associated with adverse effects of skin atrophy.

Considering the need for new topical antipruritics that are effective on many types of itch, Leigh A. Nattkemper, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA, and colleagues aimed to examine the antipruritic efficacy of a new formulation of topical acetaminophen in a double-blinded, vehicle-controlled, randomized study.
In 17 healthy volunteers, 1%, 2.5%, and 5% acetaminophen gels and a vehicle gel were applied to the skin prior to histaminergic and non-histaminergic itch induction and assessment of thermal pain thresholds.
Following were the key findings of the study:
In vitro skin permeability studies showed that 2.5% and 5% formulations are able to rapidly deliver an adequate amount of the drug into the skin.
The 2.5% and 5% gel formulations significantly reduced the itch intensity time course and the area under the curve for both histamine and cowhage itch.
No effect was noted on heat pain thresholds and no adverse effects were observed.
"Our results suggest that topical acetaminophen would be a safe and effective over-the-counter medication for itch," the authors concluded.
Reference:
Nattkemper, L. A., Zhi, K., Romero, K. E., Shah, S. M., Ju, T., Fourzali, K., Golpanian, R. S., MacQuhae, F., Chan, Y. H., Lebo, D. B., & Yosipovitch, G. (2022). Antipruritic Effect of Topical Acetaminophen Gel in Histaminergic and Non-histaminergic Itch Provocation: A Double-blind, Vehicle-controlled Pilot Study. Acta Dermato-Venereologica, 102, adv00640. https://doi.org/10.2340/00015555-3910