"i began using capsaicin-hp for severe pain from by neck to top of my buttocks caused by fibromyalgia. i found it to decrease my pain as much or better than non-narcotic oral medications. then i had an injury to my back which required a lumbar spinal fusion at l5-s1. capsaicin again helped my pain incredibly. i applied everyday 2 to 4 times a day before surgery and then limited used to areas of neck and back away from incision until site healed, then resumed use over entire back. it does get very &quot;hot&quot; at times, but i learned not to focus on that and realized that was the time it seemed to be removing pain the best. i am a nurse and eventually learned to allow it to &quot;heat&quot; which typically lasts about 30 min and i got the best results."