I recently heard that over-the-counter muscle pain relief
products could be toxic. I looked
it up myself, and found many muscle pain relief products contain methyl
salicylate (and menthol) and can be harmful if misused or overused. Believe it or not, there is one
case of death from overuse of Bengay.
Methyl salicylate is
naturally produced by wintergreens known as wintergreen oil, or synthetically produced. It is toxic in pure form (like many medicinal
properties), and found in high concentrations in deep heating liniments. It mainly works as a “counterirritant,” which heats up and
cools the skin, so you feel more of the sensation rather than the pain you
originally had. It may be
effective more for acute pain than chronic pain.
Some of the muscle pain relief brand names (generic name: menthol/methyl salicylate topical) are: Bengay,
Icy Hot, Mentholatum D, Salonpas Pain Patch, and many sold as “muscle rub.”
Like any other over-the-counter products, it is safe as long
as you follow the directions, but harmful or deadly if overused (like taking
too many sleeping pills). I am
just trying to caution you because it might be very easy to use a muscle pain
relief product too much or too often when you are constantly in pain. You must:
- Read the entire information, Warnings, and Directions of the product before using it.
- Check if your medication (especially, blood thinning medications, NSAIDs, and steroids) may interact with menthol/methyl salicylate topical.
- Don’t use it with a heating pad, or under a tight bandage.
- Use it temporarily, and see your doctor if the problem persists.
*If you use “natural”
products containing wintergreen oil, same caution should apply.