Currently, topical antihistamines and corticosteroids are mainly used for itching relief. However, the over the counter antihistamines are not effective on all itch conditions. Acetaminophen is a popular and widely used OTC drug for pain relief. Although its mode of action is still unknown, recent studies have shown that acetaminophen indirectly activates cannabinoid CB1 receptors. Recent studies have shown that topical cannabinoid agonists are effective for itch relief, the efficacy of topical acetaminophen will be tested for non-histaminergic itch relief.
This will be a single-blinded, vehicle-controlled randomized study in healthy controls to test the efficacy of the topical gel formulation with three differing concentrations of acetaminophen (APAP) for itch relief. To detect medium effects of the treatments with a given α of 0.5 and an error probability of 0.05, with a power of 0.95, the number of participants needed is 36 (10 within post hoc pairwise comparisons).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
17
Topical acetaminophen gel
Topical vehicle gel
University of Miami
Miami, Florida, United States
Peak Itch Intensity Between the Vehicle and Active Treatments During Non-histaminergic Itch Induction
Peak itch intensity between the vehicle and 3 other active treatments (5%, 2.5%, and 1% acetaminophen gels) after non-histaminergic itch induction (cowhage). Itch intensity was measured on a 10cm scale visual analog scale for 10 minutes. 0 was weighted with "no itch" and 10 was weighted with "most itch imaginable".
Time frame: 10 minutes
Peak Itch Intensity Between the Vehicle and Active Treatments During Histaminergic Itch Induction
Peak itch intensity between the vehicle and 3 other active treatments (5%, 2.5%, and 1% acetaminophen gels) after histaminergic itch induction. Itch intensity was measured on a 10cm scale visual analog scale for 10 minutes. 0 was weighted with "no itch" and 10 was weighted with "most itch imaginable".
Time frame: 10 minutes
Thermal Threshold Detection (Heat Pain)
Standardized quantitative sensory testing is performed to measure heat pain threshold (assesses the threshold at which heat pain sensation is first detected). Measured in Celsius.
Time frame: 3 minutes
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