Dimethyl sulfoxide Intravesical and Duragesic Mat

• Generic Name: dimethyl sulfoxide
• Dosage Forms: n.a.
• Other Brand Names: Cryoserv, Rimso-50

Dimethyl sulfoxide is a purified preparation used in the bladder to relieve the symptoms of the bladder condition called interstitial cystitis. A catheter (tube) or syringe is used to put the solution into the bladder where it is allowed to remain for about 15 minutes. Then, the solution is expelled by urinating.

Interstitial cystitis is the only human use for dimethyl sulfoxide that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Claims that dimethyl sulfoxide is effective for treating various types of arthritis, ulcers in scleroderma, muscle sprains and strains, bruises, infections of the skin, burns, wounds, and mental conditions have not been proven.

Although other preparations of dimethyl sulfoxide are available for industrial and veterinary (animal) use, they must not be used by humans, because of their unknown purity. Impurities in these preparations may cause serious unwanted effects in humans. Even if dimethyl sulfoxide is applied to the skin, it is absorbed into the body through the skin and mucous membranes.

Dimethyl sulfoxide is available only with your doctor's prescription.

• Generic Name: fentanyl
• Dosage Forms: n.a.
• Other Brand Names: Duragesic, Abstral, Fentora, Subsys, Actiq, Ionsys, Lazanda, Onsolis, Sublimaze

Fentanyl skin patch is used to treat severe pain, including acute pain following surgery. Ionsys® is applied by your healthcare provider in a hospital setting after surgery for the short-term management of acute pain. Duragesic® is used for pain severe enough to require around-the-clock pain relief for a long period of time. Fentanyl is a strong narcotic analgesic (pain medicine). It acts on the central nervous system (CNS) to relieve pain.

The Duragesic® skin patch should not be used if you need pain medicine for just a short time, such as after dental surgery or tonsil surgery. Do not use the patch for mild pain or pain that occurs only once in a while.

When a narcotic medicine is used for a long time, it may become habit-forming, causing mental or physical dependence. However, people who have continuing pain should not let the fear of dependence keep them from using narcotics to relieve their pain. Mental dependence (addiction) is not likely to occur when narcotics are used for this purpose. Physical dependence may lead to withdrawal side effects if treatment is stopped suddenly. However, severe withdrawal side effects can usually be prevented by gradually reducing the dose over a period of time before treatment is stopped completely.

This medicine is available only under a restricted distribution program called the Opioid Analgesic REMS (Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy) program.