Pharmacy Guide
Patient leaflets and SmPCs, drug interaction checker, official dosages and NHS pharmacy opening hours — all in one place.
Pharmacy Guide
Patient leaflets and SmPCs, drug interaction checker, official dosages and NHS pharmacy opening hours — all in one place.
Capsaicin 0.025% w/w Cream
⚠ This medicine appears to have been discontinued
The electronic medicines compendium (emc) no longer publishes a Summary of Product Characteristics for this product, which usually means it is no longer marketed in the UK. The patient leaflet below is kept for reference, but the product may not be available.
If you were prescribed this medicine, other products containing Capsaicin may still be available. Do not stop your treatment — ask your pharmacist or GP what to use instead.
What it is and what it is used for
for
The name of this medicine is Capsaicin Cream. The active ingredient in this medicine is capsaicin which is a naturally occurring substance found in plants. Capsaicin Cream is used to relieve the pain from osteoarthritis. 2.
What you need to know before you take it
e Capsaicin Cream
Do not use Capsaicin Cream if you are allergic to capsaicin or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6). on broken or irritated skin. This medicine is not suitable for use in children. Warnings and precautions Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using Capsaicin Cream Keep away from the eyes, nose and mouth (if it does accidentally get into your eyes, nose and mouth or onto broken or irritated skin, wash off with plenty of water). Wash your hands immediately after applying the cream, unless the hands are the treated areas, in which case, they should be washed 30 minutes after applying. Avoid hot baths or showers immediately before or just after applying Capsaicin Cream. Do not apply tight bandages on top of Capsaicin Cream. Avoid breathing in any vapours from the cream, as this can cause irritation of the eyes and breathing difficulties (including making asthma worse). Other medicines and Capsaicin Cream Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are using, have recently used or might use any other medicines. Pregnancy, breast-feeding and fertility If you are pregnant or breast feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine. Capsaicin Cream contains benzyl alcohol and cetyl alcohol
- This medicine contains 450 mg benzyl alcohol in each cream tube which is equivalent to 0.01 mg/mg. Benzyl alcohol may cause mild local irritation.
3.
Cetyl alcohol may cause local skin reactions (e.g. contact dermatitis).
How to take it
Capsaicin Cream
Always use this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure. Capsaicin Cream should be applied to the affected area 4 times a day, with a gap of at least 4 hrs between each application. A small amount of cream (about the size of a pea) should be rubbed onto the area to be treated with your fingers. Make sure that all the cream is rubbed in so it is no longer visible. Wash your hands immediately after application of Capsaicin Cream, unless you are treating arthritic hand joints, when you should wait 30 minutes before washing your hands. 4.
Possible side effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. Capsaicin Cream can cause a burning feeling when applied. This burning is more common when:
- The cream is used more than 4 times a day.
- Too much cream is applied.
- The cream is applied just before or after a hot bath or shower. Rarely when Capsaicin Cream is applied the vapour can cause brief irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, such as runny nose, cough or sneezing, breathlessness or worsening of asthma. Capsaicin Cream may also cause irritation of the skin for example itching or stinging. Reporting of side effects If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via Yellow Card Scheme Website:www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine. 5.
How to store it
Capsaicin Cream
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children. Store below 25C. Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton and tube. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month. Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment. 6.
Contents of the pack and other information
What Capsaicin Cream contains
- Capsaicin Cream contains 0.025% capsaicin as the active ingredient.
- The other ingredients are purified water, sorbitol solution, isopropyl myristate, cetyl alcohol, white soft paraffin, glycerol stearate, PEG-100 stearate and benzyl alcohol. What Capsaicin Cream looks like and contents of the pack
Capsaicin Cream is a white cream packed in aluminium tubes with epoxyphenolic lining and polypropylene spiked cap containing 45 g Capsaicin Cream. Marketing Authorisation Holder Ennogen IP Ltd, Unit G4, Riverside Industrial Estate, Riverside Way, Dartford, DA1 5BS, UK. Manufacturer Balkanpharma Troyan AD, 1, Krayrechna Str., 5600 Troyan, Bulgaria This leaflet was last revised in November 2025.
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Frequently asked questions about Capsaicin 0.025% w/w Cream
How do I take Capsaicin 0.025% w/w Cream?
Capsaicin 0.025% w/w Cream comes as cream. Always follow the dose your doctor or pharmacist has given you, and read the leaflet that comes with the medicine.
What is the active substance in Capsaicin 0.025% w/w Cream?
The active substance in Capsaicin 0.025% w/w Cream is capsaicin.
Are there equivalent medicines to Capsaicin 0.025% w/w Cream?
Medicines with the same active substance, strength and form include: Axsain 0.075% w/w Cream, Zacin 0.025% w/w Cream, Capsaicin 0.075% w/w Cream. They are interchangeable only if your prescriber or pharmacist says so.
Where does this information come from?
This leaflet reproduces the patient information leaflet approved for Capsaicin 0.025% w/w Cream, as published on the electronic medicines compendium (emc). The version printed inside your medicine’s packaging is the one that applies to you.
Can I get Capsaicin 0.025% w/w Cream without a prescription?
Whether a medicine is available over the counter or on prescription only depends on its licence. Check the leaflet, or ask your pharmacist — they can tell you straight away.
About this leaflet
The text above reproduces the patient information leaflet approved for this medicine, restructured for easier reading.
- Source: electronic medicines compendium (emc), Datapharm
- Active substance: capsaicin
- Official document: view the original leaflet on emc →
⚕For healthcare professionals — Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC)Full SmPC: dosage, interactions, contraindications, warnings+
4.1. Therapeutic indications
For the symptomatic relief of pain associated with osteoarthritis.
4.2. Posology and method of administration
Adults and the elderly
For topical administration to unbroken skin. Apply only a small amount of cream (pea size) to affected area 4 times daily. These applications should be evenly spaced throughout the waking hours and not more often than every 4 hours. The cream should be gently rubbed in, there should be no residue left on the surface. Zacin may cause transient burning on application. The burning is observed more frequently when application schedules of more than 4 times daily are used. Hands should be washed immediately after application of Zacin unless hands and fingers are being treated. Zacin should not be applied near the eyes. Pain relief usually begins within the first week of treatment and increases with continuing regular application for the next two to eight weeks.
Not suitable for use in children.
4.3. Contraindications
Zacin cream is contra-indicated on broken or irritated skin.
Zacin Cream is contra-indicated in patients with hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients listed in section 6.1.
4.4. Special warnings and precautions for use
Skin irritation has been reported following application of Zacin. The hands should be washed immediately after application of the cream, unless the hands are the treated areas, in which case, they should be washed 30 minutes after application
Contact with eyes and mucous membranes should be avoided.
Patients should avoid taking a hot bath or shower just before or after applying Zacin, as it can enhance the burning sensation.
Patients and carers should avoid inhalation of vapours from the cream, as transient irritation of the mucous membranes of the eyes and respiratory tract (including exacerbation of asthma) has been reported.
Keep Zacin away from the eyes.
Medical advice should be sought if the condition worsens, or clears up then recurs.
Tight bandages should not be applied on top of Zacin cream.
Excipients
Benzyl alcohol may cause mild local irritation.
Cetyl alcohol May cause local skin reactions (e.g. contact dermatitis).
4.5. Interaction with other medicinal products and other forms of interaction
No interaction studies have been performed.
4.6. Fertility, pregnancy and lactation
The safety of Zacin during pregnancy and lactation has not been established, in either humans or animals. However, in the small amounts absorbed transdermally from Zacin Cream, it is considered unlikely that capsaicin will cause any adverse effects in humans.
4.7. Effects on ability to drive and use machines
Not applicable.
4.8. Undesirable effects
Zacin may cause skin irritation or transient burning on application. This burning is observed more frequently when application schedules of more than 4 times daily are utilised. The burning can be enhanced if too much cream is used and if it is applied just before or after a bath or shower.
Irritation of the mucous membranes of the eyes and respiratory tract (such as nasal and throat irritation) on application of Zacin cream has been reported rarely, resulting in symptoms such as coughing, sneezing and runny eyes. These events are usually mild and self-limiting. There have been a few reports of dyspnoea, wheezing and exacerbation of asthma.
Reporting of suspected adverse reactions
Reporting suspected adverse reactions after authorisation of the medicinal product is important. It allows continued monitoring of the benefit/risk balance of the medicinal product. Healthcare professionals are asked to report any suspected adverse reactions via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.
4.9. Overdose
Not applicable.
💬 Ask about this leaflet
Ask anything about Capsaicin 0.025% w/w Cream. The assistant answers only from this leaflet — if the leaflet does not cover it, it will say so. It does not give medical advice.
Answers come from the patient leaflet published on the electronic medicines compendium (emc). They are not medical advice. Ask a pharmacist or your GP if you are unsure. For urgent help call NHS 111, or 999 in an emergency.