The Acute Pain Relief Option You May Be Missing

(NAPSI)—If you’ve ever dealt with acute pain, whether from a sports injury, a sudden sprain, or everyday strain, you know how much it can interfere with your life. Finding a safe, effective pain relief option can be challenging. Prescription topical pain patches are applied directly to the skin at the site of pain, and may offer the relief you are looking for. 

Why Look Beyond OTC or Oral Pain Medications?

Over-the-counter (OTC) topicals, like menthol rubs, can help with short-term aches and pains, but for some, they may not be enough. And with opioids, the concern about dependency or addiction has led many people to search for other options. In fact, leading medical guidelines, including those from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), recommend topical Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) as a first-line treatment option for acute musculoskeletal pain.¹

How Prescription Topical Patches Work

Prescription topical patches are applied directly to the painful area, delivering medicine exactly where it’s needed while limiting the amount that circulates throughout the rest of your body.

Topical NSAID patches such as YARAL’s Diclofenac Epolamine Topical System 1.3% deliver fast-acting, prescription-strength pain relief where it’s needed. They are used to treat acute pain due to minor strains, sprains, and contusions and are mess-free, non-habit forming, and deliver targeted relief with low systemic exposure for up to 12 hours.2 NSAID patches should be used at the lowest dose possible for your treatment and for the shortest time needed.

Who Might Benefit?

Prescription topical pain patches may be especially helpful if you:

• Prefer an option other than OTCs or oral pain medications, including opioids.
• Have localized pain (such as in your back, shoulder, or knee).
• Are looking for fast-acting, long-lasting relief2,3.

Talk to your doctor about whether topical patches might be right for you. You should not use diclofenac epolamine topical patches right before or after heart bypass surgery, or if you have had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergic reaction with aspirin or any other NSAIDs.

What to Know About Safety

Like all prescription medications, topical NSAID patches come with important safety considerations. While they can provide targeted pain relief with low systemic exposure, there are risks to be aware of:

• NSAIDs, including diclofenac patches, may increase the risk of serious heart-related events such as heart attack or stroke.
• They can also cause ulcers, bleeding, or stomach/intestinal problems, sometimes without warning.
• These patches should not be applied to damaged, infected, or broken skin.

This is not a complete list of risks. See Important Safety Information below, and for full prescribing information, including boxed warning and contraindications, click here https://yaralpharma.com/PrescribingInformation.

Where Relief Begins

If acute pain is interfering with your daily activities, prescription topical patches can bring relief right where you need it most—your sore back, your aching shoulder, or your tender knee. Talk to your healthcare provider to see if prescription topical pain patches might be right for you.

What Warnings and Side Effects Should be Considered?

USE

DICLOFENAC EPOLAMINE TOPICAL SYSTEM 1.3% is a prescription medication that contains diclofenac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), that is applied to the skin to relieve acute pain from minor strains, sprains, and contusions (bruises) in adults and pediatric patients 6 years and older. 

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION including BOXED WARNING

All nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause an increased risk of heart attack or stroke that can lead to death. This may happen early in treatment and may increase with increasing doses of NSAIDs and with longer use of NSAIDs. 

DICLOFENAC EPOLAMINE TOPICAL SYSTEM 1.3% should never be used right before or after a heart surgery called “coronary artery bypass graft” (CABG).

Avoid taking NSAIDs after a recent heart attack, unless your healthcare provider tells you to. You may have an increased risk of another heart attack if you take NSAIDs after a recent heart attack.

NSAID medications, like DICLOFENAC EPOLAMINE TOPICAL SYSTEM 1.3%, cause an increased risk of bleeding, stomach ulcers, and tears (perforation) of the esophagus, stomach, and intestines at any time during treatment, which can occur without warning and may cause death. 

The risk of getting an ulcer or bleeding increases with older age and having a history of stomach ulcers or stomach or intestinal bleeding with the use of NSAIDs.

Who should not take DICLOFENAC EPOLAMINE TOPICAL SYSTEM 1.3%?

Do NOT take DICLOFENAC EPOLAMINE TOPICAL SYSTEM 1.3% if you have a known hypersensitivity reaction to diclofenac or any component of the drug product.

Do NOT take DICLOFENAC EPOLAMINE TOPICAL SYSTEM 1.3% if you have had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergic reactions to aspirin or any other NSAID medicine.

DICLOFENAC EPOLAMINE TOPICAL SYSTEM 1.3% should never be used right before or after heart bypass surgery.

Do NOT apply DICLOFENAC EPOLAMINE TOPICAL SYSTEM 1.3% to open wounds, cuts, burns, infected, or damaged skin.

Before taking NSAIDS, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you: 

• have liver or kidney problems 
• have high blood pressure
• have asthma 
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Taking NSAIDs at about 20 weeks of pregnancy or later may harm your unborn baby. If you need to take NSAIDs for more than 2 days when you are between 20 and 30 weeks of pregnancy, your healthcare provider may need to monitor the amount of fluid in your womb around your baby. You should not take NSAIDs after 30 weeks of pregnancy. 
• are breastfeeding or plan to breast feed.

Before you take DICLOFENAC EPOLAMINE TOPICAL SYSTEM 1.3%, tell your healthcare provider about all of the medicines you take, including prescription or over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements. NSAIDs and some other medicines can interact with each other and cause serious side effects. Do not start taking any new medicine without talking with your healthcare provider first. 

What are the common side effects seen with the use of DICLOFENAC EPOLAMINE TOPICAL SYSTEM 1.3%? 

The most common side effects seen with the use of DICLOFENAC EPOLAMINE TOPICAL SYSTEM 1.3% in adult patients were pruritus (itching) and nausea in adults, and headache and application site pruritus (itching) in pediatric patients. 

What are the possible side effects of NSAIDs? NSAIDs can cause serious side effects, including:

• new or worse high blood pressure 
• heart failure 
• liver problems including liver failure 
• kidney problems including kidney failure 
• low red blood cells (anemia)
• life-threatening skin reactions 
• life-threatening allergic reactions 
• Other side effects of NSAIDs include: stomach pain, constipation, diarrhea, gas, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness

Get emergency help right away if you get any of the following symptoms: shortness of breath or trouble breathing, slurred speech, chest pain, swelling of the face or throat, weakness in one part or side of your body.

Stop taking your NSAID and call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms: 

• nausea 
• vomit
• blood 
• more tired or weaker than usual 
• there is blood in your bowel movement, or it is black and sticky like tar
• diarrhea 
• itching 
• unusual weight gain 
• your skin or eyes look yellow
• skin rash or blisters with fever
• indigestion or stomach pain 
• swelling of the arms, legs, hands, and feet 
• flu-like symptoms

Avoid using DICLOFENAC EPOLAMINE TOPICAL SYSTEM 1.3% with other NSAIDs or salicylates (e.g., diflunisal, salsalate). It is not recommended due to a higher chance of experiencing side effects that occur in your digestive system (stomach, intestines, etc.) and little or no increase in benefit.

NSAIDs may be available as over-the-counter medications for treatment of colds, fever, or insomnia. 

Do not use low-dose aspirin with DICLOFENAC EPOLAMINE TOPICAL SYSTEM 1.3% until you talk with your healthcare provider. 

USE ONLY AS DIRECTED BY YOUR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL. These are not all the possible side effects of DICLOFENAC EPOLAMINE TOPICAL SYSTEM 1.3%. Talk with your healthcare provider or pharmacist for more information or for more medical advice about side effects. 

You may report side effects to YARAL Pharma Professional Information Service at 1-866-218-9009 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

Please see the accompanying Full Prescribing Information, including BOXED WARNING and Patient Information, or visit https://yaralpharma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Diclofenac-Epolamine-PI-1_14_2025.pdf.

To learn more about YARAL Pharma’s diclofenac epolamine topical patches, visit www.yaralpharma.com.

References:

1. Management of Acute Pain from Non–Low Back Musculoskeletal Injuries: Guidelines from AAFP and ACP | AAFP; Cited reference: Qaseem A et al, Annals of Internal Medicine; November 3, 2020; 173 (9), 739-748.

2. Diclofenac epolamine topical system 1.3% [package insert]. Parsippany, NJ: YARAL Pharma Inc; 2024.

3. Joussellin É., J. Traumatol. Sport (French), 2003; 20:155-159.

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