Summary of "Understanding QUTENZA® Treatments"
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Introduction to Diabetic Nerve Pain: The video explains diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and how QUTENZA (cenza) can provide relief for diabetic nerve pain in the feet, a condition affecting millions of Americans.
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Patient Experience: Testimonials from patients illustrate the severe pain they experience due to DPN, describing sensations like burning and stinging. The importance of treatment is emphasized, highlighting the impact on daily life and activities.
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QUTENZA Treatment Process: QUTENZA is a non-surgical, FDA-approved treatment applied in a healthcare provider's office. It involves a 30-minute application that targets pain signals in the nerves, and ongoing treatments are necessary every three months for optimal results.
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Post-Treatment Care and Recommendations: After treatment, patients are advised to monitor their feet and avoid heat sensitivity. It's crucial to share progress with healthcare providers to enhance treatment effectiveness.
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Safety Information: Important safety guidelines are provided, including risks of irritation, the necessity of professional application, and monitoring for side effects like increased blood pressure during treatment.
Did You Know
In the video, it’s noted that approximately 50% of people with diabetes develop some form of nerve damage over their lifetime, and about 5.6 million individuals experience painful diabetic nerve pain in their feet. This underscores the prevalence and significance of addressing this condition.
Transcript
Hello, my name is Tony, and I'm a Cenza patient just like you. I want you to sit back, relax, and watch this video on how Cenza might help you with your diabetic nerve pain in your feet, just like it's helped me. This video will help you understand diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the feet, also known as DPN. You'll also learn how Cenza is different from other treatments used to treat DPN, and specifically why that difference is important for your ongoing nerve pain relief. We’ll cover what to expect during the application and what to expect afterwards. Treating your DPN with Cenza just four times each year can help you get ongoing relief and help you achieve your own great feats.
My name is Gary Graf, and I'm a nurse practitioner. I have been a nurse practitioner for 23 years. I started out in family practice for 3 years and then moved over to the field of Diabetes Endocrinology for the past 20 years. More than 37 million Americans, or just over one in 10, are living with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. About 50% of people with diabetes develop some type of nerve damage over their lifetime. Of those people, approximately 5.6 million have pain in their feet. What's even more surprising is that more than 2.5 million people continue to live with unresolved diabetic nerve pain despite trying oral treatments.
I love cooking, going to the driving range, spending time with my family, and creating things. My name is Anthony, and I’m 63 years old. I cook every day, 365 days a year. In the year 2000, I began to have symptoms where I was constantly thirsty. I told my doctor, and sure enough, he ran some tests and confirmed that I had type 2 diabetes. They eventually got my diabetes under control, but I continued to experience symptoms even after my diabetes was managed. It started out subtly and then progressively worsened to the point where I couldn’t stand for long periods of time. I couldn’t drive because I never knew when the attacks would start. It felt like I was being stung by bees, and then it felt like someone was sticking glass or something sharp into my feet. It was painful.
I took my grandkids to an amusement park, and my feet felt so bad that I didn’t want to have to get an electric scooter. I still consider myself to be a relatively young man, although I’m 6’3”, and I didn’t want my grandkids to remember me like that. When patients come to me and complain of pain, they usually say, “It’s not just that it hurts.” It’s often described as feeling like it’s on fire, burning, or stinging, and certain activities make it worse. When I talk to my patients about their painful diabetic neuropathy, they often describe it as if they’re feeling pain like there’s a blowtorch on their feet.
Nerve damage can happen if your blood sugars are high or if you’ve had diabetes for a long time. These damaged, unhealthy nerves send too many pain signals to your brain. This can feel like foot numbness or shooting, stabbing, or burning pain. To relieve diabetic nerve pain symptoms, many patients are treated with anti-convulsants or anti-depressants, but these oral treatments can be difficult for patients to tolerate. This is where Cenza comes in. Cenza is an FDA-approved, non-surgical treatment that can only be applied by a healthcare provider in a practitioner’s office.
My first treatment was at the doctor’s office. I sat in a chair with an elevated back, and they cleaned my feet really well. They applied the Cenza treatment and wrapped my feet. That lasted about 30 minutes. I felt tingling and a little bit of stinging. After 30 minutes, it was removed. My healthcare provider did inform me that it would not be a one-time treatment. I would have one treatment, and then three months later, I would have another, and so on. I’ve had five treatments so far. When my third month rolls around, I know I’m ready for another Cenza treatment.
It's not another oral pill that you have to remember to take. Cenza can be used alone or in combination with other treatments. It is non-addictive and has no known interactions with other medications you might be taking. Cenza is different. While it may look like a patch, Cenza is a topical system that uses unique technology designed to treat nerve pain by delivering medication deeper into the skin, right where you’re experiencing the pain. The nurse practitioner told me about another treatment option and asked if I’d be willing to try it. I said, “Absolutely, yes.” She told me it was a patch. I thought, “A patch that they put on your feet?” She explained that it would require multiple treatments, so they scheduled my first one.
Initially, during my first treatment, I just felt a warm sensation but still experienced the pins and needles sensation, so I didn’t notice much difference. After the second treatment, I felt a slight improvement. But after the third treatment, I noticed a huge difference. I wasn’t limping anymore. My feet actually felt better, and I was looking forward to the next treatment to see what more it could do. As the treatments progressed, my feet felt better, and I was able to do things I hadn’t been able to do before.
Now that my pain is being managed, I can cook, bake, and do it all while standing. Before this treatment, I was confined to home. I didn’t drive. I did almost everything from a chair. Now, I’m standing, I can go for walks, and I can be active with my grandchildren. We went to a bigger amusement park, and I walked the entire park. My grandsons were happy, I was happy, and that’s how I want them to remember me—not as the granddad in the scooter.
Let your healthcare provider know if you’re feeling any discomfort, like a burning sensation. They can apply a cooling pack or ice to the treatment area to make you more comfortable. In the Cenza clinical trials, on average, patients had a 30% reduction in pain within 19 days after their first treatment. Results for Cenza do vary with each patient. I’ve had many patients experience good results after their first treatment, and it’s very exciting when that happens, but I always remind every patient that it may take two or three treatments before we see the full benefits.