Camphor/menthol
Place in Therapy
Due to a staggering lack of clinical trials that include products with both menthol and camphor and no other active pharmaceutical ingredients, the efficacy and safety for this drug combination is poorly characterized—especially in the context of osteoarthritis. What is clear is that both drugs have a well-established historical and anecdotal role in pain management. When used as an adjunctive measure for pain control, topical menthol and camphor can be used. Patients need to be counselled about managing their expectations for pain control. This product may work, and is relatively safe, but efficacy in this population is not well understood.