I was perscribed Nifedipine and have been using it for 2 months. It has not resolved my fissure issue or the pain. My Dr. said the next option would be Nitro 0.2%. I've tried it in the past but stopped due to side effects. I'm willing to give it another go but I'd like to know if anyone here has actually healed by using this cream?

My Dr. said I need to apply a pea shaped amount deep into the rectum and he gave me a dildo shaped applicator to help push it in deep enough. He told me I need to keep the applicator in for at least a minute when I apply the cream. He seemed pretty confident that if I gave it a few months on the Nitro it would heal.

Any advice? i'd love to hear from you on this.

I was the opposite. I used Nitro at first and it didn't heal anything. Then I used nifedipine and found it much more helpful plus less irritating. I also had Botox in between so that helped me along. The idea of using an applicator to stretch things out sounds helpful. I would use it for increasing amounts of time up to 5 minutes as you tolerate it better. Make sure to lubricate it with a gentle water based lubricant beforehand. I think Nitro is worth a try. If you get headaches, try using it after you've eaten something. I found that reduced chances of getting a headache from it.

patience_and_healing wrote:I was the opposite. I used Nitro at first and it didn't heal anything. Then I used nifedipine and found it much more helpful plus less irritating. I also had Botox in between so that helped me along. The idea of using an applicator to stretch things out sounds helpful. I would use it for increasing amounts of time up to 5 minutes as you tolerate it better. Make sure to lubricate it with a gentle water based lubricant beforehand. I think Nitro is worth a try. If you get headaches, try using it after you've eaten something. I found that reduced chances of getting a headache from it.

Thanks for the reply. Did you finally heal with nifedapine? You didn’t mention in your post.

I’m dealing with watery BM’s now and they burn like hell for hours afterwards. I was up all night in pain last night. Going to work today will be a real challenge. I’m already had my first watery BM of the morning and i’m Pretty sure it’s not the last.

Fun times!

No I haven't 'healed' as such, but I'm better off than one year ago. I'm working on healing through physical therapy and dilation. The doctor told me to lay off nifedipine because she suspected it was causing hypersensitivity. If I do have days when I need to use it then I only apply it externally.

If you're having watery BMs I suggest using a barrier cream beforehand like zinc oxide or vasline until you can get them to be firmer again. A soluble fiber like benefiber is also helpful for firming. Try a low dose at first like one teaspoon with breakfast.

patience_and_healing wrote:No I haven't 'healed' as such, but I'm better off than one year ago. I'm working on healing through physical therapy and dilation. The doctor told me to lay off nifedipine because she suspected it was causing hypersensitivity. If I do have days when I need to use it then I only apply it externally.

If you're having watery BMs I suggest using a barrier cream beforehand like zinc oxide or vasline until you can get them to be firmer again. A soluble fiber like benefiber is also helpful for firming. Try a low dose at first like one teaspoon with breakfast.

What did you feel with your hypersensitivity to Nitro? I suspect something similar with me.

I felt a lot of burning when I used nitro. With nifedipine I didn't have any burning, but after using it for a few months I had a lot of tenderness internally, so the doctor told me to stop using it.

patience_and_healing wrote:I felt a lot of burning when I used nitro. With nifedipine I didn't have any burning, but after using it for a few months I had a lot of tenderness internally, so the doctor told me to stop using it.

I seem to feel the same way about Nifedipine at times I feel it is irritating the rectum.

You can try applying it only externally in that case, and see if it still helps relax the muscles.

patience_and_healing wrote:You can try applying it only externally in that case, and see if it still helps relax the muscles.

I don't think applying Nitro or Nifedpine externally is the right approach. My Dr. specifically told me that it needs to be applied interanlly and pushed deep enough into the rectum to be able to do its job and relax the sphincter muscle. That is why he gave me a plastic dilator/applicator tool and recommended I push it in and leave the dilator in for at least a minute when applying the cream.

I think people that don't see results with Nitro cream are probably not applying it correctly or long enough to be effective.

As for the headaches, if you begin with a relativly small amount of cream, less than a pea shape for a few days then work your way up from there, your body will have a better chance of getting used to the dose. I think doing it this way will reduce any headache side effects somewhat.

patience_and_healing wrote:I was the opposite. I used Nitro at first and it didn't heal anything. Then I used nifedipine and found it much more helpful plus less irritating. I also had Botox in between so that helped me along. The idea of using an applicator to stretch things out sounds helpful. I would use it for increasing amounts of time up to 5 minutes as you tolerate it better. Make sure to lubricate it with a gentle water based lubricant beforehand. I think Nitro is worth a try. If you get headaches, try using it after you've eaten something. I found that reduced chances of getting a headache from it.

Thanks for the tip about eating before applying the cream. I never thought about that.