Hey there,
Here's a nitty gritty question. I was told to put the nifedipine up as far as the first knuckle on my pinky finger. I am worried though about putting it past the inside ridge of anal sphincter muscle.
I am paranoid that the salve there day after day will cause a duct to clog and lead to an absess or fistula....?
So I am careful to not go past the sphincter muscle.
Does this sound right? Or am I letting my anxiety carry me away?
-woi

Just to show the differences in CRS. Mine told me to only apply it to the outside...maybe that is why it never did very much.

Hi WOI - I just applied the Nitro barely to the opening :oops: and as I read somewhere, it will be absorbed into the bloodstream.. Don't hurt yourself sweetie..

savaici, was it the nifedipine that you were told to only apply to the outside, or one of the other topicals?
I've been sticking things up there for months, and it would be nice to stop.. someday.
-woi

i found another thread on this site called "nifedipine: where to apply?"
It seems that some docs say up a bit, some say just outside and some say makes no difference.
some say to apply to the fissure. Perhaps because the vaseline-like texture protects the fissure a bit during bm?
I think I will experiment with not sticking it up as far and see how that goes.
-woi

I use to put the whole finger til I coughed...
On a serious note, just inside about as deep as a qtip.

My understanding is the maximum effectiveness happens when you apply the ointment directly to the internal sphincter, which is going to require you to insert it inside the anal canal. You'll be able to feel where the internal sphincter begins as you gently begin to insert your finger. The recommendation to go about the length to the first knuckle on the pinky is probably as good as any. I wouldn't worry too much about going too far. It's more important not to cause yourself pain in the process.

I worry about clogging the glands that are just inside there.
Has anyone had that happen with these salves/creams?
-woi

I've been putting creams up there for so many years and have never had that problem or heard of anyone having that problem. Would be a good question for a doctor though.

Nifedipine and NTG don't really have to go inside. If you put them on the rim the medicine will be abosorbed into the blood stream. I can't imagine sticking my finger in there when I was in pain. I never did. I just put it on the outside and it was fine. Eventually, It stopped working, hell all of it stopped working. I spent so much money on all those creams and ointments. Threw them all away last week.