How long can I use Nitro Ointment for?

Discuss any questions, problems or share your solutions here...

Return to General Anal Fissure Discussion




How long can I use Nitro Ointment for?

Postby buttquestion » 15 May 2013, 17:47

I am on my 10th week I think. So far, I feel Nitro Ointment has helped a lot and it seems to help even more now than the first two weeks.
I only use it once a day and it's only 0.2% Nitro.
I don't really feel any change in my body except for some heartburn (which I think is caused by me drinking too much orange fiber drinks!) and bad sleeps. I woke up too much in the middle of the night. Not sure if it's caused by nitro or not but anal fissure needs to be healed first!
I read that I should only use Nitro for 8 weeks but I only use it once before bed. Has any of you used Nitro for several months straight?
I know my condition is getting better slowly but I need it to healed completely.
buttquestion
Salt Bather
 
Posts: 74
Topics: 5
Joined: 19 Mar 2013, 17:00
Has thanked: 0 time
Been thanked: 2 times
Gender: None specified

Re: How long can I use Nitro Ointment for?

Postby Luka » 15 May 2013, 18:26

I don't think it really matters how long you use the creams. Some people do develop allergies to them, though (mainly terrible itching and rashes). You will obviously know if this happens and then you will have to stop using the cream completely.
Some people, though, use these creams for months to years, from what I've read, and never have any issues with allergic reactions developing.
I'm not sure about Nitro (never tried it), but I've been using Diltiazem since January twice a day, which is similar. I tried to stop it a couple of weeks ago, but the pain/spasms got worse for whatever reason, so I went back to it. For now, I am just going to continue to take it when I need it, even if just once a day. It seems to help the spasms and I don't know what else to do at this point since I can't afford to see a CRS again (no health insurance and money is really tight for me right now). If the pain doesn't go away completely some time this year, then I will seriously consider LIS. But until then, I just stick with the Diltiazem.
January 2013 - Diagnosed with fissure. Eventually turned chronic.
History of IBS and anxiety disorder, along with fear of using bathrooms other than my own caused it.
Tried Diltiazem, but eventually developed a rash.
LIS surgery scheduled August 26th.
User avatar
Luka
VIP
 
Posts: 345
Topics: 38
Joined: 01 Feb 2013, 17:00
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, California
Has thanked: 19 times
Been thanked: 6 times
Gender: Female

Re: How long can I use Nitro Ointment for?

Postby Luka » 18 May 2013, 00:26

Just want to bring this topic up again and see what others have to say. Also, I heard somewhere that these ointments can thin the skin down there (even just plain Vaseline), but I find that hard to believe. I thought that was just hydrocortisone that thinned the skin?
January 2013 - Diagnosed with fissure. Eventually turned chronic.
History of IBS and anxiety disorder, along with fear of using bathrooms other than my own caused it.
Tried Diltiazem, but eventually developed a rash.
LIS surgery scheduled August 26th.
User avatar
Luka
VIP
 
Posts: 345
Topics: 38
Joined: 01 Feb 2013, 17:00
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, California
Has thanked: 19 times
Been thanked: 6 times
Gender: Female

Re: How long can I use Nitro Ointment for?

Postby Guest » 18 May 2013, 05:24

Use of this cream should be only during your elimination process to help you relax. The best time to use such cream is when you sense the urge because this is the time when
your butt-hole is open widely (naturally) and the cream doesn't smear everywhere. Just squat (a little only) and apply it. Stand up again and do breathing exercises or the best one so far, "stretch with hands up" You will feel your muscles relaxing again and the urge to go should come back. Drink a big glass of warm water if the pressure to go is not felt to the fullest. Keep this water ready because waiting to fill the glass or getting it warm, takes time and the urge time to go lasts for only few minutes. Either squat or sit down. Squatting helps when your fissure is in the process of healing. You may get back to sitting down comfortably when your BMs are normal and your fear is gone. It is better to soften stools with Miralax, than depend on the creams. Cream (especially prescribed ones) tend to thin the skin. Please remember that when the skin gets thinned out, your butt-hole will be prone to fissure by just about any little undigested food particle or even worse "spasm". Right now by applying it once you are on the right track. Let the skin breath. If you haven't had any surgery down there, then you may keep a small piece of wet cotton between your cheeks under your tailbone in the night. The wetness helps to keep it in place and not slide down. That place should be free from oil because if it slides down in your sleep, then it will cause more harm. The cotton will dry eventually and since the cheeks are not closed completely (it will look closed to you but the cotton piece will let some air in) it will help the fissure to heal faster. I have done this when my fissure stage was just developing and that was ..oh gosh ...10 years ago. I still can't believe that I let my fissure turn chronic. :-((((
Last edited by Guest on 25 May 2013, 05:00, edited 1 time in total.
Guest
 

Re: How long can I use Nitro Ointment for?

Postby Luka » 18 May 2013, 12:34

I don't use the Diltiazem to help me go to the bathroom. I don't have any issues with that. I use it for the spasms that occur AFTER I go. That's when I get the most pain (a couple hours afterward). If these creams were only supposed to be used during the elimination process, then why are they prescribed to be used twice or three times a day? The spasms occur the most after using the bathroom.
Also, where does it say that these creams thin the skin? As far as I know, only hydrocortisone creams do that. It says nothing about thinning of the skin in the instructions I got with the Diltiazem. I have not seen anything mentioned on Google or anywhere that says it does that. Anyone else have any information on this?
January 2013 - Diagnosed with fissure. Eventually turned chronic.
History of IBS and anxiety disorder, along with fear of using bathrooms other than my own caused it.
Tried Diltiazem, but eventually developed a rash.
LIS surgery scheduled August 26th.
User avatar
Luka
VIP
 
Posts: 345
Topics: 38
Joined: 01 Feb 2013, 17:00
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, California
Has thanked: 19 times
Been thanked: 6 times
Gender: Female

Re: How long can I use Nitro Ointment for?

Postby JHH » 18 May 2013, 13:18

Mabs, I think you are giving lots of misinfo here.
Nitro and diltiazem is to be used after BM (to ease spasms), and they will not thin skin down there. This is from two different CRS'
Yes you can use a bit 15-30 minutes before BM to help you relax the muscle, but it will be flushed out, and you will need to reapply.
Neither do I think its a good idea to keep wet cotton in your butt. Where do you get this from?
To OP, I have been using nitro for 3 months, and as long I dont have bad reactions to it, I will continue.
Last edited by JHH on 18 May 2013, 13:30, edited 1 time in total.
- Fissure developed in Jan '13
- Started rectogesic in Feb '13 and diltiazem Apr '13.
- Got botox Jun '13
- Healed by Okt '13, although I still had some irritation for about a year.
- New fissure April '22, healed June 2022
- New fissure 24. December 2023
User avatar
JHH
Moderator
 
Posts: 785
Topics: 16
Joined: 22 Feb 2013, 17:00
Location: 6 o'clock
Has thanked: 48 times
Been thanked: 69 times
Gender: Male

Re: How long can I use Nitro Ointment for?

Postby Luka » 18 May 2013, 13:29

Thanks so much for the quick reply, JHH. That's what I thought, but thank you for confirming it.
I just read a few people on here saying that these creams (Diltiazem and Nitro) thin the skin, but there's no medical evidence for them doing that. Steroid creams will thin the skin and it's well documented with those. If there was an issue with thinning of the skin in Nitro or Diltiazem, it would say so in the instructions/side effects info that came with the cream. From what I've read, the main problem that can arise from using the Nitro or Diltiazem creams long-term is rash/itching from developing an allergy to them, but then you just stop the cream and the problem goes away.
January 2013 - Diagnosed with fissure. Eventually turned chronic.
History of IBS and anxiety disorder, along with fear of using bathrooms other than my own caused it.
Tried Diltiazem, but eventually developed a rash.
LIS surgery scheduled August 26th.
User avatar
Luka
VIP
 
Posts: 345
Topics: 38
Joined: 01 Feb 2013, 17:00
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, California
Has thanked: 19 times
Been thanked: 6 times
Gender: Female

Re: How long can I use Nitro Ointment for?

Postby Guest » 19 May 2013, 07:12

The info that I have given has been tried and tested by "yours truly". I have been dealing with fissures for almost 10 years off an on. The use of cotton (accompanied with diet) healed my fissure within two days 10 years back. However, this was when my fissure had just developed. Back then, my fissure developed because of poor eating habits and impatience during toilet hours. Lots of coffee during work hours to manage work-stress probably contributed a lot too 10 years ago.
However, I could deal with my fissure by reading these old tricks that made so much sense logically. (Yes old medicinal tricks from books when internet was not available). I could get back to work right next day without any pain. These solutions helped me to keep my fissure at bay sometimes two years, sometimes three years. Also, my nutritionist helped me with the diet. However, it got chronic recently because I have become peri-menopausal. All those solutions did stop working this past year. It was no longer about diet or stress. It was about hormones ! That is why I opted for surgery and now healing quite well probably because of these old medicinal techniques. Mind you, I haven't developed any hemerhoids (the doctor was surprised at that) and nor there has been any sort of bleeding, inflammation, or blockage these past 10 years. When I did my sigmoidscopy the doctor gave me a clean report. I had nothing else going on there but two fissures. Yes, I do attribute this to my old medicinal tips.
Here's the explanation on the use-of-cotton disagreement. The cheeks are so tight and closed that it makes it difficult to heal faster. So the cotton lets some air in and helps the wound to heal faster. Where did I find this tip? Well, it was a feng shui book. The book had additional tips on "mind body and soul". Surprisingly, I have seen these tips being programmed on Dr.OZ's show (like the one on vata, kapha and pitta doshas). Internet does not carry this traditional info so may be you won't have anything to double-check it. Anyway, whatever I have written is tried and tested by me. You may say, that what worked for me may not work for someone else. Absolutely right! But this can be tried and checked out. It is better than living in pain. We do get bolder and manage to try new health tips when nothing works. These are simple and don't cause any permanent damage. I have tested it on myself, so I am not afraid to write about it. And def. it is not misleading. Misleading is when people have not tried and tested (not even on animals :-) ). If you don't agree then please don't be negative either, before trying it. If it is not working, then you may ask me why it is not working. Maybe you are not doing it right. But hey, it should work 100% because it is based on the same old approach that we have been taught since childhood "wound heals faster when you let it get some air". Yes, that area if dried too much may also backfire since moistness helps too to keep the infection at bay. But I am asking to do this only in the night when our skin repair activity is the highest. Well, anyway, I don't mind if you disagree. My advise up there was to ease the pain and get back to normal as soon as possible. It is certainly, not for anyone to get aggravated. However, I am looking at this in a positive way. It gave me a chance to explain the logic behind it. I should have said, "you may follow this advice at your own discretion".
Now to talk about cream. These creams have caused more damage than healing in my case because I opted to add the two letters "ab" to the word "use". This past year has been a trip to hell because all my tricks failed to respond. However, I am glad some tricks are helping me back, right now after the surgery. That fissure needed to go for good with surgery alone. However it is the surgery that made me realize that my skin had thinned out. Because my healing which normally should take place within two weeks, took 6 weeks (doctors tell you to get back to work after 14 days). Anyway, I apologize if my information has disappointed all of you. But I am sure it will help people like me, if not people like you.
Guest
 

Re: How long can I use Nitro Ointment for?

Postby Luka » 19 May 2013, 12:37

Okay... Well, everyone is different, so if the cotton thing works for you, mabs, that's great. It's not for me, though.
The creams don't thin the skin from what I've read and researched. Just wanted to correct that so others know.
January 2013 - Diagnosed with fissure. Eventually turned chronic.
History of IBS and anxiety disorder, along with fear of using bathrooms other than my own caused it.
Tried Diltiazem, but eventually developed a rash.
LIS surgery scheduled August 26th.
User avatar
Luka
VIP
 
Posts: 345
Topics: 38
Joined: 01 Feb 2013, 17:00
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, California
Has thanked: 19 times
Been thanked: 6 times
Gender: Female


  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to General Anal Fissure Discussion



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 24 guests