What are the side effects of menthol?

What does menthol do to the body?

Menthol is known as a counterirritant. It works by causing the skin to feel cool and then warm. These feelings on the skin distract you from feeling the aches/pains deeper in your muscles and joints.

Can menthol cause side effects?

Serious effects include seizures, coma, and death. Menthol can cause eye and skin irritation. When used on the skin, menthol is typically diluted into a "carrier oil", lotion, or other vehicle. If a high-percentage menthol product is applied to the skin, irritation and even chemical burns have been reported.

What kind of drug is menthol?

Menthol is an organic compound used to treat mild to moderate muscle and joint pain. Menthol is a covalent organic compound made synthetically or obtained from peppermint or other mint oils.

Does menthol really help pain?

Menthol has been reported to be effective in relieving pain with mild to moderate muscle strains.

Why is menthol bad?

What does menthol do to nerves?

When menthol is applied topically, it works by tricking the skin into thinking it has become cold by triggering activity from the specific nerves that detect cold sensations. This cool feeling first distracts the brain with a new sensation, overriding the pain response.

Is menthol anti-inflammatory?

Menthol also induced an immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activity; menthol treatment decreased the levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 and augmented the levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10.

Who should not use menthol?

Ask a doctor before using this medicine if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. If you apply menthol to your chest, avoid areas that may come into contact with a nursing baby's mouth. Ask a doctor before using this medicine on child 12 years old or younger.

Can menthol raise blood pressure?

In healthy humans, a single oral administration of 100 mg of menthol is reported not to influence BP (Gelal et al., 1999) and therefore does not seem to evoke a vascular response.

Can you have too much menthol?

The lethal dose of menthol is estimated to be roughly 1,000 mg (1 gram) per kilogram of body weight. In other words, someone who weighs 150 pounds (68 kg) would likely have to eat more than 6,800 cough drops containing 10 mg of menthol in a short period of time to risk the chance of a lethal overdose.

Does menthol interact with medications?

Menthol topical has no listed severe interactions with other drugs. Menthol topical has no listed serious interactions with other drugs.

How do I know if I'm allergic to menthol?

Signs of an allergic reaction, like rash; hives; itching; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin with or without fever; wheezing; tightness in the chest or throat; trouble breathing, swallowing, or talking; unusual hoarseness; or swelling of the mouth, face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Is menthol cancerous?

Some menthol- and mint-flavored e-cigarette liquids and smokeless tobacco products contain potentially dangerous levels of a known carcinogen, researchers said earlier this month. This adds to growing concerns about the health risks of e-cigarettes.

Are menthols worse for you?

No. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration found that it is “likely that menthol cigarettes pose a public health risk above that seen with non-menthol cigarettes.” That's because the minty coolness of the menthol can cover up the harshness of the cigarette, so people smoke more.

Does menthol help with anxiety?

The chronic stress group treated with menthol had significantly lower anxiety-like behavior compared to the chronic stress group not treated with menthol (P-value=0.0005), see tables 3-6.

Why does menthol help you breathe?

Menthol has been shown to reduce dyspnea in many respiratory conditions (1–3). It is a naturally-occurring cold receptor agonist that specifically activates the transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) channel in the skin and mucous membranes (2).

Does menthol raise heart rate?

Post hoc analysis indicated that the 3.5% menthol and control conditions resulted in a significant drop in heart rate of 4.63 and 5.19 beats/min respectively while the 10% menthol condition did not affect heart rate over the course of the trial.

Does menthol improve circulation?

Topical menthol has also been shown to change blood flow somewhat paradoxically: menthol increases cutaneous (superficial skin) blood flow, while decreasing arterial blood flow.

How can I bring my blood pressure down immediately?

If you are trying to rapidly lower your blood pressure at home, dial 9-1-1 immediately. You cannot safely treat dangerous high blood pressure at home. Your best move is to lie down flat and calm yourself until emergency help arrives.

Why does menthol help cough?

They usually contain menthol, an aromatic substance that opens the airways to help reduce cough and congestion. Cough syrups can contain any combination of these over-the-counter medicines: Dextromethorphan, a very weak opiate, dulls the cough reflex.

What does menthol do to mucus?

It works by providing a cooling feeling and increasing saliva in the mouth. Check the ingredients on the label even if you have used the product before. The manufacturer may have changed the ingredients. Also, products with similar names may contain different ingredients meant for different purposes.

What does menthol do for sore throat?

This product is used to temporarily help relieve symptoms such as sore throat, throat irritation, or cough (due to a cold, for example). It works by providing a cooling feeling and increasing saliva in the mouth.

Does menthol help with nerve pain?

Clinical studies have reported that topical menthol appears safe and effective in treating a variety of painful conditions, including musculoskeletal pain, sports injuries, neuropathic pain and migraine.

Is menthol good for knee pain?

In a word, yes: Menthol is often useful for easing joint pain associated with many types of arthritis.

What eases arthritis pain?

Over-the-counter pain medications, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve) can help relieve occasional pain triggered by activity your muscles and joints aren't used to — such as gardening after a winter indoors.