Any chemists here?

Bod

I've been using Voltarol this past week or so to manage minor arthritic finger pain and a bicep strain and it's been working wonders. 

I found a cheaper alternative called Motusol which is the same diclofenac concentration as Voltarol, but is described as diclofenac diethylamine vs Voltarol's diethylammonium.

Is there a significant difference?  A quick Google suggests that one is a derivative of the other, but I'm not sure it's working quite as well, but that was just after using it the once yesterday instead of Voltarol.

snowblind

The substitutions on the ammonium group are possibly less critical than the skin absorption characteristics and dose concentrations of whatever product you buy. Where they use topical treatments like this there will be a permeability enhancer added to the product so the stuff can get the active ingredients through your skin surface. Don't know exactly what they'd use but I have a dim recollection of dimethyl sulphoxide being good for that sort of thing. 

Your alternative product simply may not be doing as good a job as Voltarol at getting the drug through your skin if you don't think it is working as well. As I understand it some products aim to get around poorer absorption by using higher concentrations of diclofenac but lower concentrations with a better permeability enhancer would be just as effective.

If you think the expensive version does a better job then just accept that fact and pay the bill. What price happiness, as they say.

Bod

Thanks!  I'll monitor and determine if I'm imagining it, but using the cheaper version didn't seem to provide as much relief for as long.  Other factors may have been a play too, I guess.

Thanks again.  

snowblind

Obviously be aware that the Epiphone version may not seem as good as the full Gibson version even though it does a perfectly acceptable job.

crunchman

snowblind said:

Obviously be aware that the Epiphone version may not seem as good as the full Gibson version even though it does a perfectly acceptable job.

Just get the Harley Benton version and put new pickups in it!

snowblind

crunchman said:

Just get the Harley Benton version and put new pickups in it!

Where pharmaceuticals are concerned you probably want to be avoiding the budget end of the market. Epiphone maybe but I'd avoid the Ali-excess no-name brands. It's one thing having the placebo effect telling you your tone is really that great but another thing when cutting the budget causes a nasty side-reaction.

Also, I'm not entirely clear on how you might go about upgrading the contents of a sealed tube of ointment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvRfsfOcvDI