There are several histamine cream products available. Common examples are Australian Dream Cream and Baker’s Best Arthritis Pain Relief Cream. Both products contain histamine dihydrochloride and are labeled to treat back pain and/or arthritic pain.

Histamine dihydrochloride is also present in a variety of combination products. An example is an arthritis relief cream, which combines menthol and histamine dihydrochloride into the same drug. Menthol is also an over-the-counter pain reliever.

If creams aren't your thing, topical histamine dihydrochloride sprays are also available.

However, early data from other health conditions suggests it may be less effective. For example, in one small study of people with mouth pain, topical histamine gel did not result in any change or improvement in pain symptoms. This study did not assess the effectiveness of histamine creams for muscle or joint pain.

More research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of histamine in pain relief. Most of the data for histamine dihydrochloride come from unrelated leukemia studies.

What are the risks and side effects of histamine dihydrochloride?

Data on its effectiveness are unclear, but histamine creams are generally well tolerated. It doesn't have many known risks or side effects to be aware of.