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The mother had used a very large amount to cover the areas–about 2-3 tubes! The procedure was completed without any problems.Ībout 3 hours later, the girl began to complain of feeling dizzy and nauseated. The cream was washed off after about 30 minutes. Prior to the procedure, the girl’s mother helped her apply a cream containing lidocaine to the areas being treated (legs, underarms, and mustache line). Lidocaine should not be used to treat children with teething pain.Ī 15-year-old girl was scheduled for laser hair removal.Use as little as possible and never more than the amount specified on the label.Before using lidocaine, read the Drug Facts section of the medicine label carefully and be sure to understand and follow its instructions.Keep lidocaine in its original, labeled container at all times.Store lidocaine and other topical anesthetics completely out of sight and reach of children and pets.If someone has been exposed to lidocaine, check the web POISONCONTROL ® online tool or call Poison Control at 1-80 for help.Ĭertified Specialist in Poison Information Such errors can be potentially toxic, especially in children. It's easy to make dosing errors when using lidocaine. Methemoglobinemia can be life-threatening. Because the blood is not able to carry enough oxygen to the tissues, people with methemoglobinemia appear very pale or even blue, feel very tired, and have shortness of breath. Methemoglobinemia can result even from normal use of lidocaine, especially in children. Methemoglobinemia is the condition of having blood that has this altered kind of iron. Lidocaine can impair the ability of iron in red blood cells to carry oxygen to the tissues. Wrapping the treated area also increases absorption.Īnother serious effect of lidocaine is a condition known as methemoglobinemia.
OTC LIDOCAINE CREAM SKIN
This can also occur when it’s applied to skin that is not intact such as open wounds, blisters, or burns. For example, covering a large area of the body with lidocaine or leaving it on the skin for a long time can lead to absorption of the drug into the bloodstream. It is important to note that these effects can result from excessive topical use or misuse of lidocaine as well.
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Symptoms can range from mild drowsiness and headache to confusion, seizures, coma, and cardiac arrest. If a substantial amount is ingested, enough can be absorbed into the bloodstream to affect vital organs, primarily the brain and heart. Ingestion of lidocaine can cause numbness of the mouth and throat, which can lead to trouble swallowing and even choking. However, misuse, overuse, or overdose can lead to a number of serious health problems and even death.
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When used sparingly and as directed, topical lidocaine is generally safe. However, they should not be used to relieve teething discomfort in children. The result is temporary numbness of the area on which they are applied (a "local" anesthetic).īecause of their numbing effect, topical anesthetics are effective in treating pain such as sunburns, cuts or scrapes, insect bites, cold sores, rashes, hemorrhoids, injuries of the eye, or a sore throat. They work by blocking nerves from sending pain signals to the brain. Topical anesthetics like lidocaine are available as gels, creams, liquids, sprays, eye drops, and patches. Topical (intended to be used on body surfaces such as the skin) lidocaine is a common medicine cabinet item. Lidocaine is an anesthetic anesthetics have a numbing effect and are used to block pain.
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