Xylocaine Viscous (Lidocaine)

(℞) Prescription Required

Xylocaine (Lidocaine) Dosage and Side Effects

XYLOCAINE relieves pain when applied to the skin via cream, gel, or patch.

XYLOCAINE can also be given through the veins before surgical procedures to numb the surrounding area where medication is being administered and to help with irregular heartbeat.

Warnings and Precautions

You should not take XYLOCAINE if you have any of the following:

  • Heart conditions like Adams-Stokes syndrome or heart blocks without a pacemaker
  • Congestive heart failure (CHF) or heart shock

Talk to your doctor before taking XYLOCAINE if you are taking drugs called beta-blockers, including Inderal (propranolol), Bystolic (nebivolol), Lopressor (metoprolol tartrate), and Toprol XL (metoprolol succinate).

To date, whether XYLOCAINE can help prevent a heart attack remains much-debated. If you have any concerns about this issue, talk to your doctor.

XYLOCAINE Warnings

In 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a black-box warning for XYLOCAINE because of its danger in small children.

The FDA warns that XYLOCAINE should not be used to relieve tooth pain in teething babies, because XYLOCAINE is easily absorbed into the bloodstream and may cause death.

Pregnancy and XYLOCAINE

XYLOCAINE is an FDA Pregnancy Category B drug, which means it is generally safe to use during pregnancy because there is low risk of harm for your developing baby.

Regardless, you should tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant before taking this medication.

You should also alert your physician if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed before using XYLOCAINE.

Side Effects

Common Side Effects of XYLOCAINE

  • High blood pressure
  • Swelling or swelling or redness of the skin at the site of injection if receiving XYLOCAINE via injection into the veins
  • Constipation, nausea, and/or vomiting
  • Confusion, dizziness, headache, funny feeling or tingling in the toes, fingers, or hands

Serious Side Effects

  • Changes in heart rhythm
  • Methemoglobinemia, a very rare-yet-serious blood disorder caused by the blood not being able to carry as much oxygen as it normally would
  • A condition called malignant hyperthermia where body temperature can rise as high as 113 degrees Fahrenheit with fever, sweating, racing, heartbeat, muscle pain
  • Seizures
  • Anaphylaxis, a sudden, severe, and life-threatening allergic reaction where your tongue and throat swell, your throat may close, you break out in hives, your blood drops to a dangerously low level, and you have trouble breathing

Rare Side Effects

XYLOCAINE may cause some unpredictable side effects including baldness and dizziness.

Interactions with this medication

It is always important to share with your doctor and pharmacist all prescription, non-prescription, illegal, recreational, herbal, nutritional, or dietary drugs you're taking.

You should not take XYLOCAINE if you are taking the following drugs:

  • Exparel (bupivacaine liposome)
  • Tikosyn (dofetilide)
  • Cerdelga (eliglustat)
  • Juxtapid (Lomitapide)

Talk to your doctor first about taking XYLOCAINE if you are taking any of the following:

  • Inlyta (axitinib)
  • Bosulif (bosutinib)
  • Luvox (fluvoxamine)
  • Lexiva (fosamprenavir)
  • Kalydeco (Ivacaftor)
  • Mefloquine
  • Dilantin (phenytoin)
  • Orap (pimozide)
  • Pomalyst (pomalidomide)

XYLOCAINE and Alcohol

Since there is a possibility that XYLOCAINE may enter the bloodstream when using the patch or the cream forms, people wearing the patch, and those undergoing surgeries and other procedures for which they receive XYLOCAINE, should avoid drinking.

XYLOCAINE and Grapefruit Juice

XYLOCAINE may interact with grapefruit juice, so for best results, avoid drinking grapefruit juice while taking XYLOCAINE.

Proper Use of this medication

Apply XYLOCAINE patches directly to the affected area and leave it on for 12 hours. Then remove the patch and wait 12 hours before applying a new patch.

XYLOCAINE is also available over-the-counter in creams for pain relief or in combination with other medications via prescription.

XYLOCAINE solution for injection should only be administered by appropriate medical professionals.

XYLOCAINE Overdose

If you suspect an overdose, contact a poison control center or emergency room immediately.

Missed Dose of XYLOCAINE

If you miss a dose of XYLOCAINE, try to take it as soon as you remember.

However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and resume your regular dosing schedule. Don't double up to make up for a missed dose.

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The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.

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