Has anyone been offered a Lidocaine infusion for pain relief?
 

Hi everyone
i have small fibre peripheral neuropathy and I went to a Pain Management Clinic today and the anesthetist offered me a Lidocaine infusion for pain relief - I will need to visit hospital for a day and have this inserted by drip for 5 hrs and hopefully it will give 6 weeks of pain relief. He said sometimes after a series of this treatment the sodium pumps in the nerves settle down. Has anyone else had experience of this treatment?
Arlene

Lidocaine infusion? Not sure if it is the same as what you are talking about. I had it done but mine was shorter but in the hospital pain management as well.

Yes possibly the same - different countries have different names - did it work for you?

I saw your post on PN too. I have both PN and RSD. For me it did not help. I do know when I posted before this was done there were some people who it did help. You may want to do a search for lidocaine infusion. Also my pain doc and who knows if this is accurate but said this infusion works better for PN type pain then RSD. That is why he felt I did not benefit from it because though I have both they think my rsd is causing more of my pain. I am not sure if I am making sense.

My wife had it done at GW Hospital. It didn't work. But she does like the Lidocaine cream for temporary relief on certain joints like her ankles and neck.

Lidoderm is the commercial name for Lidocaine patches.

Every docs cocktail is different for stellate ganglion blocks, but I'm fairly sure Lidocaine was a component when I had mine done.

My experience as well, just at a different hospital. And the compounded gel - mine includes ketamine and Neurontin as well as lidocaine - works (if only temporary) wonders on the pain of burning skin.

Mike

Hi,
 

I've had lidocaine injections for years. It was the slow way of calming things down but it worked for me. I still use the lidocaine patch. I also had some ketamine injections.

I think we have talked about the infusions on here. Several have had them. They will come on and tell you about them. I think the lidocaine and the ketamine are good sources for trying to calm the RSD down.

Ada

Hi there,

I have IV Lidocaine infusions every 3 weeks. My doc gives me 100 bolus pushed slowly over 5 minutes and then the rest 700mg in the bag. The infusion runs over 2 hours. I've been having them for a few years now and they keep my condition fairly stable. I take very few other medications. Yes I do believe that the lidocaine given like this helps to calm down the sodium channels.

I don't have any nasty side effects from it other than slightly elevated BP and sometimes a little bit of a head ache on the infusion days. I just had mine yesterday and feel terrific today, ready to take on the world.


MsL

What you are probably thinking of is the lidocaine injections given just before the SGB to numb the area

I was hospitalized in Philly by Dr S. for Lidocaine infusion. 23/7, for about 10 days, maybe ten, fourteen days I forget. It was almost a decade ago.

Felt nice, but, since I had my PowerBook, and some DVD's, it was also a vacation from my wife. (Matter of fact, my old friend, her new friend the same person, had her visit me), my kids visited, and I also met one of my all time best friends there.
I told Dr S.
That I felt like I was on vacation.
None of that hit the charts of course, but I did feel good!

I still use the lidocaine patches.

Last nite, my neck (two discs) hurt so badly, I got up to put a lidocaine patch on my neck (left side) and, then my head fell off.... I was astounded!
Darnit!
Then, after spying that mess, I reached to pick my head back up, and I stepped on it!
Squash!
What huge mess now!
I took a deep breath. Slow down Pete.....
Breath, deep and slow.....

I found (by feel of course) some plumber's epoxy in my drawer (not drawers), and mixed some up, still, all by feel.
Picked up my head and realized, that my big Polish nose was squashed over my face!
I poked around, and used my nostrils, to "see outta", stretched over my eyes! . I got some kind of "hairy" vision now! What's with Dat???

So, I epoxied my head back on, (still feeling LOTS of stiffness in the neck), what can I do? But, my head's back on, and I can kind of see.....

I think it'll work out OK. (Next time my head falls off, I'll use putty, or flexible epoxy!).
(What? These doctors are gonna do better than a Plumber? Hah!)

So, like I said, my head's on, stiffly, my eyes can kind of see through my nose hairs,
and, fer the most part, all is well.
I reckon, that this may be the way Obomus health reform may be.

I'll try to see if I can get some credit for the Epoxy!
Yea, I'll Keep Prayin' Too!

Love ya'll,


Pete
asb

Maybe, but I don't think so. This just jogged my memory, which is not always perfect, so I won't swear, but...

I went through a few series of blocks with two different doctors. With the second doc, a spine surgeon, somewhere in the series I remember him talking to the anesthesiologist about adding lidocaine to the "cocktail" and it made a difference, so I spoke up and asked for it with the next time while I was on the table.

Hi Arlene,

I've had 7 Lidocaine Infusions - starting last Jul through until early sometime in 2010. They were only 300 MG at a time, much less than MsL gets in Canada. My pain management doc in Boston adminstered them in his clinic.

Before I started getting the lidocaine infusions, I felt like my RSD was raging out of control. It had spread from my shoulder to my neck and head and right leg, I was experiencing many symptoms body-wide, my pain levels were extremely high, I had weird rashes, IBS, etc. After a few of the infusions, things really started to calm down. The infusions seemed to settle the flairs and stop the spreading. They really made a difference for a me over about an 8 month period. Not nearly as much as ketamine, but still worthwhile and much better than nothing.

I wish you luck...XOXO Sandy

Thanks Sandy, I hope I get as much relief as you seem to have got, my neuropathy is getting so out of control - I am still working full-time and am exhausted through lack of sleep by the time I get to a Friday and then just sleep the weekend away - my doc offered me a sick line last week but I refused(I dont want to admit to myself how bad this nightmare is).
My eleven yr old said to me on saturday 'Mum, do you not think it is time for you to go off work sick' - out of the mouths of babes - how is this affecting my family????
Anyway sorry for moaning - self pity is not attractive - I will keep you posted on how I get on.
Hope you are well
Arlene x