i have my first lidocaine infusion in 2 days. i have glanced over a few older threads but was hoping that those who have had them would comment again please.

my doc hopes to get more than 2 weeks of lesser pain and if so i can get more. how long did they last for you?

my doc hopes that it also helps my low back pain that is not crps2. did any of you get relief of back pain too?

how long did your infusion take to complete(the procedure)? one hour, 2 hours, 3 hours? how long did it take for you to feel normal to go home after the procedure?

i am going to get versed to relax before they start and either take phenergan 25mg before i get there or get zofran for naseau while there. did any of you get any other med(other than the lidocain) either pill form or put directly into the IV during the infusion? or after infusion?

thanks for any info

i had a lidocaine infusion about....... 4 years ago... so i don't remember the specifics... but it lasted about 2-3 hours and i remember feeling very sleepy. the relief lasted i think for about 2-3 weeks. i was then placed on a medication that worked in the same way as the lidocaine infusion. the infusion was used more as an indicator test to see if the particular med would help me. sorry but i don't remember what that med was... if i can think of it i'll let u know

I have had lidocaine injections and also when I had my surgery in April they filled those areas full of Lidocaine and had no pain whatsoever. I really think the key with Lidocaine is more then one infusion. I have had so many shots of it that it got me to where I am today, vertually painfree.

I didn't try for the infusions. I don't think they were even around when my PCP started doing the TPI's. They do help though. I think it's like blocks, one won't do it alone.

Good luck with them.

Ada

Hi Mike,

It will depend on the amount of lidocaine being given to you to determine how long the infusion will last. Your doctor may have a different protocol for you but I'm always given 800 mg over 2 hours. 100 mg is given to me as a bolus pushed over 5 minutes while the other 700 mg is given through the infusion pump.

Typically the relief from lidociane will last me for about 2 weeks. When it wears off it's more like a battery running down slowly. I'd like to have them scheduled every 2 weeks but my doctor wants me to come every 3 weeks.

I don't need any other medication before or after as I'm fine with the infusion. I used to take mexillitine orally (it's an oral form of lidocaine) but I had to go off it due to high blood pressure.

Talking about high blood pressure that is something that typically happens to most patients during the infusion, it is monitored very closely so there is nothing to worry about. It returns to normal shortly after the infusion is stopped. I've never had nausea, sometimes a bit of a headache throughout the day but nothing that a tylenol and rest won't fix.

You can expect to feel drowsy during the infusion, initially your lips and tongue may feel a bit numb and you might hear a rushing sound in your head. It all calms down. As soon as the infusion is stopped I typically wake up and am able to get my self ready to go home within a half hour or so.

I have someone pick me up and if I can't get a ride I take a taxi home. It's important to rest for the day but it's no big deal. I've been known to come home feeling quite good and over do things a bit.

I have some arthritis pain in my left jaw from TMJ and I can't really say that the lidocaine helps me with that. I do hope your doctor is right and that it helps your lower back pain.

Let us know how you do and good luck.

MsL

Good luck Mike! You are in our thoughts!

Hi Mike,
I had the Lidocaine infusion inpatient back in June 2006. I remember right away when I got home being able to use my bad right foot and it even moved better. I was able to put my foot fully on the ground where I had not been able to for over a year. It was great but very painful. They discharged me taking Mexiletene-150 mg twice a day and I still take them today. They help with pain and are ususally used for people with heart conditions. It helps with keeping the heart normal somehow but it REALLY helps me too. My infusion lasted about two months but I was extremely fatigued. I think I caught a bug or something or maybe that was normal for the infusion. Who knows. I was sad when it went away. It seemed like alot of work for me between staying in the hospital and the exhaustion but for a bit of pain relief I'll take anything I can. I have full-body by the way too. I hope this helps and best of luck for your treament. Let us know how you make out with it.
kathy d

I also had the lidocaine infusion Mike, it made me very tired and sometimes a little fiesty. It helped for a short time until the cold weather set in. My neuro decided I have had enough. On to something else which was the nerve blocks. Each of us is different so, there is good hope for you that it may give you the results your looking for. Top of the luck to you. Keep us posted.
mellowguy

Hey --

Don't know if this gets to you in time before your planned infufion, but can share the experience from the two of them in the past few months.

For me, there wasn't much relief. But I've kind of done it backwards. Usually, a lidocaine infusion is given to see how efficacious mexilitine will be if taken orally.

I've been taking 1050 mg a day (along with a whole pile of other pills) since the beginning of the year. Since then the diffuse burning, all over my body, has lessened. A lot. We're assuming the Mexiltine is the reason.

The lidocaine infusion though, unfortunately, did little for me with the deep pain, and in relation to your post, for me specifically that would be the constant dagger I carry around in the base of my spine. It maybe knocked a point or two off the pain, a bit of the edge, but for a very short time. Just until the next day at best. I'm not sure specifically what the nature of your back pain is, but there was nothing lasting for me in that area.

The procedure itself is rather simple. There is a slight feeling of being lightheaded, like being mildy drunk, and that's it. I read throughout the infusion, and could have easliy driven myself home if not required to have a ride.

Good luck. I hope your infusion brings you some kind of relief.

-- Dennis

thanks for the replies everyone. i tried 4 lidocain infusions and it almost dropped my pain in half for 48 hours but never lasted more than a week so we stopped them and i am going to have the pump put in now. doc says the pump will hopefully help with all pains and not just the crps2 pain.