Lidocaine is a local anesthetic medication that healthcare professionals use to prevent and treat pain from certain procedures. They may also use it for other purposes.
Lidocaine works by blocking specific pain signals in your nerve endings from getting to your brain. It helps numb areas on your body without causing you to fall asleep, as you do when you have general anesthesia.
A doctor or medical professional will typically give you lidocaine, either as an injection, a topical cream, or as a spray or mist that you inhale. For some nerve pain conditions, you may be able to use lidocaine patches at home.
What can affect how long lidocaine lasts?
How long lidocaine lasts can depend on a number of factors, such as:
- the form of lidocaine you’re given (e.g. injection, cream, spray, etc.)
- how much you’re given
- where it’s applied or given
- the size of the area that needs to be numbed
- whether you have certain health conditions that could slow down or speed up the way lidocaine works
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How long does a lidocaine injection last?
A lidocaine injection starts to work very quickly. You’ll usually have numbness in the injected area within a few minutes. How long a lidocaine injection lasts can depend on how much lidocaine injection you receive, where you receive it, and your overall health.
On average, the effects of a lidocaine injection will usually start to wear off after about 1.5 to 2 hours. If you have liver or heart problems, it could take longer for the effects of lidocaine to wear off. The strength of the dose, how medical professionals administer it, and other factors can also affect how long it lasts.
A medical professional will typically give lidocaine injection in a hospital, clinic, or other healthcare setting, such as a dental office. A lidocaine injection causes you to lose feeling in the area where it’s injected. This prevents you from feeling pain during certain types of procedures.
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Get free cardHow long does lidocaine last on your skin?
Lidocaine cream or jelly that’s applied to your skin usually starts to work in 3 to 5 minutes. As with other forms of lidocaine, how long it takes for its effects to wear off can vary.
Usually, the effects of topical lidocaine will start to wear off after about 1.5 to 2 hours. It could take more or less time, depending on the concentration of the lidocaine cream or jelly and how much you apply to your skin.
A medical professional typically applies topical lidocaine to your skin to cause numbness for certain types of medical procedures. They may also use it to relieve pain caused due to:
- minor burns and cuts
- sunburn
- stings or bites
- skin irritation
- itching caused by poison oak and poison ivy
Summary
Lidocaine is a local anesthetic that numbs your nerves so you don’t feel pain during medical procedures. A medical professional will administer this injection, but it’s also available as a topical cream or jelly, spray, and skin patch.
How long lidocaine lasts can depend on many different factors. On average, it starts to wear off after about 1.5 to 2 hours, but this can vary depending on the type of procedure it’s used for, where it is applied, how much is given, and your overall health.
Be sure to talk with your doctor if you want to know more about lidocaine, how it works, or how long it may last.