Intravenous lidocaine for neuropathic pain: diagnostic utility and therapeutic efficacy.
Lidocaine is a use-dependent sodium channel blocker that produces analgesia when administered intravenously to patients with neuropathic pain. This article reviews the role and limitations of intravenous lidocaine infusions for neuropathic pain. Lidocaine infusions rarely provide relief that persists significantly beyond the duration of the infusion. Diagnostically, systemic lidocaine may help establish the presence of neuropathic pain and the responsivity to oral sodium channel blockade. However, the data supporting diagnostic infusions remain sparse. Therapeutically, infusions should generally be restricted to patients with neuropathic pain who are unable to take oral medication.
Carroll
Ian
I
Stanford University School of Medicine, 780 Welch Road, Suite 208E, Palo Alto, CA 94034, USA. irc38@pain.stanford.edu
D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008801:Mexiletine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis
D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D008801:Mexiletine; D008012:Lidocaine