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Compare Lidocaine vs Septocaine

Side-by-side medication summaries to compare pros and cons, side effects, interactions, and more.

Lidocaine

Septocaine

Summary

Lidocaine is a local anesthetic commonly used to numb tissues in a specific area before surgical procedures, dental work, or minor skin treatments. It works by blocking sodium channels in nerve cells, preventing the transmission of pain signals. Lidocaine can be administered through various forms, including injections, topical creams, and patches, making it versatile for different medical applications. While generally safe, lidocaine can cause side effects such as redness or swelling at the application site, dizziness, and, in rare cases, systemic toxicity if used in excessive amounts.

Lidocaine has many different types and names. The information below is about brand name Xylocaine®.

Septocaine® (articaine hydrochloride and epinephrine bitartrate) is a local anesthetic containing articaine and epinephrine, commonly used in dental procedures to provide local, infiltrative, or conductive anesthesia. It acts quickly, with anesthesia onset typically occurring within 1–6 minutes and lasting for approximately 1 hour. While effective, it can cause side effects such as tongue pain, swelling, headaches, and numbness, and it should be used cautiously in patients with certain health conditions, including heart rhythm disorders and sulfite allergies.

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Rx?

Prescription

Prescription

Drug Category

Amide local anesthetic

Articaine: amide local anesthetic

Epinephrine: vasoconstrictor

Approved Uses*

Xylocaine® (lidocaine hydrochloride) injections are indicated:

  • For production of local or regional anesthesia by infiltration techniques such as percutaneous injection and intravenous regional anesthesia by peripheral nerve block techniques such as brachial plexus and intercostal and by central neural techniques such as lumbar and caudal epidural blocks, when the accepted procedures for these techniques as described in standard textbooks are observed

Septocaine (articaine hydrochloride and epinephrine bitartrate) is indicated:

  • For local, infiltrative, or conductive anesthesia in both simple and complex dental procedures in adults and pediatric patients 4 years of age or older

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Dosage*

  • See the Full Prescribing Information for important administration instructions

  • Comes as an injection

  • See the Full Prescribing Information for important administration instructions

  • Comes as an injection

Known Common Side Effects*

Adverse experiences following the administration of lidocaine hydrochloride are similar in nature to those observed with other amide local anesthetic agents. These adverse experiences are, in general, dose-related and may result from high plasma levels caused by excessive dosage, rapid absorption or inadvertent intravascular injection, or may result from a hypersensitivity, idiosyncrasy or diminished tolerance on the part of the patient. Serious adverse experiences are generally systemic in nature. The following types are those most commonly reported:

  • Central nervous system

  • Cardiovascular system

  • Allergic

  • Neurologic

  • Hematologic

The most common adverse reactions (incidence >2%) are:

  • Headache

  • Pain

Interactions & Contraindications*

  • Lidocaine hydrochloride is contraindicated in patients with a known history of hypersensitivity to local anesthetics of the amide type

  • Drug interactions: Monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, phenothiazines, butyrophenones, vasopressor drugs, ergot-type oxytocic drugs

  • Known hypersensitivity to sulfite

  • Drug interactions: Monoamine oxidase inhibitors, nonselective beta-adrenergic antagonists, tricyclic antidepressants, phenothiazines, butyrophenones

Warnings & Precautions*

  • The safety and effectiveness of lidocaine hydrochloride depend on proper dosage, correct technique, adequate precautions, and readiness for emergencies

  • Xylocaine injections for infiltration and nerve block should be employed only by clinicians who are well versed in diagnosis and management of dose-related toxicity and other acute emergencies that might arise from the block to be employed and then only after ensuring the immediate availability of oxygen, other resuscitative drugs, cardiopulmonary equipment and the personnel needed for proper management of toxic reactions and related emergencies

  • Pregnancy: Pregnancy Category B

  • Labor and delivery: Local anesthetics rapidly cross the placenta and when used for epidural, paracervical, pudendal or caudal block anesthesia, can cause varying degrees of maternal, fetal and neonatal toxicity

  • Nursing mothers: It is not known whether this drug is excreted in human milk

  • Accidental intravascular injection: May be associated with convulsions followed by coma and respiratory arrest

  • Systemic toxicity: Systemic absorption of Septocaine can produce effects on the central nervous and cardiovascular systems

  • Vasoconstrictor toxicity: Local anesthetic solutions like Septocaine that contain a vasoconstrictor should be used cautiously, especially in patients with impaired cardiovascular function or vascular disease

  • Methemoglobinemia

  • Pregnancy: Based on animal studies, may cause fetal harm

  • Nursing mothers: Exercise caution when administering to a nursing woman

Reference

*This information is from the label for brand name Xylocaine®. See the Full Prescribing Information for more complete information. Lidocaine has many different types and names, and this information may not be accurate for all medications that include lidocaine.

*This information is from the label for brand name Septocaine®. See the Full Prescribing Information for more complete information.

The information provided here is NOT MEDICAL ADVICE and is for informational and educational purposes only. The drug comparison tool does not determine eligibility for medications or treatments provided via the Hims/Hers platform. Consultation with a healthcare provider is required to assess suitability for any medical treatment based on individual health and medical history. All product names and associated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment. Learn more about our editorial standards here.

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