Jan asked
My son has this prescription and I was wondering if it would work to numb his arm for a blood draw? He is 15 yrs old and really afraid to get shots and having his blood drawn. If it could help, how do we apply it and for how long? Thank you so much for your time in this matter.
Answer
Lidocaine/prilocaine cream is often used, and indicated for use as local anesthesia to provide topical anesthesia for procedures such as the one you mentioned. It typically is very effective in numbing the applied area.
Depending on the type of procedure, you may have to apply to cream for an extended amount of time. Below is the recommended topical administration as given by the manufacturer of the product:
Apply 2.5 grams of lidocaine/prilocaine cream over 20—25 cm2 of skin surface for at least 1 hour. Cover cream with an occlusive dressing. Analgesia can be expected to increase for up to 3 hours under occlusive dressing and persist for 1—2 hours after removal of the cream. The maximum recommended duration of exposure is 4 hours.
I do want to point out that you do need to apply a fair amount of this cream to get a good effect. Make sure you do apply a thick layer at the site of the procedure. You don't really need to spread the cream out a lot, just apply a thick layer and cover.Prior to the procedure, remove the occlusive dressing; wipe off the cream and clean the entire area with an antiseptic solution.
