Lidocaine IV Infusion Questions from New User. Did you get relief? How long did it last? After it wore off was the pain MUCH worse?

[ReliefSeeker]

Hi I am new here to the forum and found it searching for information on the Lidocaine Infusion for chronic pain. Thank you in advance for allowing me to join and for sharing your experiences. I had my first (and probably last!) infusion on April 30. I didn't like how I felt when it was going in...a weird array of emotions and responses from me (I got very talkative like a drunk person, then teary-eyed, then felt euphoria, then panic and paranoia, etc). I don't know how much the dosage was but at one point I wanted to tell them to stop because I felt so squirrely in my head. I was really dizzy a while after it was done and had to sit there about 20 minutes.

The second day I felt pain returning swiftly but after that, I felt almost like normal (haven't felt that way in six years!) but I felt like I was also on speed or something because I couldn't shut my brain down or stop "doing stuff". The pain relief only lasted nine days and ever since it has worn off I feel SO MUCH WORSE than I did before the infusion. Even my Vicodin isn't taking the edge off and I've been miserable - to the point of tears with this amount of continual pain.

Can anyone please share their experiences? I am curious to know if my experiences are typical. At this point I am thinking I don't want to try another infusion - the loopy-ness in my head, the short span of relief and the excruciating pain I have after it wore off is just NOT worth it to me.

I have Graves Disease, Fibromyalgia, Degenerative Disk Disease in my back, etc.

[Janepepper]

My pain consultant wants to try me on a lidocaine infusion. I'm petrified, but, as I'm sure you know, am desperate enough to try anything. If that doesn't work, she plans on trying ketamine! (I thought that was used to put horses to sleep). I've agreed to try both and I know that she is also so caring, (I'm very lucky). I won't back out because it's worth a shot, but generally, from what I've read on here, the experiences are similar to yours. Wish me luck!

[ReliefSeeker in reply to Janepepper]

Thank you for your reply and sharing what you have read about the Lidocaine. I do honestly hope it works for you and for a long period of time! Ketamine? Wow, if that is what is I think it is then it is one I personally would stay away from. Good luck

[Hidden in reply to Janepepper]

I have been on Ketamine oral solution for some years now and it does help you may have to mess around with the dosage to begin with I take 50mg/5ml 4 times daily but I believe that is a high end dose but nowhere near the dose that is used as a street drug(specialK) please dont be put off trying it it may just be the thing for you

[ReliefSeeker in reply to Hidden]

Hi fvee, I'm glad that you're getting relief. I didn't know that Ketamine was the same thing as the street "special K" and hope I didn't sound like I was "dissing" a potential remedy. I'm just not brave enough to take it. I think that it would be a bad idea for me anyway because I also have Major Depressive Disorder and I have read hallucinogenics are depressants (if I remember correctly). I'm hoping to find more "natural" pain relief options (Reiki helps "some", for example) as I've had SO many drugs put through my system (trial and error) since 2008...I worry about my liver and other long-term effects that maybe haven't been recognized yet by the medical community. Thank you for sharing your experience! It is helpful to know it can work for people.

[Janepepper in reply to ReliefSeeker]

I also can't believe that I have no liver damage after years on some very serious drugs. But I just had an ultrasound and it's fine. I think it's a huge help that I have an excellent pain consultant who really cares and I trust her completely. That makes the fight easier, having someone with the requisite knowledge on your team!

[DaveyGravey121 in reply to ReliefSeeker]

Hi, could i ask what other non medical reliefs there are? I just had the infusion, great on the day and last night, but pain back tonight! Very sad as I have taken everything!!

Cheers

David

[enirehtac17 in reply to Janepepper]

Please let me know if this works for you and good luck, I see my consultant tomorrow, getting nervous even at the thoughts of this. I am not a baby when it comes to pain, but this is driving me crackers. Hope all goes well for you

[enirehtac17]

Thank you for sharing your "not very nice" experience I am to visit pain clinic tomorrow, so see my consultant with a view to me having trigger point injections. I was to have this treatment last September, although the treatment was cancelled, I became ill in treatment room. I am needle phobic, My appointment is to discuss me having this treatment, I have second thoughts now since reading your post, I will not go ahead although I feel my meds no longer work, in fact, I know I should not do this but I doubling up on my meds, I would do anything to get some sleep, once again many thanks. Perhaps it may help if you have a medication review, again I believe this may depend on your G.P .

[healthylass]

I had lidocaine infusion and these did definitely help. These are strong drugs but you will do anything to just make things a bit easier which it did for me, sometimes you have to take a chance and this might be the drug that makes things easier for you. I cannot take it any longer but you should try, research it and draw your own conclusions. It can take few infusions before they might start to help you. Best of luck.

[ReliefSeeker]

Thank you Healthylass. I was to have an appointment with the pain clinic today but could not get there. They want to continue these injections and I'm just not sure. First, I'd much rather be able to take a pill and be done with it, and second, when it wore off (after about 9 days) the pain was WAY worse than before I had it done. It is a tough decision but it seems my doctor isn't leaving many of these options to ME and I don't like feeling pressured either. There are not a lot of choices because I just had heart surgery and am on blood thinners for a year. It limits the "options" I can try. I might try once more (the IV), not sure yet. Thank you for your response and insight.

[Jluke]

How much lidocaine,milligrams per kilograms, did they use on your infusion? The lidocaine infusions are fairly new and are almost always followed up with a ketamine infusion trial if they lack sufficient results. I'm going in for my first trial with alive akane in a couple days and I'll post you on my results. But nine days without chronic pain would be such a relief for me right now. Did they recommend you try it again when the pain came back to see if it may help? Best of luck to you. Life with chronic pain sure does suck!

[Bruceyyg]

Was about to reply to this and realised it's 6 years old.

I've just had a lidocaine infusion which I think was 15mg/hour for about an hour and a quarter and experienced basically 0 change.

Next up is Ketamine which I actually feel very positive about.

How are you getting on now? What where the next steps and how are you coping these days?

It seems that Ketamine infusion treatment for depression is now actually pretty widespread with some clinics that offer basically only that.

Wishing you all the health and happiness there is and know that 'this too shall pass'.

🙏🙏🙏