These lidocaine patches are prescription-only.
OTC lidocaine 4% patches can be used to relieve minor aches and pains, including back pain.
Getty Images /sakai000
What Is a Lidocaine Patch?
Getty Images /sakai000
The lidocaine patch is in the local anesthetic drug class.It is available in prescription and OTC forms.
Zlido is a brand name for a 1.8% lidocaine patch.
Five percent lidocaine patches are available generically.
The prescription-only lidocaine patches are approved to relieve long-term nerve pain from shingles in adults.
The safety and effectiveness of lidocaine patches in children are unknown.
How Does a Lidocaine Patch Work?
As a local anesthetic, the lidocaine patch relieves pain in a small area of your body.
It does this by blocking thenervesfrom sending pain signals.
Are Lidocaine Patches Effective?
Several clinical trials suggest that lidocaine patches are effective for relieving chronic (long-term) low back pain.
They had the highest lidocaine level in the bloodstream at 11 hours.
Then, at the end of the 24 hours, there was still some lidocaine left in the bloodstream.
People with PHN may start noticing a difference in pain intensity after four hours of using the lidocaine patch.
Experts may suggest using lidocaine patches for four weeks if you experience pain after your shingles rash disappears.
However, if you still experience pain after these four weeks, better to see a pain specialist.
These skin reactions are usually temporary and will go away within a few minutes or hours.
You may experience burning or other irritation where the patch is put on.
If this happens, remove the patch and wait until the irritation subsides before applying it again.
Most of the time, the reaction goes away within a couple of hours.
Summary
Lidocaine patches are in a drug class called local anesthetics.
They work by relieving pain in a small area of your body.
It does this by blocking the nerves from sending pain signals.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved lidocaine patches for relieving postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) pain.
However, lidocaine patches are also commonly used for low back pain.
People with PHN may feel a difference in pain intensity four hours after using the lidocaine patch.
Food and Drug Administration.Lidoderm label.
Department of Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense.VA/DoD clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of low back pain.
North American Spine Society.Evidence-based clinical guidelines for multidisciplinary spine care: diagnosis and treatment of low back pain.
DailyMed.Label: lidocaine patch.
Food and Drug Administration.Ztlido label.
DailyMed.Label: Lidocaine- lidocaine hydrochloride injection, solution.
2020;18(1):55-78. doi:10.1111/ddg.14013
