Procaine

• Overview
• Uses
• Side Effects
• Precautions
• Interactions
• Dosing

Procaine is a chemical. People use it for medicine. Be careful not to confuse the procaine used by mouth with the prescription procaine given by injection only under the supervision of a healthcare professional.

Procaine is taken by mouth or given as a shot forarthritis, “hardening of the arteries” in the brain (cerebralatherosclerosis),dementia, depression, hair loss,high blood pressure, and sexual performance problems.

As a prescription-only injection, procaine is used for localanesthesia.

How does it work?

Procaine works as ananestheticwhen injected. However, procaine doesn't get absorbed well when it is taken by mouth. It is unclear how it might work for medicinal uses when taken by mouth.

Effective for...

• Pain, when used as a prescription shot. Procaine injection is an FDA-approved prescription product used as a local anesthetic.

Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...

• Arthritis.
• “Hardening of the arteries” in the brain (cerebral atherosclerosis).
• Dementia.
• Depression.
• Hair loss.
• High blood pressure.
• Sexual problems.
• Other conditions.

More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of procaine for these uses.

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate(detailed description of each of the ratings).

It is not known whether procaine is safe when taken by mouth. It can cause some side effects includingheartburn, migraines, and a serious condition calledsystemic lupus erythematosus(SLE). SLE causes a variety of symptoms including joint pain, rashes, lung problems, and many other symptoms.

Procaine is safe when the prescription-only product is given as a shot by a healthcare professional as a local anesthetic.

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: It'sUNSAFE如果你以前使用普鲁卡因进行自我药疗gnant. If you are breast-feeding, it is also best to avoid using procaine. Not enough is known about how it might affect the nursing infant.

Myasthenia gravis, a progressive disease that weakens the muscles: If you havemyasthenia gravis你不应该给普鲁卡因静脉注射(by IV).

Pseudocholinesterase deficiency, an inherited disorder: People with this disorder are sensitive to certain anesthetic drugs. If you have this disorder, you should not be given procaine by injection.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): Procaine might make this condition worse. Don't use procaine if you have SLE.

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Digoxin (Lanoxin)Interaction Rating:MajorDo not take this combination.

Digoxin (Lanoxin) helps the heart beat more strongly. Digoxin (Lanoxin) can also control how fast the heart beats. Getting a procaine injection can slow the heartbeat. Taking digoxin with procaine might cause your heartbeat to be too slow.

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Muscle relaxantsInteraction Rating:MajorDo not take this combination.

Procaine is given as a shot to numb pain. Taking procaine with some muscle relaxants can cause the numbing to last too long. Before getting a procaine injection tell your doctor if you are taking any muscle relaxants.

Some of these muscle relaxants include atracurium (Tracrium), pancuronium (Pavulon), succinylcholine (Anectine), and others.

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SuccinylcholineInteraction Rating:MajorDo not take this combination.

Procaine is injected and used to numb pain. Taking procaine with succinylcholine can cause the numbing to last too long.

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Aminosalicylic acidInteraction Rating:ModerateBe cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

The body breaks down procaine to get rid of it. Procaine is broken down to a chemical called aminobenzoic acid. Aminobenzoic acid might decrease the effectiveness of aminosalicylic acid. Taking procaine along with aminosalicylic acid might decrease the effectiveness of aminosalicylic acid.

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Antibiotics (Sulfonamide antibiotics)Interaction Rating:ModerateBe cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

The body changes procaine topara-aminobenzoic acid (PABA). PABA can decrease the effectiveness of certain antibiotics calledsulfonamides.

Some of these antibiotics include sulfamethoxazole (Gantanol), sulfasalazine (Azulfidine), sulfisoxazole (Gantrisin), andtrimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim,Septra).

The following doses have been studied in scientific research:

BY INJECTION:

• For pain: The prescription-only product is given as a shot by a healthcare professional as a local anesthetic.