Details

Bupivacaine is an anaesthetic (numbing medicine) that blocks the nerve impulses that send pain signals to your brain. Bupivacaine is used as a local (in only one area) anaesthetic. Bupivacaine is given as an epidural injection into the spinal column to produce numbness during labour, surgery, or certain medical procedures. It is also used as an anaesthetic for dental procedures. This medication can cause numbness over a large portion of your body. Take care to avoid injury before the feeling has returned completely. After a dental procedure, avoid eating, chewing gum, or drinking a hot beverage until your mouth is no longer numb. Before receiving this medication, tell your doctor if you have kidney or liver disease, anaemia (lack of red blood cells), a bleeding or blood clotting disorder, syphilis, polio, a brain or spinal cord tumour, numbness or tingling, chronic back pain, headache caused by surgery, low or high blood pressure, a curved spine, or arthritis.

Typical Uses

Bupivacaine is used to anesthetize certain parts of the body during surgery and to relieve pain during child birth and pain due to certain conditions like pain after surgery or pain in cancer patients.

Side Effects

Contact your medical professional if you have certain side effects of bupivacaine such as feeling anxious, restless, confused, or like you might pass out problems with speech or vision ringing in the ears, metallic taste, numbness or tingling around your mouth, or tremors seizure (convulsions) weak or shallow breathing fast heart rate, gasping, feeling unusually hot slow heart rate, weak pulse urinating less than usual or not at all.

Drug Interactions

• Bupivacaine+acebutolol- Using bupivacaine together with acebutolol may increase the effects of bupivacaine. Contact your doctor if you experience drowsiness, mental status changes, convulsions, irregular heart beat or any other heart abnormalities, and low blood pressure.

• Bupivacaine+bisoprolol- Using bupivacaine together with bisoprolol may increase the effects of bupivacaine. Contact your doctor if you experience drowsiness, mental status changes, convulsions, irregular heart beat or any other heart abnormalities, and low blood pressure.

• Bupivacaine+carteolol- Using bupivacaine together with carteolol may increase the effects of bupivacaine. Contact your doctor if you experience drowsiness, mental status changes, convulsions, irregular heartbeat or any other heart abnormalities, and low blood pressure.

• Bupivacaine+esmolol- Using bupivacaine together with esmolol may increase the effects of bupivacaine. Contact your doctor if you experience drowsiness, mental status changes, convulsions, irregular heart beat or any other heart abnormalities, and low blood pressure.

Mechanism of action

Bupivacaine, like other local anaesthetics reduces the flow of sodium in and out of nerves. This decreases the initiation and transfer of nerve signals in the area in which the drug is applied. This blockage leads first to a loss of sensation of pain, then temperature, touch, deep pressure, and muscle control. The concentration of the drug will determine how quickly it starts working.

Pregnancy Category : A