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About Sudesh Samuel
Expertise
I take questions on medication, pharmaceuticals and supplements. This includes areas of medication safety, queries related to drug profiles like pharmacology, side effects, interactions, precautions and contraindications, storage conditions, administration, supplement uses along with their interactions, precautions and side effects.

Experience
I am a licenced and practicing pharmacist specialising in the provision of healthcare communications material and drug information. I have run a drug information service at a national, tertiary, teaching hospital where my duties included managing several pharmacists in the development of continual education, providing drug information throughout the hospital and analyzing new and existing drugs for inclusion into the hospital formulary. I have been involved in several healthcare committees including patient safety, adverse drug reaction monitoring, antibiotic guidelines as well as a pharmacy and therapeutics committee. I was an on-call pharmacist with the national drug and poisons information centre. My research focus has been on medication review and I have presented findings on a renal medication review service and also published a review article on halting the allergic march in the World Allergy Organization Journal.

Organizations
Institute for Medication Management - http://www.medicationreview.net

Publications
World Allergy Organization Journal, Vision Reborn, Medical Grapevine, National University Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Newsletter, National University Hospital Adverse Drug Reaction Newsletter, National Healthcare Group Adverse Drug Reaction Newsletter, suite101

Education/Credentials
Master of Health Service Management, Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy with Honours

Awards and Honors
Valedictorian

Past/Present Clients
Various healthcare practices

You are here: Experts > Health/Fitness > Pharmacology > Pharmacy > Benzocaine

Pharmacy - Benzocaine

Expert: Sudesh Samuel - 10/19/2009

Question
QUESTION: About 7 weeks ago, I used some benzocaine on a couple of occasion and ever since then, the area on my body where i used the benzocaine is still numb. Could it be possible that the benzocaine could have done some permanent nerve damage to the tissue? In addition the local area where i used the benzocaine, I feel like my whole body has a loss of sensation. My teeth used to be very sensitive to hot and cold temps, now i can actually chew ice. Its very weird. I noticed that my skin had turned pale, which is slowly improving. i also noticed that cuts and scraps will barely bleed, its mostly fluid. I haven't had any of the typical signs of an allergic reaction, just this prolong numbness. My doctor put me on a steroid, that didn't seem to help much. Do you have any clue what this might be? Do you know of any treatment for this? It seems like some kind of inflammatory process but i don't know why it would be lasting this long"

ANSWER: hello Walter, it is best to consult with your doctor, depending on how much benzocaine was used, over how large and area and whether any other medicaments were used or have been used since. It is unlikely for benzocaine to cause any permanent nerve damage although you may be predisposed to prolonged effects of benzocaine if your body does not metabolise and eliminate the medication. A more common side effect that can also occur with excessive benzocaine use is the blood disorder known as methaemoglobinaemia whereby the red blood cells become much less capable of carrying oxygen and this can result in tissues being starved of oxygen and incurring damage. It can be treated with supplemental oxygen and various other treatments. Ideal for you to talk to your treating doctor about your options. Take care.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the reply. If it's possible that the benzocaine is still in my system because my cannot metabolize it, is there any way to speed up the metabolism process or to remove the benzocaine from my system with medication? Last question.

Thanks,
Walter

Answer
The choice of any particular treatment can depend on various factors that are best discussed with your treating doctor in keeping with the duration of your symptoms. In neutralising some of side effects associated with methaemoglobinaemia, vitamin c or glutathione have been useful options, although more often in acute cases.

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