Procaine
Procaine is a chemical that is used as a medicine. Oral procaine should not be confused with prescription procaine, which is administered by doctors as an injection. Procaine is used orally or as an injection for arthritis, cerebral arteriosclerosis, dementia, depression, hair loss, high blood pressure and sexual performance problems. As a prescription solution for injection, procaine is used as a local anesthetic.
How does procaine work?
Procaine acts as an anesthetic when administered by injection. Procaine is not well absorbed when taken orally. It is not clear how it might work when taken orally for medicinal purposes.
How effective is procaine?
Procaine is effective for the treatment of pain when administered as an injection. Procaine in injectable form is approved as a local anesthetic as a prescription medication. There is not enough scientific data to make a statement about the effectiveness of procaine for arthritis, cerebral arteriosclerosis, dementia, depression, hair loss, high blood pressure and sexual problems. Further scientific research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of procaine in these applications.
Safety and side effects
It is not known whether procaine is safe and harmless when taken orally. It can cause some side effects including heartburn, migraines and a serious disease called Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). SLE causes a range of symptoms including joint pain, skin rashes, lung problems and other symptoms. Procaine is safe and harmless when used as a prescription injectable product used by physicians as a local anesthetic.
Precautions and warnings
Pregnancy and lactation: Procaine is not safe for self-medication during pregnancy. It is also best to avoid procaine while breastfeeding, as not enough is known about its effects on the nursing infant.
Myasthenia Gravis, a progressive disease that weakens the muscles: Procaine should not be administered intravenously to people suffering from Myasthenia Gravis.
Pseudocholinesterase deficiency: People suffering from this hereditary disease are particularly sensitive to certain anesthetics. Procaine should not be administered by injection in these people.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE): Procaine could aggravate this disease and should therefore not be used by people suffering from SLE.
Interactions
Procaine should not be used in combination with the following medications:
Muscle relaxants
Procaine is administered as an injection to numb pain. The use of procaine in combination with some muscle relaxants may cause the anesthesia to last too long. Before administering a procaine injection, you should inform your doctor if you are taking muscle relaxants.
Succinylcholine
Procaine is administered as an injection to numb pain. The use of procaine in combination with succinylcholine can cause this anaesthetic to last too long.
Care should be taken when combining procaine with the following medications:
Aminosalicylic acid
The body breaks down procaine in order to be able to excrete it. Procaine is broken down into a chemical called aminobenzoic acid. Aminobenzoic acid may reduce the effectiveness of aminosalicylic acid. Taking procaine in combination with aminosalicylic acid could therefore reduce the effectiveness of aminosalicylic acid.
Antibiotics (sulphonamide antibiotics)
The body breaks down procaine to para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA). PABA can reduce the effectiveness of sulphonamide antibiotics.
Dosage
The following dosages have been investigated in scientific studies:
As an injection
For pain: The prescription product is administered by a doctor in the form of an injection as a local anesthetic.