Lidocaine available as a Topical Pain Relieving Cream
– By Haidita Celestine
Many Canadian seniors may be suffering pain needlessly
according to Rowan Hamilton, Research Director of Humn
Pharmaceuticals of Winnipeg. Hamilton asserts that “despite
the fact that Lidocaine is on the World Health Organization’s
list of Essential Medicines, most people are unaware of how
well it relieves a wide range of pain conditions.”
For those who know Hamilton, a herbalist, wholistic
dermatologist, student of Traditional Chinese Medicine and
a graduate of the School of Herbal Medicine in England, it
may come as a surprise to hear him promoting a synthetic
drug. Hamilton notes, however, that the only naturally
occurring local Anesthetic is cocaine.
In the late 1880s cocaine was the first local anesthetic used
in dentistry and an improvement on the previous approach:
copious amounts of alcohol. Lidocaine, however, became
the dentist drug of choice when it was made commercially
available in the late 1940s. The most significant difference
between Lidocaine and earlier local anesthetics is its stability in
water; that allows it to remain near the point of administration
so its numbing effects remains close to where it is applied.
Further, Lidocaine was the first amide-type local anesthetic;
until its discovery local anesthetics were all “esters”. “Ester
type anesthetics are much more likely to cause allergic reaction
compared to the amide-type local anesthetic,” says Hamilton.
“All that, is a long way of saying that Lidocaine acts as a
nerve block to prevent pain signals not only from travelling
to the brain, but from being initiated at all. And it does that
without addiction, fewer unwanted side effects and much
fewer allergic reactions.” The American Geriatrics Society
has also recognized the value of Lidocaine. In their 2009
Clinical Practice Guideline on persistent pain, they strongly
recommend that “all patients with localized neuropathic pain
are candidates for topical Lidocaine.”
“I’m very happy to be associated with Humn Pharmaceuticals,”
says Hamilton. “Humn created TPR20 topical Lidocaine
cream to ensure people have access to this proven, safe and
effective pain reliever. Go Humn!” •