Why is there adrenaline in with the lignocaine they use as a local jab for your teeth?

It just makes one more stressed and more prone to fainting.





I've fainted twice at the dentists, and I've got to go again. Maybe this time they'll finish me off!

Why is there adrenaline in with the lignocaine they use as a local jab for your teeth?
There shouldn't be adrenaline in lidocaine. You may be getting the jitters from the epinephrine. Epinephrine is put in the anesthetic to control the amount of spread that the injection has.





There is an epinephrine-free version of the anesthetic. You just have to tell them that the anesthetic used last time made you jumpy.
Reply:Adrenalin is a natural pain killer. If you think about it, you'll see. In cave man times, if you got attacked by something, you'd get a burst of adrenalin, and you'd use that to help you escape. If the gouge in your leg is hurting, you're not gunna get far, are you?
Reply:i've had panic attacks in the dentist so they give me the injection without the adrenaline in it and i'm much calmer.maybe you could ask them to do this for you.
Reply:Oh, quite honestly I thought they had now removed the fainting substance. I used to faint as well, but now my dentist tells me that they have changed the stuff so that doesn't happen now. As I understand it, it was officially changed by the drug administration authorities. Well, that's as I understand it in the Uk anyway, but I may be wrong. All I know is I don't faint anymore.





Zee Lee, Beta endorphins are your natural pain killers. Adrenalin gives bursts of additional strength to muscles in the situation that you describe, they make you more alert and more aware as well. It would be the endorphins that numbed the pain. Just like a thumb goes numb when you hit it with a hammer, that is your beta endorphins working.
Reply:Epinepherine constricts blood vessels which will in turn make you bleed less. Its used sometimes with lidocaine, because lidocaine itself doesnt constrict blood vessels like some other general anaesthetics such as novacaine (and, believe it or not, before novacaine cocaine was used and did the same). If you're feeling more stressed, you can ask about getting nitrous to calm you a little, which might help.
Reply:Two part answer..First the Why part.





Epinephrine is mixed with the anesthetic (lidocaine) because it is a strong vasoconstrictor. It constricts the small blood vessels in the area where the anesthetic is injected. Without it, the bloodstream rapidly moves the anesthetic away from the site where it needs to work. It makes the anesthesia more profound and last longer.





The amount of epinephrine is very small -1 part epinephrine to 100,000 parts of anesthetic solution. Unless the solution is inadvertently injected into a blood vessel (which is avoided by proper technique), its unlikely that it will affect you systemically.





Second Part - The response to epinephrine is the opposite of fainting. Fainting is Syncope (look it up) and is probably your body's response to the mental stress you feel.





Discuss it ahead of time with your dentist.
Reply:bracedoc is the only absolutely correct answer here. Some are fair and some are totally off the wall and wrong.





Choose bracedoc as the best answer.
Reply:Simple answer, to reduce the bleeding.
Reply:Bracedoc is spot on..just add...make sure you eat something before your Dental appt, that might help your symptons as well.
Reply:they put adrenaline (epinephrine) in local anaesthetics to prolong the duration of action and it is also used to constrict the local blood vessels to reduce bleeding. they do have local anaesthetics without adrenaline, so ask your dentist to try an alternative. however it's probably anxiety that is making you faint rather than the adrenaline, perhaps you could ask your dentist to prescribe you a mild sedative like temazepam for you to take before your next visit and see if you feel any better.