What is procaine?
Procaine is a local anesthetic, which is of historical importance. It was first used in dentistry as a means of local pain suppression during an operation.
Fields of application
Procaine is rarely used today as a local anesthetic. Related medications, such as lidocaine, have fewer side effects, fewer allergic reactions occur, and above all, they can penetrate the tissue better and faster. In addition, they are effective for longer after a single injection.
Today the drug is still used in local and regional pain therapy. For example, nerve nodes next to the spine can be anaesthetized (paravertebral anaesthesia) and the pain can thus be eliminated. In neural therapy, a scientifically unsubstantiated method of alternative medicine, the tonsils are regarded as a so-called “interference field” in the case of tonsillitis, for example. A further area of application is the relief of ear pain, as it occurs for example with middle ear inflammation, external ear inflammation or without a recognizable cause after a dive.
Dosage form of procaine
Procaine syringes are used in orthodox medicine for local anesthesia before, for example, minor surgery or dental procedures. The procaine is injected directly into the tissue. They are also one of the most important drugs in neural therapy.
Neural therapy belongs to the alternative forms of therapy and includes local therapy with local anesthetics. In the various stages of neural therapy, the procaine is injected directly into the skin, for example, in segmental therapy. This can be used for back pain or tension.
The next level is the extended segment therapy. Here the procaine is injected near nerve nodes. Procaine tablets are only used in very rare cases and therefore play no role in the procaine therapy of orthodox medicine or neural therapy.
Known side effects of the tablets are nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Ointment containing procaine can be applied to the affected area in case of muscle or joint pain. A further application area is for strongly painful scars.
The active ingredients of the ointment penetrate the skin and, in addition to local anesthesia, can have a blood circulation-promoting and anti-inflammatory effect. The ointment can also be used against itching or skin diseases such as psoriasis. The first procaine-containing ointment was developed for the treatment of hemorrhoids and it has been shown that regular application of the ointment in the area of the anus has led to a reduction in the number of hemorrhoids.
Procaine capsules are used in the alternative medicine aging therapy, which is however controversial. It is believed that by taking procaine capsules regularly, diseases and complaints of old age can be reduced or even completely avoided. These complaints include presbyacusis or reduced memory performance in old age.
There is no scientific proof of this. Side effects of the capsules are in rare cases headaches or a feeling of restlessness. The Procaine Base Infusion is a further development of the therapy with procaine.
Procaine and the base sodium bicarbonate are added to common salt and administered to the patient through the vein. The additional administration of a base improves the availability of procaine in the tissue and thus its effect. In addition, the procaine is not broken down as quickly.
As a result, in addition to the anaesthetic effect of procaine, the anti-inflammatory effect and the effect of vasodilation are even more pronounced. In addition, the sodium hydrogen carbonate prevents the procaine from acting too strongly on the receptors in the brain, so that the drowsiness is attenuated as a side effect. Thus, larger amounts of procaine can be given.
The addition of the base, in addition to its supportive functions, also has the effect of neutralizing tissue that is overacidified by chronic pain. The therapy with the procaine base infusion is carried out over several sessions. One session takes about one hour.
During this time the patient is continuously monitored by trained personnel. The procedure is considered to have few side effects. In some cases, dizziness occurs due to a drop in blood pressure, drowsiness or headaches, which can be easily influenced by the speed of the infusion.