Xylocaine
Xylocaine 2% gel is lidocaine, a local anaesthetic in a tube. It numbs skin and moist surfaces for small procedures, grazes and insect bites.
- Category
- Pain Management
- Active ingredient
- Lidocaine
- Route
- Topical
- Form
- Gel, Injection, Spray
- Strengths
- 2%
You will receive a quality generic equivalent, depending on stock.
Shipped in a discreet, unmarked envelope.
Details
- Conditions
- Local anesthesia · Pain relief
- Therapeutic Class
- Local Anesthetic
- Pharmacological Class
- Amide-type local anesthetic
- Minor Side Effects
- Numbness, Application site stinging
- Moderate Side Effects
- Dizziness, Drowsiness
- Dosage Forms
- Gel, Injection, Spray
- Administration Route
- Topical
- Originator
- AstraZeneca
- Onset Time
- 2–5 minutes
- Duration
- 30–90 minutes
- Storage Instructions
- Store in a cool place, avoid freezing.
- Drug Interactions
- Anti-arrhythmic drugs
What you will receive
Xylocaine is the originator brand name, made by AstraZeneca. We use it to identify the medicine; the pack you receive is a generic equivalent, not the original Xylocaine.
- The same active ingredient (Lidocaine) at the same strength.
- The exact brand supplied depends on what is in stock when your order ships.
FAQ
Can I buy Xylocaine by the tube?
Yes. Xylocaine comes as 2% in tubes, sold in packs of 2, 4 or 6. It is generic lidocaine, not the original Xylocaine. Larger packs cost less per tube.
What arrives when I order Xylocaine to Hong Kong?
Your Xylocaine tubes arrive in plain, unbranded packaging with nothing outside about the contents. Tracked courier takes 5 to 9 business days with online tracking, or standard airmail takes 14 to 21 business days, or 30 at most, and is untracked.
What are the alternative names for Xylocaine and lidocaine?
Xylocaine is a brand name of lidocaine, which is also sold as LMX, Lidoderm, Lox and Stud 100. Here, lidocaine can be bought online as generic Xylocaine, and also as Hiforce Delay Spray. These are generics, not the original brand.
Is Xylocaine the same as lidocaine?
Yes. Xylocaine is a brand name for lidocaine, and the tube sold here contains 2% lidocaine gel. The name on the box does not change what the medicine does: it numbs the area it is spread on for a short time.
Can I use Xylocaine gel in my mouth?
Yes — 2% gel is often used on mouth ulcers, sore gums and a split lip, and dentists rely on lidocaine for the same kind of numbing. Because the mouth goes numb, hold off eating or drinking until feeling returns, so you do not bite your tongue or cheek.
How soon before a procedure should I apply Xylocaine gel?
Allow a few minutes on thin skin. Tougher or thicker skin, and any spot that must be fully numb before an injection, calls for a longer wait with the gel left undisturbed. A thicker coat will not shorten that wait.
Can I cover Xylocaine gel with a plaster?
A loose plaster over the treated spot is fine and keeps the gel off your clothes. Do not wrap the area tightly or use an airtight dressing, though: covering it that way holds the lidocaine against the skin and increases how much is absorbed into the body.
What does 2% mean on a tube of Xylocaine?
It is the strength of the gel — 2% lidocaine, the dilution made for numbing skin and moist surfaces. Stronger lidocaine products exist for other jobs, such as medicated plasters for nerve pain, and those are not what this tube is for.
About Xylocaine
What the 2% gel does
Xylocaine is the brand name most people know lidocaine by, and lidocaine is what does the work here: an amide-type local anaesthetic — a medicine that numbs one area without sending you to sleep — which stops nerves in the patch of skin it touches from sending pain signals. Spread a thin layer on the sore spot and that area goes numb while you stay awake and can still feel pressure elsewhere. The effect stays where you put it.
A mouth ulcer, a split lip, a graze, a stinging insect bite or the spot where a needle is about to go in all suit a gel, since it stays put on a small area. Squeeze out a thin smear and rub it in gently; extra gel does not numb any better, and a thick coat over a wide area or on broken skin lets more lidocaine into the bloodstream than intended. Rinse your hands afterwards and cap the tube away from strong heat.
Keep it well away from the eyes. If any gets in, rinse the eye with water and keep it covered until feeling returns.
How long the numbness lasts
Numbing usually begins within a few minutes. It then holds for around half an hour to two hours, longer on thick skin and shorter on thin, moist surfaces such as the lips. Sensation comes back gradually and completely; nothing is left behind once the gel has worn off.
Side effects and what to watch for
Redness, a brief sting as the gel goes on and a heavy numb feeling at the site are the usual complaints, and they fade as the numbness wears off. A rash or itching points to sensitivity to lidocaine or to another ingredient in the gel.
Some of the gel can be absorbed, especially through broken skin, so a large amount can affect more than the treated spot. Ringing in the ears, a metallic taste, dizziness, trembling, confusion, a racing or irregular heartbeat or trouble breathing mean too much has been taken in and need urgent treatment.
Other lidocaine products sold here
Hiforce Delay Spray is the other lidocaine product sold here: a 20g spray applied to the penis to delay ejaculation, a very different job from numbing a sore patch of skin. The lidocaine page explains the ingredient and the forms it comes in; this one is the 2% gel in a tube.
Sources
- Lidocaine Transdermal Patch: MedlinePlus Drug Information — National Library of Medicine
- Local Anesthesia - Procedures & Risks | Made for This Moment — American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)