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Need an alternative to local anaesthetic

S

serendipity7000

Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2012
Messages
21
Hello. Haven't been on here for ages. My history is two adverse reactions to local anaesthetics. One about 15 years ago (just drilling work). Then had challenge testing for local anaesthetics by initial skin prick tests then an injection of a small dose of plain lignocaine and also mepivacaine in my arm at Guys Hospital Allergy Unit - results were all negative to allergy and I felt fine. Went to dentist with raging abscess to have a tooth out (using Mepivacaine without adrenaline) and ended up in hospital with stroke-like symptoms - loss of co-ordination, speech difficulties, severe head pain. Kept in overnight - loads of tests for stroke, all negative. Most symptoms eased within 48 hours but then had to go to Doctors due to chest pain on exertion. This settled but I was very unwell and weak for about 3 months afterwards. We couldn't understand why this would happen when I had had a dose in my arm during testing and decided it must be either dosage or injection site.

So then I went to see a neurologist who said it was probably injection site and diagnosed basilar migraine based on the history (no tests done), which appears to be a stroke but symptoms pass within 48 hours - although he did say it was unusual to still be so ill for 3 months afterwards. But he wrote a letter recommending a couple of drugs I could take a week before having a local anaesthetic to alleviate this (drugs which increase blood flow to the brain).

Anyway - I still have a long standing chronic tooth abscess (which was partially drained at some point without anaesthetic) and the tooth needs to come out, and feel generally unwell from this most of the time and it flares up now and then giving me a temperature. I also now need a filling in my front tooth. I have found a dentist locally who, on the basis of the letter, is willing to treat me. I have put off having the tooth extracted as I'm a bit scared the neurologist may not be right and I could take medication and it not be the solution and be very ill again or worse, but apparently if I don't get this filling done in my front tooth I could get another abscess. I suggested having the filling done without anaesthetic but he said it would be too painful as he would be drilling near the nerve.

So I'm sort of back to square one again and wondering if there are any updates on alternatives to local anaesthetic (nobody seems to want to give me a General Anaesthetic either, saying there are risks with that and I may react to something in that too - although I think that's different as the injection site is different). I am a long-standing asthmatic so I think that adds to the caution there.

But I really need some kind of anaesthetic to get this tooth pulled out. In fact if I had a general anaesthetic I'd tell them to take the lot out and be done with it, but the caution over general anaesthetic has made me cautious now as well!

Someone told me about a cryogenic thing called GumEase that could be used for work like fillings but that was some years ago and I don't know if it is still available or works.

So is there anything new please as an alternative to having a local anaesthetic? I've been muddling along feeling unwell with the chronic abscess for a long time now and a course of antibiotics once a year (usually for something else!) makes me feel better :rolleyes: and lasts for a while, but as soon as I get energetic it flares up again, so it feels like I'm constantly fighting infection. But the front tooth thing needs sorting out.

I guess at least I've ruled out allergy, anaphylaxis and reactions to adrenaline - I guess it could be preservatives in the local anaesthetics. But the bottom line is - I was so ill last time and have never quite got back to the same fitness level and am too scared to try a local anaesthetic again, even with taking medication first.

In trying to research alternatives to local anaesthetics I came across articles by the NHS and Association of Anaesthetists, about Systemic Mastocytosis which apparently is genetic and can be triggered by certain medications (in which case I'm assuming it is dosage level. There are tests for this but if you have it no treatment available apparently.

But my thinking is - what anaesthetics are recommended for someone who has mastocytosis? Because that might help either with deciding on local or general anaesthesia options.

I know my GP will say 'try what the Neurologist suggested, you have no alternative' but I'd like something a bit more concrete before risking what I had last time!
 
Last edited:
Hello. Haven't been on here for ages. My history is two adverse reactions to local anaesthetics. One about 15 years ago (just drilling work). Then had challenge testing for local anaesthetics by initial skin prick tests then an injection of a small dose of plain lignocaine and also mepivacaine in my arm at Guys Hospital Allergy Unit - results were all negative to allergy and I felt fine. Went to dentist with raging abscess to have a tooth out (using Mepivacaine without adrenaline) and ended up in hospital with stroke-like symptoms - loss of co-ordination, speech difficulties, severe head pain. Kept in overnight - loads of tests for stroke, all negative. Most symptoms eased within 48 hours but then had to go to Doctors due to chest pain on exertion. This settled but I was very unwell and weak for about 3 months afterwards. We couldn't understand why this would happen when I had had a dose in my arm during testing and decided it must be either dosage or injection site.

So then I went to see a neurologist who said it was probably injection site and diagnosed basilar migraine based on the history (no tests done), which appears to be a stroke but symptoms pass within 48 hours - although he did say it was unusual to still be so ill for 3 months afterwards. But he wrote a letter recommending a couple of drugs I could take a week before having a local anaesthetic to alleviate this (drugs which increase blood flow to the brain).

Anyway - I still have a long standing chronic tooth abscess (which was partially drained at some point without anaesthetic) and the tooth needs to come out, and feel generally unwell from this most of the time and it flares up now and then giving me a temperature. I also now need a filling in my front tooth. I have found a dentist locally who, on the basis of the letter, is willing to treat me. I have put off having the tooth extracted as I'm a bit scared the neurologist may not be right and I could take medication and it not be the solution and be very ill again or worse, but apparently if I don't get this filling done in my front tooth I could get another abscess. I suggested having the filling done without anaesthetic but he said it would be too painful as he would be drilling near the nerve.

So I'm sort of back to square one again and wondering if there are any updates on alternatives to local anaesthetic (nobody seems to want to give me a General Anaesthetic either, saying there are risks with that and I may react to something in that too - although I think that's different as the injection site is different). I am a long-standing asthmatic so I think that adds to the caution there.

But I really need some kind of anaesthetic to get this tooth pulled out. In fact if I had a general anaesthetic I'd tell them to take the lot out and be done with it, but the caution over general anaesthetic has made me cautious now as well!

Someone told me about a cryogenic thing called GumEase that could be used for work like fillings but that was some years ago and I don't know if it is still available or works.

So is there anything new please as an alternative to having a local anaesthetic? I've been muddling along feeling unwell with the chronic abscess for a long time now and a course of antibiotics once a year (usually for something else!) makes me feel better :rolleyes: and lasts for a while, but as soon as I get energetic it flares up again, so it feels like I'm constantly fighting infection. But the front tooth thing needs sorting out.

I guess at least I've ruled out allergy, anaphylaxis and reactions to adrenaline - I guess it could be preservatives in the local anaesthetics. But the bottom line is - I was so ill last time and have never quite got back to the same fitness level and am too scared to try a local anaesthetic again, even with taking medication first.

In trying to research alternatives to local anaesthetics I came across articles by the NHS and Association of Anaesthetists, about Systemic Mastocytosis which apparently is genetic and can be triggered by certain medications (in which case I'm assuming it is dosage level. There are tests for this but if you have it no treatment available apparently.

But my thinking is - what anaesthetics are recommended for someone who has mastocytosis? Because that might help either with deciding on local or general anaesthesia options.

I know my GP will say 'try what the Neurologist suggested, you have no alternative' but I'd like something a bit more concrete before risking what I had last time!


Hi serendipity7000, I am so sorry to hear about your HELLISH predicament! PLEASE tell me the outcome! Did you manage to find a solution? Sadly I now find myself in a similar position... It has taken me 6 months to figure this out. I had to have 2 extractions an implant and bone graft and 2 root canals. When I got up from the chair I nearly fell over and had to be helped. For the next 2-3 months my coordination was completely off. I couldn't sleep properly my index fingers had tremors, my short to mid term memory has been impacted and it hasn't returned to normal. I read that in some cases sensitivity to this kind of thing can be due to an underlying disease like AD (see Peter Falks story). However regardless I still have to figure out how to have treatment which will happened some day. In fact I think a lot of my problems stemmed from a fail root canal and now I have two new ones which will fail at some point, they are the first thing I am having removed, I do not want to have an infected bone again, that requires dental surgery a lot of anaesthetic which I cannot touch, so having an extraction would be the simplest solution (without anaesthetic). I saw a neurologist, absolutely useless. Had no clue or interest. They look at you as if you are a hypochondriac and you are making it all up.

I really hope you see this message since I notice it was 2015 when you posted it...

Much love

Steve
 
Hello Steve. Your experience sounds very frightening - I am sorry. Do you know which local anaesthetic you had? It might be worth asking the dentist. If this has never happened before it could be an overdose or toxic effects if it got in the blood stream - it does sound like you had a lot of work done. Maybe see a different neurologist? Some people can be allergic to the implant metal I think but that's more likely to cause a rash in the area.

I messaged you separately :)
 
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