Clinical Use of Intravenous Lidocaine for Management of non-Oncologic Neuropathic Pain in Adults

Abstract

Neuropathic pain is common in clinical practice; it is estimated that 2 to 3 % of the global population is affected; a considerable number of patients present pain refractory to existing treatments, making it a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. The objective of this study is to describe the clinical use of intravenous lidocaine for the management of noncancer neuropathic pain in adults. The information search was performed by consulting the HINARI, SciELO and PubMed databases. Articles with an obsolescence of no more than five years, both in English and Spanish, were selected. Original articles, clinical trials, bibliographic reviews and meta-analyses were used. The causes of neuropathic pain in which lidocaine has been used were postherpetic neuralgia, diabetic neuropathy, and trigeminal neuralgia. The use of intravenous lidocaine has been shown to decrease pain intensity; however, when compared with other first line drugs, there are no long-term differences. Most side effects occur in the nervous, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular systems. Intravenous lidocaine as monotherapy for the management of non-cancer neuropathic pain, although effective in the short term with doses of 3-5 mg/Kg, does not have a persistent and long-lasting effect.