Mepivacaine

At Mepivacaine it is a medicinal substance that is primarily used as a locally acting anesthetic. The drug is used to numb areas all over the body. Mepivacaine is also used for what is known as conduction anesthesia. This type of anesthesia numbs entire nerve cords.

What is mepivacaine?

The pharmacological substance mepivacaine is usually included in the category of local anesthetics. The drug is used in connection with so-called conduction and infiltration anesthesia. The drug is injected into the tissue of the corresponding body region in order to achieve a local anesthetic of the area. Mepivacaine is also used in pain therapy.

It is also possible to switch off the sympathetic nerve with the help of the pharmacological substance mepivacaine. In this way, pain caused by the so-called sympathetic nerve can be relieved. In medical jargon, this form of application of mepivacaine is also referred to as a sympathetic block.

Basically, mepivacaine is a lipophilic substance that in human blood binds to around 70 percent of the proteins present in the blood plasma.

In addition, the drug mepivacaine is characterized by a relatively rapid onset of action. The half-life of the substance mepivacaine in the plasma of the blood is around three hours. Basically, the drug mepivacaine, together with the active ingredient articaine, belongs to a category of drugs that are distributed within the CSF in a certain pattern after administration.

Pharmacological effect

The mechanism of action of mepivacaine is very specific, because the substance primarily affects the permeability of cell membranes. This plays an important role in particular for sodium ions, the behavior of which is changed because mepivacaine prevents further influx of ions.

In this way, the action potential of the respective cell is no longer maintained. For this reason, the normally occurring excitation generation of the cell is missing. As a result of this mechanism, there is no feeling of pain in the corresponding area of ​​the body.

The individual mode of action of the mepivacaine also depends on the type of application. The central anesthesia and infiltration anesthesia as well as the sympathetic blockade are primarily central.

Basically, the active ingredient is a locally acting anesthetic that is used to treat pain. The nerve fibers are blocked for a relatively long time, which is a reversible anesthetic. This applies to the so-called unconscious nerve fibers within the human organism.

In addition, the drug mepivacaine also affects the so-called sensory nerves, which are responsible for regulating movements. Mepivacaine also influences nerves that are related to the activity of the heart. In principle, it is possible to numb the corresponding fibers with the drug.

The substance mepivacaine affects the channels of the sodium ions. These play an important role in the electrical charge of the cells, which means that stimuli such as pain are transmitted. If the channels are tight, no ions flow into the nerve cell. Thus the nerve is not excited.

In the majority of cases, the active ingredient mepivacaine is used in the form of salt. In this form, the substance moves into the corresponding nerve cell and develops its specific effect there. In an acidic environment, however, the salt does not split into hydrochloride and mepivacaine, so the pain is not relieved enough.

Medical application & use

The drug mepivacaine is primarily used for local anesthesia. It is mainly used for infiltration and conduction anesthesia. In the context of conduction anesthesia, use in connection with the peripheral blockage of certain nerves is common.

Basically, the substance mepivacaine is characterized by a strong diffusion that shows up in the affected body tissue. The effect also occurs comparatively quickly and lasts between one and a half and three hours.

In addition to local anesthesia, mepivacaine is also used to anesthetize entire areas of the body. The corresponding regions become insensitive to pain due to the action of the substance mepivacaine.

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Risks & side effects

The substance mepivacaine implies various undesirable side effects and potential interactions with other drugs and substances. Typical side effects of the drug mepivacaine are, for example, vomiting, nausea, low blood pressure or hypertension and dizziness.

Occasional side effects of the drug mepivacaine include, for example, hearing and vision disorders, tremors, cramps, a numb tongue, language disorders, ringing in the ears and unconsciousness.

There are also a number of rare side effects of mepivacaine. These include, for example, disorders of the heart rhythm, injured nerves, disorders of the function of nerves, inflamed soft meninges (arachnoiditis), allergic reactions to the active ingredient, double vision, breathing difficulties and, in the worst case, cardiac arrest.

The drug is not to be used if a person has nerve conduction disorders, hypotension, or decompensated heart failure.