Proper Use
Drug information provided by: Merative, Micromedex®
A nurse or other trained health professional will give you this medicine. It is given through a needle injected into the surgical site or through a catheter placed into your lower back for an epidural or a spinal block. You may also receive the injection into your rib cage, chest, or other body areas.
This medicine should cause numbness only to the area where it is injected. You may experience temporary loss of sensation or movement in the injected area. This type of numbing procedure is called local anesthesia. It is not meant to cause you to fall asleep or become unconscious.
You may experience temporary loss of sensation and movement, usually in the lower half of your body, if you receive this medicine into your lower back (epidural). It may be easier to hurt yourself while your treated body area is still numb. Be careful to avoid injury until you have regained all the feeling and are no longer numb.
If you are receiving this medicine as an epidural to ease labor pains, it may take longer than normal for you to push your baby out. It is also possible that the baby may have unwanted effects after birth (including sleepiness, slow responses). Talk to your doctor if you have questions about how this medicine might affect your baby.
Portions of this document last updated: Feb. 01, 2024
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