What Is Benzocaine?

Possible Side Effects

This medication appears to have a variety of possible side effects. The most common ones that patients may deal with are itching, stinging, and burning. This is typically around the application site. Patients may also experience dry skin, flaky skin, redness, and tenderness. Although these side effects can be mild, others may be fairly serious. This seems to include methemoglobinemia, a serious condition that can involve fatal oxygen starvation in some of the body's tissues. It may be possible for patients to experience this after one use. However, it seems to be more common after several applications. Symptoms of this condition may occur from a few minutes after application to a few hours later.

There also appears to be a few side effects that require emergency medical attention. These side effects include lightheadedness, shortness of breath, and a fast heartbeat. Other serious side effects may include lethargy, off-color skin and lips, as well as allergic reaction symptoms. Patients may need to stop using this medication immediately if they see swelling, blistering, or severe burning. If any of these happen, patients may want to call their doctor immediately.

Get some details on precautions patients may need to consider with this medication next.