Lidocaine

[Jaclynfich]

Hi! So I’ve heard different things about whether or not lidocaine is a good idea when dilating so I decided to give it a try with an over the counter cream and was successful in getting the second dilator in for the first time. I certainly don’t think it’s something I would use every time I dilate but I like the idea of throwing it into the mix every so often to see if it helps at all. So I guess I was wondering if maze had a stance on this at all and if anyone else in the forum has tied it and if so how’s you feel about it
Thanks

[mazemelissa]

Hi Jaclynfich,

I do think Lidocaine can be very helpful for some women and I will often suggest it when I have a patient who feels the initial burning or stinging sensation with dilation is overwhelming.

There are multiple different strengths of Lidocaine you can buy over the counter. The highest strength is 5%.

Some women have complained that they feel the lidocaine itself can cause burning when first applied, so I do warn patients that is a possibility, especially with the higher dosage lidocaines.

Lidocaine can also be purchased in a cream or ointment form, and that is personal preference.

We always give our Botox procedure patients lidocaine lubricant to use for the first few days post procedure to help with dilation.

At some point I encourage my patients to try dilation without using the lidocaine, and most often they realize that they don’t need it anymore once they have become more proficient with dilation and the muscles start responding.

[Jaclynfich]

Yes I learned about the burning the hard way lol luckily it only lasted a few minutes!
Thanks so much for the info

[recessivegenequeen]

I was one of those patients who used lidocaine in my lube the first week or two I dilated and I think it helped make that transition easier. Once I’d been dilating for a bit it wasnt’t a big deal to stop using the lidocaine and just use a lot of regular lube, so if you’re just starting out it’s something to consider!

[MotivatedMumma]

Sorry I wanted to jump on this thread! Does anyone know how deep you can apply lidocaine? I can’t seem to find much info on the web.

[recessivegenequeen]

Hi MotivatedMumm – I would imagine it depends how deep you can get it inside you! I generally put it onto the dilator that I then inserted so that it would go in as deep as the dilator could. Is that what you meant or were you referring to something else?