I was wondering if you knew if there is problems with anesthesia at the dentist. I have haven't really had much dental work done but I have had a "weird" reaction once and I'm not sure if that was just a coincidence. Thanks for your input

What kind of anesthesia? Usually it is local, like novacaine. If they pull teeth, like wisdom teeth, they may sedate you. Lois

Jessica,

The two best local anesthetics for us would be Marcaine (bupivacaine) and Carbocaine (mepivacaine) with no vasoconstrictors. Almost all dentists and emergency rooms carry these brands.

The biggest problem (and what made me feel weird) was the small amount of epinephrine that is added to keep the anesthetic localized. Of course adrenaline makes our myotonia worse but even normal people can get a bit of a rush from it and get a bit panicky.

I really discourage the use of Lidocaine (xylocaine) not just because of the vasoconstrictors but because it can alter potassium levels. Many people with periodic paralysis are extremely sensitive to Lidocaine and some say they can trace the onset of their symptoms to use of that particular anesthetic.

Even if they use Marcaine or Carbocaine for a dental injection at your request, they will almost always swab the injection site with a topical Lidocaine first, so I ask them not to do that either. It really doesn't make much difference in what I feel :-)

One nice thing that I've noticed about the two safe anesthetics for me is that my muscles get so loose for a few days. That's because they work as sodium channel blockers (like Mexitil).

By the way, bupivicaine is the most commonly used drug for epidurals which is why they're fine for us to use for childbirth anesthesia.

Jan