Situations when it is necessary to use painkillers are not so rare. Household injuries, headaches, muscle pains, toothaches, some medical procedures require special anesthesia. The chemical formula of novocaine, one of the most common pain relievers, helps to understand why it works.
What it is?
Despite the fact that the pharmaceutical industry regularly replenishes the arsenal of various drugs with new products, some products have a fairly long history of use in medicine. It is to such long-livers that n ovocaine belongs . The formula for this anesthetic was obtained back in the late 80s of the XIX century. And since then it has been used in medical practice unchanged to obtain a substance that relieves pain.
How to get a proven pain medication?
Two centuries ago, in order to relieve physical pain, they used the narcotic substance cocaine. An attempt to find a cocaine-like substance that has anesthetic properties, but is not addictive, has led to the discovery of a certain group of chemical compounds called anestisiophore. Scientists have studied a huge number of chemical components, among which the best required results were obtained using p-aminobenzoic acid esters. This group of compounds includes:
- benzocaine;
- novocaine hydrochloride (procaine) ;
- tetracaine hydrochloride.
These compounds made it possible to use in medicine new local anesthetics. The novocaine formula is based on p-aminobenzoic acid ester. All these compounds are prepared by the oxidation of p-nitrotoluene to nitro-benzoic acid. Then, esterification, reduction and transesterification are carried out in order to get ether, anestezin and novocaine.
What is the chemical structure of the medicine?
The search for new painkillers that can replace cocaine, which is addictive, led to the discovery of a group of compounds - esters of p-aminobenzoic acid. Among them is the novocaine formula. Its description is β- diethylaminoethyl ester of p-aminobenzoic acid hydrochloride. In the chemical scheme, it looks as follows:
A pharmacy record in Latin designates a local anesthetic as novocainum (novocaine). The formula of this substance has already been well studied, although local anesthetics still have many secrets of its effect on body cells.
Operating principle
Novocaine is a local over-the-counter pain reliever. Instructions for use, the price of the drug will be examined a little lower. But how does this chemical compound work and why can it reduce pain when applied topically? According to its physical properties in vivo, this chemical compound is a white crystalline powder, readily soluble in water and alcohol. The search for new painkillers began with a serious problem - the natural alkaloid cocaine, used in medical practice of the 19th century, caused persistent, painful addiction. Open chemical compounds based on p-aminobenzoic acid esters mimic the pharmacophore (anesthesiophore) group of N- () -X- (0) Ar cocaine, which is due to their anesthetic (cocaine-like) property, but they are not addictive.
The action of novocaine as a local anesthetic is associated with the structure of the cell and the processes taking place in it. Acting on cellular receptors, it blocks the conduction of an electrical impulse along nerve fibers. It is noteworthy that this chemical compound does not affect the resting potential of the cell membrane, and therefore the ability of the cell to the most important life process - excitation - under the influence of certain stimuli.
In what cases is the drug indicated?
Local anesthetic drug has two forms of release: suppositories and solution. Novocaine, the use of which is due to its ability to block pain impulses, is used for:
- anesthesia (infiltration, intraosseous, conduction, mucous membranes, spinal, epidural);
- blockade of various locations (vagosympathetic cervical, perirenal (perinephric), paravertebral (paravertebral); circular (on the limbs).
The chemical formula of novocaine, like the anestisiophore group of cocaine, has the ability to block cell impulses that cause a sensation of pain. This action of this chemical compound is not addictive and has a short duration. The analgesic effect lasts half an hour or an hour, no more. For more than a century, this derivative of p-aminobeyzoic acid has been in demand in medicine. Novocaine is widely used in the treatment of diseases such as:
- arterial hypertension;
- atherosclerosis;
- hemorrhoids;
- itching
- neurodermatitis;
- nonspecific ulcerative colitis;
- radiculitis;
- intestinal cramps;
- spasms of the vessels of the brain and coronary vessels;
- toxicosis of pregnant women with hypertension syndrome;
- nausea;
- cracks in the anus;
- phantom pains;
- eczema;
- endarteritis;
- peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum.
When can you not use novocaine?
The structural formula of this chemical compound is based on p-aminobenzoic acid, a derivative of which it is. Novocaine is a popular, time-tested anesthetic. But like any drug, this substance has its contraindications for use, which must be taken into account when prescribing. For novocaine, this is:
- fibrous changes in the skin for local use;
- hypersensitivity to the drug, as well as other derivatives of para-aminobeyzoic acid and anesthetic esters;
- age up to 12 years.
Since the drug "Novocaine" has a similar structure with the anesthesioform group of cocainate, it should be used with caution in such conditions as:
- acute blood loss;
- decreased hepatic blood flow;
- progressive cardiovascular failure;
- lack of pseudocholinesterase;
- inflammatory diseases and infection of the skin;
- renal failure;
- the patient's age is from 12 to 18 years and older than 65 years.
Feasible side effects
The chemical formula of novocaine is simple enough to identify. The drug is available in ampoules for injection and in suppositories for intracavitary administration with an indication of the composition and dosage of the active substance. When using this pain medication, the following side effects are possible:
- arrhythmia;
- pain in the chest;
- bradycardia;
- hypertension
- hypotension;
- headache;
- dizziness;
- itching
- collapse;
- hives;
- methemoglobinemia;
- peripheral vasodilation;
- weakness;
- drowsiness;
- skin rash;
- lockjaw.
The appearance of side effects in some cases requires symptomatic therapy and drug withdrawal.
Reviews about the tool
The most popular pain medication for short-term action is Novocain. Doctors and patients have been leaving reviews of it for more than a dozen years. Most often, of course, they are positive. After all, if novocaine did not fulfill the tasks assigned to it, then it would long ago have been replaced by more modern drugs of a similar action. Nowadays, for many, the low price of novocaine is important. Instructions for use allow you to use it for local anesthesia, for example, with minor household burns of a small location, with vomiting in children and adults. Some add novocaine to ointments for joint pain relief to enhance the effect. And the fact that the injection of this agent helps to tolerate pain during dental procedures is not necessary. Its cost is 20-50 rubles per package of a drug of various forms of release. So, novocaine is a well-deserved pain medication, which, despite numerous novelties of this kind, is still in demand both in everyday life and in professional medical procedures.
Chemistry for Health
The chemical formula of novocaine, which, by and large, is not so important for the consumer, can tell a lot about the drug to a specialist, because chemicals can not just be interconnected, especially for medicinal purposes. So novocaine has limitations on the use of other drugs. This drug cannot be used together with anticoagulants, as their role is enhanced, and bleeding may occur. This substance increases the effectiveness of sedatives and hypnotics, as well as narcotic drugs and tranquilizers. Muscle relaxants under the action of novocaine also receive an enhanced effect. You should be aware that it is not necessary to use disinfecting and antiseptic agents before administering novocaine injection, since there is a high risk of developing edema and pain at the injection site. If the use of vasoconstrictor drugs (narrowing blood vessels and reducing blood flow) is indicated, then novocaine will receive an increase in the analgesic effect.
In the treatment of various diseases or conditions using novocaine, you should refuse to drive vehicles, as well as to perform work requiring a high level of concentration.