With the proliferation of laser hair removal clinics and the propensity of triathletes to remove unwanted body hair, thought this may be important…
My wife had laser hair removal treatment yesterday…she used a lidocaine compound formula topical anesthetic prior to treatment to reduce pain.
Ended up having a seizure on the bathroom floor last night. Blood pressure was almost zero when standing. Spent all night in the ER - she’s OK now that the drug has run its course.
Searched FDA today and apparently two women have died from using a compound formula of topical lidocaine. The two cases in the FDA warning letter involved women who had their legs lasered and they rubbed the topical pain medication over both legs.
Not to freak anyone out, but apparently this stuff can be poisonous at the strengths they are prescribing at some of these laser hair removal clinics. There was no instruction as to dosage given by the clinic medical staff. Clearly these clinics have a business interest in making sure the laser hair removal procedures are as painless as possible.
FDA has also issued warnings to certain pharmacies who manufacture these “compound topical anesthetic creams”. You can’t just pick this stuff up at your local pharmacy.
The laser procedure works as advertised, it’s a great medical invention, just proceed with caution.
thats high on the lido…most topical lido…like the kind slobern n i use in the field for things like pediatric iv starts is only 2% or so…i think the absorbtion through thte newly damaged skin theory may be a good thought…lido is also a cardiac drug so it could drop the bp and slow the hr of someone with no need for the medication for cardiac reasons.
this is where it gets sketchy. there is no on-site attending physician at this clinic. This is one clinic in a “chain” of laser clinics in my state. scrips are written from the home office and filled through the clinic’s preferred pharmacy partner in another part of the state and mailed to the local clinic for pickup.
My understanding is that these “compounded” medications are not FDA approved (although the individual compounds are approved).
Most physcians don’t report problems with products like this to the FDA. I’m not sure if your ER doc is going to, but as a consumer you can file a report. When enough reports are filed about using a medication as prescribed and patients having serious/life threatening reactions, then they eventually do something:
that is VERY common! I have clients who tell me war stories about some doctors who are good doctors in their field of specialty who try to “buffer their insurance losses” by doing other procedures. Laser hair removal, medical weight loss, vericose vein procedures, hemmoroid procedures, skin bleaching, anal bleaching and even tatoo makeup!
A vascular surgeon friend of mine has at least a patient a month with complications to veinous procedures done by guys who are not vascular surgeons…
The tip is - go to your family GP doc when you get a cold - dont let a FMP, GP, or PA start doing work outside of their realm. I think it is a 90 minute course to be certified for lazer hair removal (by the MFG of the laser).
they price by treatment area (face, armpits, etc.) most areas are between $1,000 and $3,000. Larger and more delicate areas (legs, face, back) tend to cost more.
the procedure is very quick and usually done in 4-6 sessions from what I know. There is no guarantee it will not grow back. Also seems to work better with certain hair types (darker is better), otherwise you have to go with electrolysis.
dont let a FMP, GP, or PA start doing work outside of their realm.
yes, agreed, hard lesson learned here.
In the future I will always go to a specialist who can be held directly accountable on a professional level. No more “doctor NOT on site” clinics for me. I’m up against a rather large corporation when I begin the bitching process about the poor administration of this medication. I’m sure the prescribing physician is well insulated. I will ask for a refund of the clinic fee but I’m not ready to fight any legal battles.
Simple solution - though I am not a huge fan of the idea in most cases. Call a lawyer. If they are giving DEA meds out with the doctor not even meeting the patient that is kinda huge. I would think that they owe you a refund as well as cover any ED costs. If these places dont practice medicine - they attempt “beauty” - they are just not the same. And they give doctors who do practice with honor a bad name.
If you don’t mind - can you tell us the timing of the application of the topical lidocaine vs. when she had a seizure? Also did they only apply once before the procedure or more after/at home?
How much do you think they put on? # ml? Any idea? You could ask the clinic what size tube it is (how many grams) and how much they usually use (i.e. 1/4 tube or 1/2 tube?)? It should but may not be documented on her chart - I’d request a copy of it.
How much does your wife weigh?
You can call and notify the state medical association (they may look into it and check the background of the clinic, their training, doctor in charge - prior problems…). I’m not sure of the procedure involved in that but its relatively easy to call and find out.
