A Multi-Centered Case Series Highlighting the Clinical Use and Dosing of Lidocaine and Mexiletine for Refractory Cancer Pain.

A Multi-Centered Case Series Highlighting the Clinical Use and Dosing of Lidocaine and Mexiletine for Refractory Cancer Pain.: Authors: Atayee RS, Naidu D, Geiger-Hayes J, Saphire ML, Hausdorff J, Edmonds KP
Abstract
Lidocaine infusion for pain control has been used for years. While some centers transition from continuous infusion lidocaine to oral mexiletine, there are no published studies to guide this conversion in pain and palliative care settings. This is a retrospective case series of 10 cancer patients across four institutions, with attention to dosing of both agents, and subsequent decrease in morphine-equivalent daily dosing (MEDD). The mean age was 55 years (range 34-78). The mean bolus dose of lidocaine was 1.6 mg/kg, infused over an average of 24 minutes, followed by a mean continuous infusion rate of 1.1 mg/kg/hr, and the infusion was continued for an average of 14.1 hours (range of ...