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Prilocaine Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of prilocaine include fatigue, nausea, and diarrhoea, based on 7,615 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 3.3% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Prilocaine side effects

Percentages show how often each reaction appears relative to total reports for prilocaine.

1
Fatigue8.5%645
2
Nausea8.0%612
3
Diarrhoea6.4%491
4
Vomiting5.1%389
5
Pyrexia4.8%364
6
Off Label Use4.6%347
7
Death4.4%336
8
Dyspnoea4.1%314
9
Headache3.7%281
10
Pneumonia3.7%279
11
Pain3.6%273
12
Asthenia3.4%256
13
Drug Ineffective3.3%250
14
Dizziness3.2%243
15
Cough3.2%240

These are voluntary reports and do not establish that prilocaine caused these reactions.

Report severity

72.6%Serious5,529 reports
40.5%Hospitalizations3,083 reports
10.2%Fatal779 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Prilocaine drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside prilocaine. Drugs flagged as a suspected cause appear in the first column. Drugs taken at the same time but not suspected appear in the second.

Also suspected

1
Lidocaine7.9%601
2
Lenalidomide6.8%518
3
Pomalidomide3.1%235
4
Paclitaxel3.0%230
5
Nivolumab2.8%216
6
Capecitabine2.6%197
7
Docetaxel2.4%180
8
Carboplatin2.2%164
9
Venetoclax2.1%160
10
Elosulfase-alfa2.0%150
11
Dexamethasone2.0%149
12
Gabapentin2.0%149
13
Cyclophosphamide1.9%148
14
Bevacizumab1.9%147
15
Gemcitabine1.9%141

Taken alongside

1
Lidocaine69.4%5,287
2
Acetaminophen36.5%2,776
3
Ondansetron34.2%2,604
4
Prochlorperazine19.9%1,515
5
Ergocalciferol19.2%1,463
6
Diphenhydramine18.4%1,404
7
Omeprazole17.6%1,343
8
Dexamethasone16.5%1,256
9
Albuterol16.3%1,239
10
Oxycodone16.1%1,224
11
Aspirin15.3%1,168
12
Levothyroxine-sodium14.2%1,084
13
Gabapentin14.2%1,082
14
Lorazepam13.7%1,045
15
Epinephrine11.9%908

Co-occurrence in adverse event reports does not establish a drug interaction. Patients often take multiple medications, and these lists reflect prescribing patterns rather than causal relationships. Consult a healthcare provider about potential drug interactions.

Who reports prilocaine side effects

58.3% of prilocaine adverse event reports involve female patients and 32.2% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 48%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female58.3%
Male32.2%
Unknown9.4%

Age group

< 22.7%
2–119.5%
12–175.2%
18–6448.0%
65+34.6%

What is prilocaine used for

Conditions and purposes for which patients were taking prilocaine when the adverse event was reported.

AcneAcute Lymphocytic LeukaemiaAdjuvant TherapyAdverse EventAllergy TestAnaesthesiaAnaesthesia ProcedureAnaesthetic ComplicationAnaesthetic PremedicationAnalgesic TherapyAnogenital WartsApplication Site AcneApplication Site AnaesthesiaArteriovenous GraftArthralgia

Showing 15 of 247 indications

Prilocaine brand names and reporting trend

Prilocaine is sold under brand names including Emla, Citanest Forte Dental.

Brand names

Emla2,402
Citanest Forte Dental10

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

An upward trend reflects increased FAERS reporting overall, not necessarily increased risk.

Taking prilocaine with another medication?

Ask OpenClaim about your specific drug combination. Get a sourced report using FDA data, drug labels, and medical literature.