Is Lidocaine an Opioid? A Clear Distinction for Pain Management
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4 min read
While both are used for pain, a 2019 review on systemic lidocaine notes its analgesic effects are derived from blocking sodium channels, a fundamentally different mechanism from how opioids bind to specific receptors in the central nervous system to alter pain perception. The critical question, "Is lidocaine an opioid?", can be definitively answered: no.
