Topical anesthetics. Controlling your child's pain during vaccination with topical anesthetics.
'And another thing to stop the pain is [inaudible].' Hospitals all over the world use topical
anesthetics to reduce pain in children. They're available as a cream, gel or patch. Most people
have experience with them when they are given by injection at the dentist's office. 'My dentist
yesterday, when I got my needle, they actually made it numb, so I. It just felt like a little tap.'
They dull the pain where the needle enters the skin. 'It's gonna take away the sting.' Your child may
still have a sensation of pressure when the vaccine is being injected. This is normal.
In Canada, you can buy topical anesthetics at the drugstore without a prescription. They are safe
for use in children, even babies. The topical anesthetic is applied to the upper arm where
the needle will be given. 'I'm going to take off the magic cream now okay?' You need to wait for topical
anesthetics to take effect. 'Is the magic cream on?' 'Yep,the magic cream is on you.' Maxilene takes
30 minutes to work. Ametop takes 45 minutes and Emla takes 60 minutes. If you expect to wait at the
clinic, you might want to apply them there instead of at home. If you are using the patch, just peel
off the backing and stick the patch on the skin. If you are using the cream or gel, squeezed it out of
the tube in a circular pattern on the dressing that's provided until it's about the size of a
nickel. This is one gram of the anesthetic, which is one dose, and then put the dressing on your
child's skin. Make sure the edges are sealed so the anaesthetic doesn't leak out. Fold over one
corner of the dressing on to itself so you have an edge to grab on to later to make it easier to
take it off. If the dressing is not available, you can use plastic wrap. Just wrap it around
your child's arm. Ask your doctor whether your child is scheduled for one or more vaccinations
so you know whether to apply the anesthetic to one or both arms. Make a note of the time you
applied them, or write it directly on the dressing or patch with a pen so that you can make sure you
remember to take them off at the appropriate time. Remove the dressing carefully as it can get very
sticky. If you remove the dressing too quickly, it can cause your child discomfort, like when pulling
off a bandage. 'Find a little edge and then stretch it like that.' Instead, pull the dressing out and away
from the skin slowly while securing the opposite corner. The dressing stretches and it will lift
off the skin without causing discomfort. Then just wipe the skin with a tissue. You can use a washable
marker to show where the anaesthetic was because sometimes you can't tell after you take it off.
You might notice some changes to the color of your child's skin, either reddening or whitening, this is
temporary and goes away after a few hours. Rarely, there can be a skin rash which could be the sign
of an allergic skin reaction. If this happens, talk to your healthcare provider about using
a different topical anesthetic the next time. Topical anesthetics can be used in any setting,
including schools. Talk to your child's teacher or public health department about how to
make this possible. 'And when it's ready to get the vaccine, we'll take it off and it'll have already
penetrated through the skin, okay?' Using topical anesthetics is one of the many ways to reduce pain
in your child during vaccinations. Don't forget to view the rest of the videos in this series.
Remember, combining the different methods together will lead to even better results.