Mepivacaine: Uses, Side Effects, Dosage - Drugvu

ℹ️ Compiled from public regulatory records · Last regulator revision: April 10, 2026🚩 Report this page

Mepivacaine

Amides

US FDAGB MHRA

Drug class: Amides
Availability: Prescription only
Routes: Submucosal
Markets covered: 2
Products on record: 2

Overview

Mepivacaine is an active pharmaceutical ingredient in the Amides group (N01BB). The information below is compiled per regulator from the product labels on record, with direct links to the original documents.

Regulatory status by market

Market	Regulator	Products	Last revision
US United States	FDA	1	February 21, 2024
GB United Kingdom	MHRA	1	April 10, 2026

USUnited States· FDA

1 product

Uses

USOfficial regulatory label· revised February 21, 2024[1]

INDICATIONS AND USAGE
Mepivacaine is indicated for production of local anesthesia for dental procedures by infiltration or nerve block in adults and pediatric patients.

How to take

GBUnited Kingdom· MHRA

1 product

1 product on record with this regulator. Detailed label text (uses, dosage, side effects) is being ingested — the original document is linked under Sources [2].

Drug interactions

Known interactions involving Mepivacaine. Select one for details. This list is informational and not a complete interaction checker.

Interaction data compiled from DDInter (academic, CC-BY). Severity classification only - this is not a complete interaction checker and not medical advice.

Sources & citations

[1]FDA DailyMed · 042010fb-7161-43… · revised February 21, 2024 [PDF]
[2]MHRA (UK) · PL083130023 · revised April 10, 2026

Information on this page is compiled from public regulatory records. Drugvu is not affiliated with any regulator or pharmaceutical manufacturer. This is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.

Side effects & warnings

USOfficial regulatory label· Adverse reactions· revised February 21, 2024[1]

ADVERSE REACTIONS
Reactions to Mepivacaine are characteristic of those associated with other amide-type local anesthetics. Systemic adverse reactions involving the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system usually result from high plasma levels (which may be due to excessive dosage, rapid absorption, inadvertent intravascular injection, or slow metabolic degradation), injection technique, or volume of injection.
A small number of reactions may result from hypersensitivity, idiosyncrasy or diminished tolerance to normal dosage on the part of the patient. Persistent paresthesias of the lips, tongue, and oral tissues have been reported with the use of mepivacaine, with slow, incomplete, or no recovery.
These post-marketing events have been reported chiefly following nerve blocks in the mandible and have involved the trigeminal nerve and its branches. Reactions involving the central nervous system are characterized by excitation and/or depression.
Nervousness, dizziness, blurred vision, or tremors may occur followed by drowsiness, convulsions, unconsciousness, and possible respiratory arrest. Since excitement may be transient or absent, the first manifestations may be drowsiness merging into unconsciousness and respiratory arrest.
Cardiovascular reactions are depressant. They may be the result of direct drug effect or more commonly in dental practice, the result of vasovagal reaction, particularly if the patient is in the sitting position. Failure to recognize premonitory signs such as sweating, feeling of faintness, changes in pulse or sensorium may result in progressive cerebral hypoxia and seizure or serious cardiovascular catastrophe.
Management consists of placing the patient in the recumbent position and administration of oxygen. Vasoactive drugs such as Ephedrine or Methoxamine may be administered intravenously. Allergic reactions are rare and may occur as a result of sensitivity to the local anesthetic and are characterized by cutaneous lesions of delayed onset or urticaria, edema and other manifestations of allergy.
The detection of sensitivity by skin testing is of limited value. As with other local anesthetics, anaphylactoid reactions to Mepivacaine have occurred rarely. The reaction may be abrupt and severe and is not usually dose related. Localized puffiness and swelling may occur.

USOfficial regulatory label· Warnings and precautions· revised February 21, 2024[1]

WARNINGS RESUSCITATIVE EQUIPMENT AND DRUGS SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE. (See ADVERSE REACTIONS). Reactions resulting in fatality have occurred on rare occasions with the use of local anesthetics, even in the absence of a history of hypersensitivity.
Fatalities may occur with use of local anesthetics in the head and neck region as the result of retrograde arterial flow to vital CNS areas even when maximum recommended doses are observed. The practitioner should be alert to early evidence of alteration in sensorium or vital signs.
The solution which contains a vasoconstrictor (Mepivacaine HCl 2% (20 mg/mL)) should be used with extreme caution for patients whose medical history and physical evaluation suggest the existence of hypertension, arteriosclerotic heart disease, cerebral vascular insufficiency, heart block, thyrotoxicosis and diabetes, etc.
The solution which contains a vasoconstrictor (Mepivacaine HCl 2% (20 mg/mL)) also contains potassium metabisulfite, a sulfite that may cause allergic-type reactions including anaphylactic symptoms and lifethreatening or less severe asthmatic episodes in certain susceptible people.
The overall prevalence of sulfite sensitivity in the general population is unknown and probably low. Sulfite sensitivity is seen more frequently in asthmatic than in non-asthmatic people. Mepivacaine HCl 3% (30 mg/mL) is SULFITE FREE.
Mepivacaine, along with other local anesthetics, is capable of producing methemoglobinemia. The clinical signs of methemoglobinemia are cyanosis of the nail beds and lips, fatigue and weakness. If methemoglobinemia does not respond to administration of oxygen, administration of methylene blue intravenously 1-2 mg/kg body weight over a 5 minute period is recommended.
The American Heart Association has made the following recommendations regarding the use of local anesthetics with vasoconstrictors in patients with ischemic heart disease: “Vasoconstrictor agents should be used in local anesthesia solutions during dental practice only when it is clear that the procedure will be shortened or the analgesia rendered more profound.
When a vasoconstrictor is indicated, extreme care should be taken to avoid intravascular injection. ) Methemoglobinemia: Cases of methemoglobinemia have been reported in association with local anesthetic use; MEPIVACAINE, along with other local anesthetics, is capable of producing this condition.

This is not medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional.