Okay, I'm new to this board, and wanted to let you know about a new product I discovered at my local Walgreen's last week. It has been a butt-saver! (Sorry)
I was talking to the pharmacist about what my options were with getting some lidocaine ointment or cream or gel or anything, since my new Doc didn't want to give me any. The pharmacist said "sorry, nothing OTC like that".
I walked back to the shelves with all of the creams and ointments, and spotted this new "Curacaine" "rapid acting topical analgesic" with maximum strength Lidocaine 4%. (I just noticed the "anal" in the word "analgesic")
I bought a tube, 1 ounce was about $12. Wow, what relief. I did some research online, and there is very little info about this product online, except for lots of "trademark searches" and various marketing publications. It is made by a company called Transdermal Corporation. I went back to make sure it was still there on the shelf, and bought 2 more tubes. Relief! And no, I don't work for them or anything. I did see something on the internet that said it was only available from Walgreen's, a US chain drugstore. It may be that folks in other countries or areas have more options. I am just glad I found it.

my butt is a hundred times better since i been taking miralax morning and night. it still hurts to sit...what does curacain do exactly? is it for pain or does it help fissures heal somehow?
i dont know if i want to put anything in my butt since i seem to be slowly healing with miralax. and i mean VERY slowly healing.anyone know more about this curacain and if i should try it?

from Wikipedia: "Lidocaine (INN) (pron.: /ˈlaɪdɵkeɪn/), xylocaine, or lignocaine (former BAN) (pron.: /ˈlɪɡnɵkeɪn/) is a common local anesthetic and antiarrhythmic drug. Lidocaine is used topically to relieve itching, burning and pain from skin inflammations, injected as a dental anesthetic or as a local anesthetic for minor surgery."
It almost instantly stops my AF pain and last for several hours. And I suppose that means it stops the spasms, which is the means to proper healing. As I understand it, your body can't heal as long as the sphincter muscle is in spasm; that is the goal of other topical treatments (Nitro-glycerin, etc.) as well. More here:
I can't post links yet but just google "Using lidocaine for anal fissures". It is for fairly short term use for immediate pain relief, I believe, usually used simultaneously with other treatment options.

isnt nitro more for doing something to increase blood to area?
can you put the curicane in your butt?
thanks for reply!

It seems to me that all of the current accepted treatment options have pretty much the same goal: relax the sphincter (reduce pressure/stop the spasms) to allow the fissure to heal.
1. A 0.2% nitroglycerin cream can reduce the pressure in the internal anal muscle (sphincter) and allow the fissure to heal. A pea-sized dot of cream is massaged into the fissure and the surrounding area. Do not use a larger amount at one time, because this medicine can cause headaches, lightheadedness, or fainting from low blood pressure. It is a good idea to either wear gloves when applying the nitroglycerin cream or wash your hands right after. The skin on your fingers can absorb the medicine and increase your chance of side effects.

2. The calcium channel blockers nifedipine and diltiazem also may help healing, also by reducing the pressure in the internal anal sphincter. These two medicines are available as pills. Also, they can be made into a gel that can be massaged into the fissure and the surrounding area. The pill form of these medicines has more side effects than the gel form.

3. Botulinum toxin (Botox) may be injected into the internal anal sphincter. Botox causes temporary paralysis of muscle, which can reduce muscle tension and help the anal fissure heal.

A topical anesthetic (such as Lidocaine or others) can provide almost immediate relief; when i used the Nitro-glycerin cream/ointment before, I had a gradual reduction from the pain. I believe using something like Lidocaine is very helpful, especially when the pain is persistent and severe (as mine is). Just be careful to not use too much; Lidocaine is also used as a treatment for several heart conditions.

i will certainly look into curicain!thankyou!
i wish i had something like that before my crs put me on two 17g doses of miralax a day. my spasms were insane a few weeks ago. (after i pooped i flapped around the bathroom like a bird that just got shot)

There is a 5% lidocaine preparation that is available over the counter. You can ask your pharmacist for it without having a prescription. They keep it behind the counter because it's expensive. (Mine cost $75 for 2 ounces) Its under a few brand-names, but asking for lidocaine cream should get you what you need.
It really helped for me. I put in on before a BM and everything gets nice and numb down there.
Since this curacaine stuff is a lot cheaper, it might be worth trying. The concentration of lidocaine in the ointment is lower than the stuff I have, and therefor would have less of a numbing affect. My concern would be that the inactive ingredients be OK for the tushy skin. Mine is extra sensitive.

coconut wrote:There is a 5% lidocaine preparation that is available over the counter. You can ask your pharmacist for it without having a prescription. They keep it behind the counter because it's expensive. (Mine cost $75 for 2 ounces) Its under a few brand-names, but asking for lidocaine cream should get you what you need.

Thanks, coconut. What country are you in? I had a prescription for 2% Lidocaine gel/jelly, in a tube. I don't think this is available in the US.

I live in the US. The brand that I have is LMX. It is not available in prescription form, only in OTC. Many pharmacies do not carry it, so calling around is probably a good idea. I found mine at the third pharmacy I went to. This third pharmacy also had my Calmol4 in stock, so now I go to them first! Since there are different brands, its a good idea to describe what you are looking for and give them a chance to come up with the product.
I would give my doctor a big old raspberry (in my head, I'm not really that bodacious in real life) if he told me he was going to give me a prescription for only 2% lidocaine. Even the 5% doesn't stop the pain entirely and if you read the scientific literature, 5% is considered the standard for anal preparations of lidocaine. Just don't use it in your mouth. LOL

wildwildwest, thanks for the information let me tell you many people here are going to be very happy to know that is something out there for pain and with the world anal in it.
When my fissure was at its worst i tried some lidocaine but it was not for the delicate area of the bum and got me irritated after a while.
I will look for this cream in the pharmacies just in case i get a set back with my fissure, as you know it happens even with all the tender care we give to our fissures to keep them happy and pain free. :D