Do not use EMLA Cream if:
- You are allergic (hypersensitive) to lidocaine, prilocaine or any of the other ingredients of EMLA Cream.
Check with your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before using EMLA Cream if:
- You or your child are anaemic (a blood problem which means you have too few red blood cells).
- You or your child have a rare inherited illness that affects the blood called ‘glucose-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency’.
- You or your child have a problem with blood pigment levels called ‘methaemoglobinaemia’.
- You or your child have a skin condition called ‘atopic dermatitis’. This is because the cream may need to be put on the skin for a shorter time.
- Your child is a pre-term newborn infant.
- Your child is younger than 12 months and is being treated at the same time with other medicines that affect blood pigment levels ‘methaemoglobinaemia’.
Please tell your doctor, pharmacist or nurse if you are taking, or have recently taken, any other medicines. This includes medicines that you buy without a prescription and herbal medicines. This is because EMLA Cream can affect the way some medicines work and some medicines can have an effect on EMLA Cream.
In particular, tell your doctor, pharmacist or nurse if you or your child have recently used or been given any of the following medicines:
- Medicines called ‘sulphonamides’ such as sulfamethoxazole.
- Other local anaesthetics.
- Medicines to treat an uneven heart beat, such as mexiletine or amiodarone.
- Medicines to treat an uneven heartbeat, such as mexiletine or amiodarone.
- Cimetidine or beta-blockers, which may cause an increase in the blood levels of lidocaine. This interaction is of no clinical relevance in short-term treatment with EMLA Cream in recommended doses.
Pregnancy, breastfeeding and fertility:
Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before using EMLA Cream if you are pregnant, may become pregnant or are breast-feeding. The medicines in EMLA Cream (lidocaine and prilocaine) are passed into breast milk; however, the amount is so small that there is generally no risk to the child.
Important information about some of the ingredients of EMLA Cream:
EMLA cream contains polyoxyethylene hydrogenated castor oil. This may cause skin reactions.
Do not use EMLA Cream on the following areas:
- Cuts, grazes or wounds, excluding leg ulcers.
- Where there is a skin rash or eczema.
- In or near the eyes.
- Inside the nose, ear or mouth.
- In the back passage (anus).
- On the genitals of children.
EMLA Cream should not be used on an area of newly shaven skin larger than 600 cm² (600 square centimetres, e.g. 30 cm by 20 cm) in size. The maximum dose is 60 g.
Do not get EMLA Cream in your eyes. If you get EMLA Cream in your eye by mistake, rinse your eye well with lukewarm water or salt (sodium chloride) solution. Be careful to avoid getting anything in your eye until feeling returns.
If EMLA Cream is accidentally swallowed or if you use more EMLA Cream than recommended, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse straight away.
Possible Side Effects:
Like all medicines, EMLA Cream can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. If any side effects get serious or if you notice any not listed, please tell your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.
- Severe allergic reactions (rare, affect less than 1 in 1,000 people): Stop use and seek immediate medical attention if you experience rash, shortness of breath, low blood pressure (fainting/dizziness), or swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or other body parts.
- Common (affect less than 1 in 10 people): Redness, slight swelling, or pale skin where the cream was used. A mild burning, itching, or warmth sensation (common on genital skin).
- Uncommon (affect less than 1 in 100 people): Mild burning or itching on skin (not genital), tingling sensation, irritation of treated skin during leg ulcer treatment.
- Rare (affect less than 1 in 1,000 people): Mild allergic reactions (rash or swelling), small red dots on skin (more likely in children with skin problems like atopic dermatitis), eye irritation from accidental contact.
Keep out of the reach and sight of children. Do not store above 30°C and do not freeze. Do not use after the expiry date. Dispose of medicines responsibly; ask your pharmacist for advice.