Versatis medicated plasters used to treat nerve pain after having shingles.
What are Versatis medicated plasters used for?
- Treatment of nerve pain (neuropathic pain) following shingles (post-herpetic neuralgia) in adults.
How do Versatis medicated plasters work?
- Versatis medicated plasters contain the active ingredient lidocaine.
- Lidocaine belongs to a group of medicines known as local anaesthetics. It works by temporarily blocking the pathway of pain signals along nerves.
- Pain is caused by the stimulation of pain receptors at the ends of nerves. The stimulation causes sodium to enter the nerve ending, which causes an electrical signal to build up in the nerve. When this electrical signal is big enough, it passes along the nerve to the brain, where the signal is interpreted as pain.
- Lidocaine works by stopping the sodium entering the nerve ending at the site of the pain.
How do I use Versatis medicated plasters?
- Versatis medicated plasters should be applied to cover the painful area of skin. The skin should be clean, dry, non-hairy and non-irritated. Any hair on the surface of the affected skin should be removed with a pair of scissors and not shaved off. Don't stick the plaster on straight after a hot bath or shower, wait for the skin to cool down first, and don't use talc, creams or moisturisers before applying the plaster as they may prevent it sticking. (You can use creams and lotions on the affected area of skin when you are not wearing the plaster.)
- Don't apply more than three plasters at the same time.
- Avoid contact of the plasters with the eyes and mouth.
- You should avoid letting the plaster come into contact with water while wearing it. If possible you should do any bathing, showering or swimming while not wearing the plaster.
- Close the sachet tightly after removing the required number of plasters, to stop the remaining ones drying out.
- The plasters should be worn for 12 hours and then removed. New plasters should not be applied until 12 hours without wearing a plaster have passed. If you forget to remove a plaster after 12 hours, then remove it as soon as you remember and allow a 12 hour plaster free period before applying another one. If you forget to apply a new plaster after 12 hours then just apply a new one as soon as you remember and remove it 12 hours after.
- Dispose of used plasters carefully, as they will still contain some active ingredient that could be harmful to children and animals. Fold the used plasters in half so the sticky side is inside and dispose of out of the reach of children or pets. Do not flush used plasters down the toilet.
Use with caution in
- Severely decreased liver function.
- Severely decreased kidney function.
- Severe heart problems.
- People taking medicines to treat an irregular heart beat, for example mexiletine.
- People using other local anaesthetics.
Not to be used in
- Allergy to local anaesthetics of the amide type, eg bupivacaine, etidocaine, mepivacaine or prilocaine.
- This medicine is not recommended for children and adolescents under 18 years of age, as its safety and efficacy have not been established in this age group.
- The plasters should not be applied to inflamed or broken skin, such as dermatitis, open wounds or active shingles rash. The plasters should only be used once the shingles rash has healed.
- This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.
If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.
- The safety of this medicine for use during pregnancy has not been established. It is not recommended for use during pregnancy, unless the potential benefits to the mother outweigh any possible risks to the developing baby. Seek medical advice from your doctor.
- Lidocaine passes into breast milk, but in amounts that are probably too small to be harmful to a nursing infant. However, women who are breastfeeding should seek medical advice from a doctor before using this medicine.
Possible side effects of Versatis medicated plasters
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Just because a side effect is stated here does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
- Rash, redness, itching, burning, blisters, dermatitis or irritation at patch application site.
- Severe allergic reactions.
- Skin injury.
The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the medicine's manufacturer.
For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medicine, please read the information provided with the medicine or consult your doctor or pharmacist.
How can this medicine affect other medicines?
It is important to tell your doctor or pharmacist what medicines you are already taking, including those bought without a prescription and herbal medicines, before you start treatment with this medicine. Similarly, check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any new medicines while using this one, to ensure that the combination is safe.
There may be an increased risk of side effects if large amounts of this medicine are used by people already using other local anaesthetics, or medicines for irregular heartbeats, such as tocainide or mexiletine.
References:
https://www.nps.org.au/medical-info/medicine-finder/versatis-transdermal-patches
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/skin-and-hair/a8671/versatis-medicated-plasters-lidocaine/
http://www.medicines.ie/medicine/14860/SPC/Versatis+700+mg+medicated+plaster/
https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/290/pil
https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/publications/clinical-strategy-and-programmes/versatis-tips-and-tools.pdf
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