Generic Name: Lidoderm (lidocaine-topical)
Lidoderm Reviews
For Pain "I had been using Lidocaine 5% patch for years, and they really do work. They allow me to move without the major pain I suffer from spinal injuries and major depression. Recently, my insurance carrier sent me lidocaine patches manufactured by the Mylar company. These patches are a complete waste of money. The Mylar backing is inflexible and does not move with the body. They fall off within seconds. The edges curl as you put them on. I do not take narcotics for pain management, these were my only help to reduce the pain. Do not bother with the Mylar brand patches, they are useless."
For Pain "I suffer from chronic lower back pain in the lumbar, right above my coccyx. I have been dealing with lower back pain for some years. I severely ruptured my lower discs when I used to be a furniture delivery driver. I would move couches, recliners, 500lb dining tables, bedroom sets, and more for 10-12 hours a day, 6 days a week. I have tried medications such as Methadone, Morphine, and Vicodin. Some of them work, but I do not like taking narcotics but this patch is amazing. I put one on, and in about 1 hours time, I feel a major relief. It takes a while to kick in but it works great. It reduces my pain level from a 10.5 to a 5. The only downfall is that the adhesive is not that great and they are very expensive."
For Pain "The lidocaine patches made by Endo and Watson are wonderful. The Mylan brand, however, is terrible. Mylan patches don't stick very well to the skin and bunch up and come off very quickly. Sweating also makes them come off. Mylan patches don't seem to work very well either, but that may have to do with the fact that they are so hard to keep on. They do, however, stick quite nicely to my clothes. Every time I tried to keep one on my hip, it quickly bunched up and stuck fast to my nylon underpants and ruined them. CVS & Rite Aid switched to Mylan generic brand (in my area) forcing me to transfer my prescription to Walgreens. Call around to find pharmacies that still carry other brands and write letters to inform your pharmacy."
For Pain "I've had numerous invasive spinal surgeries, sciatic nerve pain, as well as discomfort at the site of my neurostimulator implantation. The patches alleviate the discomfort in conjunction with a medication regimen put in place by my pain management doctor that I follow to the letter, allowing for less medication to be taken while they're in use. I've had no side effects. Overall, a very positive experience."
For Pain "I've found the patches stay on my back better if I use rubbing alcohol to clean my skin, allowing it to air dry prior to applying the patch. My husband must help me apply them because they are hard to get on your upper back by yourself. Also, it seems like my body gets used to them after a few weeks, so I will take a break from using them for a few days. My biggest complaint is that they are so expensive. I must use 3 for them to be effective, but I have a high deductible insurance plan, so there are times I simply cannot afford the patches."
For Pain "Like the many others that have written responses, I have been using Lidoderm patches for many years. I began with the brand name and then CVS switched to the generic by ENDO. If you can find this generic, it works just like the original. But recently they switched to the newly developed generic by Mylan. Do not waste your money. They are highly ineffective. Difficult to separate from the plastic and very stiff, un-malleable. Once applied, the stiffness causes them to lift up, beginning with the corners, and pretty soon the whole patch releases. Obviously, the adhesive doesn't work either. I can't get them to stay on long enough to see if they even work - nowhere near the recommended 12 hours, which I have had no problem with on others!"
For Pain "For Pain: 'While I've gotten very helpful joint pain relief from other brands (WATSON), the MYLAN brand patches are the WORST, MOST INEFFECTIVE waste of time and money. The backing is thin but stiff, pinching the skin, making it very uncomfortable and unsuitable. And then they won't stick. The website, but not the box, says to press on the patch for better stick, but then pretty much admits you will need tape around the edges, which leaves the middle, where the meds are, still not sticking. I only am out a small copay, but my insurer spent over $200 a box on this garbage. Don't waste your time to call or write Mylan about their inferior product, they will do nothing about it except 'apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced.'"
For Pain "This worked quite well for acute severe shoulder rotator cuff pain, but took a couple of hours to kick in. The weirdest thing, though, is I had a side effect where I saw a yellow color on white walls. I also had a little trouble focusing my eyes and was a little dizzy. It would go away when it wore off, and then the same thing happened when I tried again, so I had to stop."
For Pain "I was in a car accident and suffered a 4th rib fracture. The 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th ribs were also injured, and I suffered from pectus excavatum. The Lidoderm pain patches helped to decrease my pain level from a 10 to a 3. I cannot ride in a car without wearing these patches. I wear one on my subclavian area and two on my 6th and 7th thoracic area (a total of 3). These patches really manage the pain."
For Pain "I have CHRONIC sacroiliac joint and coccyx pain that does not show up on MRI or X-ray, and I've used this patch for a little over 1 month with NO side effects whatsoever. I do notice that it takes about 2 to 3 days to feel the 'full effect' of the medication, and I do notice the increase in pain if I skip a day. Maximum pain for me WITH the patch is about a 2, and that's great."
For Pain "My doctor gave me a couple of these to try out before I filled a script for them (for shoulder and lower back pain). I cut them up because they are HUGE. I put ½ on my back and ½ on my shoulder the first night. I hadn't slept more than a couple of hours a night for the last week because of my back (that's with oxymorphone and oxycodone), and WOW, I slept like a baby! It took my back pain from an 8 to a 3. I didn't even notice the patch was there. Now, for my shoulder, though, these things aren't very sticky, and so the movement makes them come off in just a couple of minutes. I taped it down, but it's kind of bubbling in the middle, and I'm having a hard time keeping it in contact with my skin unless I'm holding my arm just so."
For Pain "Bursitis in shoulder - had received numerous injections over multiple years - Dr. suggested surgery or try Lidocaine patch - applied patch for over 120 days and then discontinued - it has been 2 years with no further pain - AMAZING."
For Postherpetic Neuralgia "The reviews are true and correct. Mylan patches are impractical, useless, a waste of time, a waste of money. They do not peel well, they do not stick well, and if you manage to stick one, as soon as your body moves, it is off. Horrible product. It is ripping off insurance and consumers at the same time. This is not where you make an extra buck, this is screwing around with people needing medical help for pain. Are all other generic meds made by Mylan this sloppy? I will be asking my CVS every time for no Mylan generics. Where is your quality assurance, Mylan?"
For Pain "I have been using the generic lidocaine patches for years, with great results. My pharmacy, which I have to use because of my insurance, switched to generic patches from Mylan. These new patches are horrible! They are stiff and do not stick at all! I am stuck with a six-month supply of patches that don't work. I've spent over an hour with various people at the pharmacy, and they all say it's not their problem. Great. Just great."
For Pain "I use lidoderm patch for upper back pain spasums. The patch works well for this type of pain. I also found that the patch works wonderful for sex. Very seldom can I stick around long (about 30 min) enough for my wife to climax. However, using the patch about 1 hour before sex dulls the sensitivity, which allows me time for her to reach the big "0". Happy wife happy life!"
For Pain "The MYLAN brand 5% is useless! Waste of money. It does not stick to freshly cleaned skin with rubbing alcohol first, it does not stay on to provide medicine even if taped on outside edges, and it's plastic! Bad for skin. I'm going to change pharmacies to avoid using this brand again or cough up cash for my reg. brand. I would not depend on this. Seriously, it does not stick for 2 mins."
For Pain "I've been on narcotic pain meds for over 20 years for severe degenerative joint disease in my back and several other joints. My doctor gave me lidocaine 5% patches to try about a month ago. I seriously doubted they would help, as any other topical creams have never helped much, but I was pleasantly surprised. They work so well that I have decreased my opiate dosage by half and am able to be more active than I have been in years. I don't think that they will work that well for everyone, but I do recommend everyone try them if they can, it has been a godsend for me."
For Postherpetic Neuralgia "I hope to god that someone who has chronic back pain that works in this company tries these worthless patches. You charge insurance companies hundreds of dollars for these no sticking pieces of rubbish. They should stick to your skin like they stick together while your trying to put them on. They fall off with the slightest movement once you put them on. They are the Stanley Cup of worthlessness. "
For Pain "The 5% patches that I have been using for the last 3 years work well for short periods of time, about 4-5 hours. Reduces the need for hydrocodone. However, stay away from the Mylan brand. They are only 140 mg of lidocaine, opposed to the standard 700 mg. They get away with this by making the patch thinner, so it is still 5%. It doesn't stick, and it doesn't work for me. Got stuck with a few boxes that my insurance had to pay for. Ended up switching all my prescriptions from Rite Aid to Walgreens."
For Pain "I love Lidoderm patches. I have stenosis and muscle spasms. There are some nights I couldn't sleep without them. Be sure you are not wearing the patches longer than 12 hours. What is great is you can wear them under your clothes when working and no one knows or 'smells' you are wearing relief for spasms. They have been my lifesaver on more than one occasion."
For Pain "My insurance substituted Mylan brand, my last prescription in January 2017. The worst patch ever. They are plastic, hard to remove from backing, and they don't stick. Don't waste your money. Had been using Qualitest patches previously, which worked well. Why insurance chose to change, I don't know. Terrible waste of my hard-earned money."
For Pain "I have arthritis, carpal tunnel, and fibromyalgia. Wonderful for localized arthritis and carpal tunnel pain, not very good for fibromyalgia pain. Used primarily on wrists, elbows, and hips but have also used on neck/shoulders and knees. Literally numbs the area. Numbing sinks below the surface, relieving joint pain. Especially effective in my hips, allowing me to get sleep. They cause a mild rash, especially if I forget and leave them on too long. They also come off easily. Take a good shower before applying, and they stick better. I wear breathable elastic braces on hands and elbows to keep them in place while I sleep. I love these things, they greatly improve my quality of life and ability to function with virtually no side effects."
For Postherpetic Neuralgia "I have used the Mylan lidocaine pain patches for a few years. I had the ones with the white cotton backing. They were perfect. My last few boxes though were a plastic backing that don’t stick to my skin after ten minutes. These plastic backed lidocaine pain patches are totally a waste. I wasted five patches before getting two to stick to my skin. Why on earth did this company change the patches! Now, I'll have to ask the pharmacist if there is another brand I can switch to. I am very unhappy with these nonsticking, worthless lidocaine patches."
For Pain "These patches work great for my neuropathy. I had great difficulty falling asleep at night due to pain; I put the patches on 1 hour before bed and the pain is greatly reduced. I too had a problem with the patches staying on, so I use some first aid gauze tape over the top of the patch. A small price to pay for some pain relief."
"These are totally ridiculous. I spoke to pharmacy and they can't help me, but suggested I call the Mylan to complain. 2 hours later I still need a new rx for a different brand. These are worthless but how would a person know to specify a brand? Awful awful."
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