What is a Local anaesthetic?

Local anaesthetic agents can be described as drugs which are used clinically to produce reversible loss of sensation in a circumscribed area of the body. At high concentrations, many drugs, which are used for other purposes possess local anaesthetic or membrane stabilising properties. These include Beta-adrenoceptor antagonists, opioid analgesics, anticonvulsants and antihistamines. Most of the clinically useful local anaesthetic agents consist of an aromatic ring linked by a carbonyl containing moiety through a carbon chain to a substituted amino g...