What is "pramocaine"

n. A topical anaesthetic used as an antipruritic.

Pramocaine ( INN and BAN, also known as pramoxine or pramoxine HCI) is a topical anesthetic discovered at Abbott Laboratories in 1953 and used as an antipruritic. Chemically, it is p-n butoxyphenyl gammamorpholinopropyl ether hydrochloride. During research and development, pramoxine hydrochloride stood out among a series of alkoxy aryl alkamine ethers as an especially good topical local anesthetic agent. Pharmacologic study revealed it to be potent and of low acute and subacute toxicity, well tolerated by most mucous membranes and of a low sensitizing index in humans. Like other local anesthetics, paramoxine decreases the permeability of neuronal membranes to sodium ions, blocking both initiation and conduction of nerve impulses. Depolarization and repolarization of excitable neural membranes is thus inhibited, leading to numbness.

The popular itch creams Gold Bond and some forms of Calamine Lotion use pramocaine hydrochloride to numb sensitive skin, as does the pain relief variant of Neosporin and some formulations of Sarna. The hydrochloride salt form of pramocaine is water-soluble.