I went to the dentist and he froze me up very good. then all of a sudden my heart starts pounding and beating different. thats never happened before now? he assured me it will go away. scary!

Epinephrine: May be reaction to the Epinephrine used in many local anesthetics to prolong the effectiveness of the numbing agent. Discuss this with your dentist. He may wish to choose a different anesthetic next time.

Here's why:: He gave you a mixture of Lidocaine and epinephrine. The latter drug constricts blood vessels and reduces bleeding but is meant to stay in the local tissues (your gums) and if any reaches your circulation, you get the exact reaction you describe. Happily, it wears off fairly quickly and is generally harmless.

It happens: There is Epinephrine in the anesthetic. If some gets into your blood stream it feels like you had a near car accident. It can be scary but it goes away without a problem. Dentists try to avoid this happening, but it happens on occasion.