It is also recommended that multi-dose bottles of buffered solution be discarded within 24 hours of mixing to decrease the risk of possible contamination. Sodium bicarbonate can produce a cloudy solution when added to lidocaine. The cloudiness does not seem to decrease the effectiveness of the lidocaine. Pain reduction in local anesthetic administration through pH buffering. Micromedix Inc. Vol.
Sodium bicarbonate attenuates pain on skin infiltration with lidocaine, with or without epinephrine.