The effect on a model drug delivery system when adding a drug, lidocaine, has been studied. Temperature and concentration dependence of a nonionic microemulsion with part of the oil, 1 and 10 vol. %, substituted with drug has been investigated. A nonionic oilin-water microemulsion consisting of CH 3 (CH 2 ) 11 (OCH 2 CH 2 ) 5 OH, (C 12 E 5 ), decane, water and the drug (lidocaine) that has been used to substitute part of the oil was studied. The microscopic differences have been derived from smallangle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data and the results are compared with light scattering data. Using these results together with the macroscopic differences, as observed in the phase diagram (lowering of phase boundaries), between the systems with and without lidocaine can be explained.