AIM | Medications

Medications

Medication Type	Quick Relief
Brand Names	Adrenalin Chloride®, Primatene Mist®, Epinephrine Mist®, S2®, EpiPen Jr®, Twinject®, Epipen®
Generic Names	Epinephrine
Description	This medication causes muscles around the airways to relax, opening them for easier breathing.
Dosage	Metered Dose Inhaler: Adults and children greater than 4 years old - inhale 1 puff, repeated one minute later if necessary. Following doses should not be given until 3 hours later. Several dosage forms and strengths available.
Precautions	Patients with angle-closure glaucoma, shock (other than shock due to allergic reaction), organic brain damage, enlarged heart, irregular heart rate, coronary insufficiency, or blocked or partially blocked blood vessels in the brain should not use this medication. This medication should not be used in women giving birth, as it may delay the second stage of delivery. Patients with asthma and emphysema and who have developed heart disease should use caution, as should those patients with hyperthyroidism, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, psychosis, and diabetes.
Side Effects	Tremor, headache, drowsiness, bleeding in the brain, heart flutter, shock, irregular heartbeat, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and sweating.
Proper Use	The effects of this medication can decrease with repeated use or use for an extended period of time. Used to relieve respiratory distress due to bronchospasm, to provide rapid relief of hypersensitivity reactions to drugs and other allergens. Not used in cardiac failure or in hemorrhagic, traumatic, or cardiogenic shock.
Common Interactions	Other sympathomimetics, alpha-blockers, antidiabetic agents, digoxin, cyclopropane, halothane, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs: isocarboxazid, phenelzine, tranylcypromine), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs: amitriptyline, clomipramine, doxepin, imipramine, trimipramine), COMT inhibitor (entacapone, tolcapone), propranolol and other beta-blockers (atenolol, esmolol, betaxolol, penbutolol, carteolol, bisoprolol, pindolol, metoprolol, timolol, sotalol, acebutolol, nadolol), methyldopa, linezolid, levothyroxine, guanethidine, ergot alkaloids, topical miotics, osmotic agents, and carbonic anhydrase inhibitors.
Proper Storage	Keep clean and dry. Protect from light and store in light-resistant containers. Do not freeze.