DrugLib.com — Drug Information Portal

Rx drug information, pharmaceutical research, clinical trials, news, and more

Adrenaclick (Epinephrine) - Warnings and Precautions

 
 



WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Emergency Treatment

Adrenaclick is intended for immediate administration as emergency supportive therapy and is not intended as a substitute for immediate medical care. In conjunction with the administration of epinephrine, the patient should seek immediate medical or hospital care. More than two sequential doses of epinephrine should only be administered under direct medical supervision [see Indications and Usage (1), Dosage and Administration (2) and Patient Counseling Information (17)].

Incorrect Locations of Injection

Adrenaclick should ONLY be injected into the anterolateral aspect of the thigh [see Dosage and Administration (2) and Patient Counseling Information (17)].

Do not inject intravenously.

  • Large doses or accidental intravenous injection of epinephrine may result in cerebral hemorrhage due to a sharp rise in blood pressure. Rapidly acting vasodilators can counteract the marked pressor effects of epinephrine if there is such inadvertent administration.

Do not inject into buttock.

  • Injection into the buttock may not provide effective treatment of anaphylaxis. Advise the patient to go immediately to the nearest emergency room for further treatment of anaphylaxis. Additionally, injection into the buttock has been associated with the development of gas gangrene. Cleansing with alcohol does not kill bacterial spores, and therefore, does not lower the risk.

Do not inject into digits, hands or feet.

  • Since epinephrine is a strong vasoconstrictor, accidental injection into the digits, hands or feet may result in loss of blood flow to the affected area. Advise the patient to go immediately to the nearest emergency room and to inform the healthcare provider in the emergency room of the location of the accidental injection. Treatment of such inadvertent administration should consist of vasodilation, in addition to further appropriate treatment of anaphylaxis [see Adverse Reactions (6)].

Allergic Reactions Associated with Sulfite

The presence of a sulfite in this product should not deter administration of the drug for treatment of serious allergic or other emergency situations even if the patient is sulfite-sensitive.

Epinephrine is the preferred treatment for serious allergic reactions or other emergency situations even though this product contains sodium bisulfite, a sulfite that may, in other products, cause allergic-type reactions including anaphylactic symptoms or life-threatening or less severe asthmatic episodes in certain susceptible persons.

The alternatives to using epinephrine in a life-threatening situation may not be satisfactory.

Disease Interactions

Some patients may be at greater risk for developing adverse reactions after epinephrine administration. Despite these concerns, it should be recognized that the presence of these conditions is not a contraindication to epinephrine administration in an acute, life-threatening situation. Therefore, patients with these conditions, and/or any other person who might be in a position to administer Adrenaclick to a patient experiencing anaphylaxis should be carefully instructed in regard to the circumstances under which epinephrine should be used.


  • Patients with Heart Disease

    Epinephrine should be administered with caution to patients who have heart disease, including patients with cardiac arrhythmias, coronary artery or organic heart disease, or hypertension. In such patients, or in patients who are on drugs that may sensitize the heart to arrhythmias, epinephrine may precipitate or aggravate angina pectoris as well as produce ventricular arrhythmias [see Drug Interactions (7) and Adverse Reactions (6)].

  • Other Patients and Diseases

    Epinephrine should be administered with caution to patients with hyperthyroidism, diabetes, elderly individuals, and pregnant women. Patients with Parkinson's disease may notice a temporary worsening of symptoms.

USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS

Pregnancy

Teratogenic Effects: Pregnancy Category C.

There are no adequate and well controlled studies of the acute effect of epinephrine in pregnant women.

Epinephrine was teratogenic in rabbits, mice and hamsters. Epinephrine should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus (fetal anoxia, spontaneous abortion, or both).

Epinephrine has been shown to have teratogenic effects when administered subcutaneously in rabbits at approximately 30 times the maximum recommended daily subcutaneous or intramuscular dose (on a mg/m2 basis at a maternal dose of 1.2 mg/kg/day for two to three days), in mice at approximately 7 times the maximum daily subcutaneous or intramuscular dose (on a mg/m2 basis at a maternal subcutaneous dose of 1 mg/kg/day for 10 days), and in hamsters at approximately 5 times the maximum recommended daily subcutaneous or intramuscular dose (on a mg/m2 basis at a maternal subcutaneous dose of 0.5 mg/kg/day for 4 days).

These effects were not seen in mice at approximately 3 times the maximum recommended daily subcutaneous or intramuscular dose (on a mg/m2 basis at a subcutaneous maternal dose of 0.5 mg/kg/day for 10 days).

Nursing Mothers

It is not known whether epinephrine is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when Adrenaclick is administered to a nursing woman.

Pediatric Use

Adrenaclick may be administered to pediatric patients at a dosage appropriate to body weight [see Dosage and Administration (2)]. Clinical experience with the use of epinephrine suggests that the adverse reactions seen in children are similar in nature and extent to those both expected and reported in adults. Since the dose of epinephrine delivered from Adrenaclick is fixed, consider using other forms of injectable epinephrine if doses lower than 0.15 mg are deemed necessary.

Geriatric Use

Clinical studies for the treatment of anaphylaxis have not been performed in subjects aged 65 and over to determine whether they respond differently from younger subjects. However, other reported clinical experience with use of epinephrine for the treatment of anaphylaxis has identified that geriatric patients may be particularly sensitive to the effects of epinephrine. Therefore, Adrenaclick should be administered with caution in elderly individuals, who may be at greater risk for developing adverse reactions after epinephrine administration [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) and Overdosage (10)].

Page last updated: 2014-10-17

-- advertisement -- The American Red Cross
 
Home | About Us | Contact Us | Site usage policy | Privacy policy

All Rights reserved - Copyright DrugLib.com, 2006-2017