Patient\'s Guide to Epinephrine Injection

¶ … Patient's Guide to Epinephrine Injection

Brand names and generic names for epinephrine injection:

Some of the brand names used for epinephrine injection include:

Adrenalin® Chloride Solution (product insert)

EpiPen Auto-Injector;

EpiPen Jr. Auto-Injector;

Twinject Auto-Injector (shown in the picture below); and,

Twinject Auto-Injector Two Pack (Physicians' Desk Reference 2010).

Why your doctor would prescribe this medication:

Generally, patients are prescribed epinephrine to help them breath easier when they suffer from bronchospasms (product insert), as well as shock, allergy attacks and adverse food reactions such as to peanuts, anaphylaxis and asthma (Albertine 2006).

Doctors also prescribe epinephrine injection to provide fast relief from certain types of drug reactions (product insert).

In some cases, epinephrine is also used to relieve the congestion that can result from hay fever, rhinitis, and acute sinusitis as well as various heart-related problems (product insert).

Finally, epinephrine injection is also used to help the effects of epidural and local anesthetics last longer (product insert).

What this medication does and how it works:

Epinephrine functions by increasing the heart rate, blood pressure and blood flow to muscles, and causing the liver to rapidly release glucose into the blood stream. These effects allow the body to perform under stressful and dangerous conditions (Albertine 2006) and provide the relief and actions described above (product insert; Albertine 2006).

How to take this medication:

Normally, epinephrine injection is injected just under the skin (product insert).

If you miss a dose:

This drug is used on an as-needed basis only for the conditions listed above (product insert).

When not to take this medication:

Contraindications for this drug include use by the elderly, when patients are sedated with general anesthesia and for use with local anesthetics in some areas of the body such as fingers and toes (product insert). In addition, epinephrine injection should not be used when women are in the second stages of labor. Furthermore, because the effects of this drug on pregnant women remain unclear, pregnant women should only use epinephrine injection when the risks to the mother outweigh the potential risks to the fetus (product insert).

What not to do when taking this medication:

Although there are no specific recommendations provided by the manufacturer, patients who use this drug should be aware of the possible side effects and avoid strenuous activities that will cause additional increases in blood pressure or heart rates. Take it easy after using this drug!

In addition, patients should avoid using the same injection site repeatedly since it can adversely affect skin integrity (product insert).