Patient/caregiver was educated on the side-effects of using Epinephrine as follows:
The side-effects of epinephrine vary widely, based on the dose and route of administration.
General allergic reactions and constitutional side-effects
- Epinephrine use can result in general allergic reactions, such as, skin rashes, hives, and itching.
- Some patients can present with symptoms of severe allergic and anaphylactic response with epinephrine, such as, difficulty breathing, swelling of face, lips, throat, and tongue, with consequent difficulty breathing. Seek emergency medical help for such findings, especially with difficulty breathing, for any appropriate measures to be considered.
- Epinephrine use can result in common general constitutional symptoms such as, nausea and vomiting.
Cardiovascular side-effects
- Epinephrine use can result in narrowing of blood vessels, contributing to elevated blood pressure, headache, and dizziness. This can be a serious issue, especially in individuals with history of hypertension.
- Epinephrine use can increase the cardiac performance and the pumping action of the heart, thus resulting in increased volume of blood pumped out of the heart during contraction of heart chambers. This action of epinephrine can also contribute to acutely elevated blood pressure, thus increasing the risk for development of stroke.
- Epinephrine use may cause very rapid heart rate and can lead to even arrhythmias. In individuals with history of arrhythmias, use of epinephrine can aggravate underlying cardiac arrhythmias leading to severe debility and death. Individuals can present with episodes of lightheadedness, dizziness, pounding heartbeat, and chest pain, due to arrhythmias secondary to epinephrine use.
- Epinephrine use can also result in narrowing of coronary arteries, supplying oxygenated blood to the heart, thus compromising the blood supply to the heart muscle. This can result in episodes of chest pain and heart attack.
