What Are the Most Common Epinephrine Side Effects?
Adrenaline and norepinephrine are commonly used first aid drugs, and excessive amounts can cause poisoning. A small number of patients are highly sensitive to adrenaline, although adverse effects can occur even at therapeutic doses. Patients with previous hyperthyroidism and cardiovascular disease are also more sensitive to adrenaline and are prone to poisoning.
- English name
- Epinephrine Poisoning
- Visiting department
- Emergency Department
- Common causes
- Caused by excessive drug dose
- Common symptoms
- Nausea and vomiting, pale complexion, tachycardia, chest pressure, unstable gait, chills, fever, sweating, dilated pupils, wheezing breathing, convulsions, etc.
Basic Information
Causes of adrenaline poisoning
- Adrenaline poisoning is mostly caused by excessive drug doses; in addition, those who are allergic to this product may also have serious adverse reactions at low doses. Norepinephrine poisoning is usually caused by excessive dosage or rapid intravenous drip.
Clinical manifestations of adrenaline poisoning
- Misuse of epinephrine can cause nausea, vomiting, pale, tachycardia, chest pressure, premature ventricular beat, increased blood pressure, muscle tremor, unstable gait, chills, fever, sweating, and dilated pupil , Wheezing breathing, convulsions, etc. When the blood pressure rises sharply, there is a pulsatile headache. Pulmonary edema, ventricular fibrillation, cerebral hemorrhage, coma, cardiac and respiratory central paralysis often occur in severe children.
- The side effects and toxicity of norepinephrine are similar to that of epinephrine. Misuse of it can cause extensive vasospasm. Children with pale faces and bruising at the extremities of the limbs may experience headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, sweating, and ventricular Or supraventricular premature beat, sinus bradycardia, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, etc. Persistent overdose can affect the blood circulation of the central nervous system and the main organs such as the heart and kidney, and cause ischemic symptoms and functional impairment of each system, aggravating the original shock. Such as leakage of the drug solution at the intravenous injection site and application of high concentration of drug solution, local necrosis of the extremities and injection can occur. Children with shock are more likely to have this phenomenon due to local drug stagnation.
Adrenaline poisoning test
- Routine tests as well as blood and urine can prove the poison.
Adrenaline poisoning diagnosis
- Diagnosis can be made based on medical history, clinical symptoms and laboratory test data.
Adrenaline poisoning treatment
- If symptoms of poisoning occur, discontinue treatment immediately. When an injection is overdose, a tourniquet is temporarily ligated immediately above the injection site to delay drug absorption. When the blood pressure is too high, fast-acting vasodilator drugs such as isoamyl nitrite inhalation or nitroglycerin tablets under the tongue can be used. When the blood pressure increases moderately and the heart rate is fast, antihypertensive drugs can be used. If there is ventricular fibrillation, drug defibrillation or electric shock defibrillation should be performed quickly; if the effect is not good, an artificial cardiac pacemaker can be used. If there is local leakage or early necrosis of norepinephrine, the upper part of the necrosis or the area around the leak is locally closed; at the same time, the wound is protected from infection.