Epinephrine
Epinephrine is an injected medicine used to treat severe allergic
reactions, breathing problems, and cardiac arrest.
Epinephrine:
- Stops further release of histamine and other
chemicals, preventing an increasingly severe reaction.
- Narrows the blood vessels, which raises blood pressure. This may
prevent the severe low blood pressure that occurs during a severe allergic
reaction.
- Stops leakage of fluids from blood vessels into body
tissues.
- Relaxes the muscles of the respiratory tract, relieving
wheezing and breathing difficulty.
- Increases the heart rate.
A severe or fatal stroke, heart irregularity, or heart attack can
occur if the wrong dose of epinephrine is mistakenly injected into a blood
vessel or if an overdose is given.
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