Nitropress (Nitroprusside Sodium) Drug Information: Description, User Reviews, Drug Side Effects, Interactions

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May 26, 2012

Nitropress

High Blood Pressure »

High blood pressure facts

High blood pressure (hypertension) is designated as either essential (primary) hypertension or secondary hypertension and is defined as a consistently elevated blood pressure exceeding 140/90 mm Hg.
High blood pressure is called "the silent killer" because it often causes no symptoms for many years, even decades, until it finally damages certain critical organs.
Poorly controlled high blood pressure ultimately can cause damage to blood vessels in the eye, thickening of the heart muscle and heart attacks, hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis), kidney failure, and strokes.
Most antihypertensive medications can be used alone or in combination. Some are used only in combination. Some are preferred over others in certain specific medical situations. And some are not to be used (contraindicated) in other situations.
Several classes of antihypertensive medications are available, including ACE i...

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NITROPRESS
(sodium nitroprusside) Injection, Solution, Concentrate

Fliptop Vial

NITROPRESS ® (Sodium Nitroprusside Injection) is not suitable for direct injection. The solution must be further diluted in sterile 5% dextrose injection before infusion.

NITROPRESS (nitroprusside sodium) can cause precipitous decreases in blood pressure (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION). In patients not properly monitored, these decreases can lead to irreversible ischemic injuries or death. Sodium nitroprusside should be used only when available equipment and personnel allow blood pressure to be continuously monitored.

Except when used briefly or at low ( < 2 mcg/kg/min) infusion rates, sodium nitroprusside gives rise to important quantities of cyanide ion, which can reach toxic, potentially lethal levels (see WARNINGS). The usual dose rate is 0.5-10 mcg/kg/min, but infusion at the maximum dose rate should never last more than 10 minutes. If blood pressure has not been adequately controlled after 10 minutes of infusion at the maximum rate, administration of sodium nitroprusside should be terminated immediately.

Although acid-base balance and venous oxygen concentration should be monitored and may indicate cyanide toxicity, these laboratory tests provide imperfect guidance.

This package insert should be thoroughly reviewed before administration of NITROPRESS (nitroprusside sodium) .

DRUG DESCRIPTION

Sodium nitroprusside is disodium pentacyanonitrosylferrate(2-) dihydrate, an inorganic hypotensive agent whose structural formula is

NITROPRESS (sodium nitroprusside) Structural Formula Illustration

whose molecular formula is Na₂[Fe(CN)₅NO]• 2H₂O, and whose molecular weight is 297.95. Dry sodium nitroprusside is a reddish-brown powder, soluble in water. In an aqueous solution infused intravenously, sodium nitroprusside is a rapid-acting vasodilator, active on both arteries and veins.

Sodium nitroprusside solution is rapidly degraded by trace contaminants, often with resulting color changes. (See DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION section.) The solution is also sensitive to certain wavelengths of light, and it must be protected from light in clinical use.

NITROPRESS (Sodium Nitroprusside Injection) is available as:

50 mg Fliptop Vial - Each 2 mL vial contains the equivalent of 50 mg sodium nitroprusside dihydrate in sterile water for injection.

What are the possible side effects of nitroprusside (Nitropress)?

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Tell your caregivers at once if you have any of these serious side effects: