Alfentanil Side Effects Center

What Is Alfentanil?

Alfentanil HCl Injection is an opioid analgesic (pain reliever) indicated as an analgesic adjunct given in incremental doses in the maintenance of anesthesia with barbiturate/nitrous oxide/oxygen; as an analgesic administered by continuous infusion with nitrous oxide/oxygen in the maintenance of general anesthesia; as a primary anesthetic agent for the induction of anesthesia in patients undergoing general surgery in which endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation are required; and as the analgesic component for monitored anesthesia care (MAC). Alfentanil is available in generic form.

What Are Side Effects of Alfentanil?

Alfentanil may cause serious side effects including:

• hives,
• difficulty breathing,
• swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat,
• blurred vision,
• chest pain or pressure,
• confusion,
• dizziness,
• fainting,
• lightheadedness,
• fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat,
• pounding pulse,
• headache,
• fast or shallow breathing,
• nervousness,
• breathing that stops,
• pale or blue lips, fingernails, or skin,
• pounding in the ears,
• sweating,
• unusual tiredness,
• weakness,
• cough,
• noisy breathing,
• rigid or stiffness of the neck, arms, and legs,
• tightness in the chest,
• agitation,
• cough,
• darkening of the skin,
• diarrhea,
• trouble swallowing,
• fever,
• itching,
• skin rash,
• loss of appetite,
• nausea,
• overactive reflexes,
• poor coordination,
• restlessness,
• shivering,
• sweating,
• talking or acting with excitement you cannot control,
• trembling,
• twitching, and
• vomiting

Get medical help right away, if you have any of the symptoms listed above.

Common side effects of alfentanil include:

• respiratory depression,
• muscle rigidity,
• nausea,
• low or high blood pressure,
• vomiting,
• itching,
• confusion,
• drowsiness,
• agitation,
• arrhythmia,
• slow or fast heart rate,
• blurred vision,
• dizziness, and
• postoperative sleepiness.

Seek medical care or call 911 at once if you have the following serious side effects:

• Serious eye symptoms such as sudden vision loss, blurred vision, tunnel vision, eye pain or swelling, or seeing halos around lights;
• Serious heart symptoms such as fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeats; fluttering in your chest; shortness of breath; and sudden dizziness, lightheadedness, or passing out;
• Severe headache, confusion, slurred speech, arm or leg weakness, trouble walking, loss of coordination, feeling unsteady, very stiff muscles, high fever, profuse sweating, or tremors.

This document does not contain all possible side effects and others may occur. Check with your physician for additional information about side effects.

Dosage for Alfentanil

The dosage of alfentanil HCl injection is individualized and adjusted to the desired effect in each patient according to body weight, physical status, underlying pathological condition, use of other drugs, and type and duration of surgical procedure and anesthesia.

What Drugs, Substances, or Supplements Interact with Alfentanil?

Alfentanil may interact with other CNS depressants (such as barbiturates, tranquilizers, opioids, or inhalation general anesthetics), erythromycin, cimetidine, and drugs affecting hepatic blood flow or enzyme function. Tell your doctor all medications and supplements you use.

Alfentanil During Pregnancy or Breastfeeding

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant before using alfentanil; it is unknown how it might affect a fetus. Alfentanil passes into breast milk. Consult your doctor before breastfeeding. Withdrawal symptoms may occur if you suddenly stop taking alfentanil.

Additional Information

Our Alfentanil HCl Injection Side Effects Drug Center provides a comprehensive view of available drug information on the potential side effects when taking this medication.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.