Adasuve Inhaler: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Precautions and Alternates

Quick overview

Adasuve Inhaler (loxapine) is an inhaled antipsychotic medicine used to rapidly calm mild-to-moderate agitation in adults with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. It is given as a single-use handheld inhaler only in a hospital or certified healthcare setting under medical supervision. It works quickly, with effects beginning within about 10 minutes, but carries a risk of serious breathing problems that requires close monitoring after each dose.

What is Adasuve Inhaler

Adasuve is an inhaled antipsychotic medicine used to quickly calm mild-to-moderate agitation in adults with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. It comes in a single-use handheld inhaler and is given only in a hospital or certified healthcare setting under medical supervision.

Adasuve Inhaler uses

• Rapidly controls mild-to-moderate agitation associated with schizophrenia
• Rapidly controls mild-to-moderate agitation associated with bipolar disorder

Benefits of Adasuve Inhaler

• Begins reducing agitation within about 10 minutes
• Reaches peak blood levels quickly (median of 2 minutes)
• Non-invasive way to control agitation compared to injections

How Adasuve Inhaler works

Loxapine attaches to and blocks certain brain receptors for dopamine and serotonin, chemicals involved in agitation. By blocking these signals, it helps calm overactive brain activity and reduce agitation.

Adasuve Inhaler dosage

Adasuve is given as a single inhaled dose in a hospital or certified healthcare setting under direct medical supervision. A second dose may be given after two hours if needed. A lower dose may be used if the first dose was not well tolerated or if considered more suitable. Patients must be watched by medical staff for at least 1 hour after each dose for breathing problems or excessive sleepiness. This medicine is not meant for home use; information on using the inhaler device is in the package leaflet.

Available forms and strengths

• Inhalation powder in a single-use portable inhaler device

Side effects of Adasuve Inhaler

Common

• Altered or unpleasant taste in the mouth (dysgeusia)
• Drowsiness or sleepiness (sedation/somnolence)
• Dizziness
• Fatigue (feeling unusually tired)
• Throat irritation or dry mouth

Serious

• Severe narrowing of the airways (bronchospasm) leading to serious breathing difficulty or respiratory arrest
• Increased risk of death in elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis

Warnings and precautions

• This medicine can cause severe narrowing of the airways leading to serious breathing problems. It must not be used in people with asthma, COPD, active wheezing, or a history of lung disease.
• Because of the breathing risks, this medicine is only available through a special restricted program, and the treatment facility must have emergency airway-opening medicine and support ready.
• Antipsychotic medicines increase the risk of death in elderly people with dementia-related psychosis, and this medicine should not be used to treat behavioral changes caused by dementia.
• This medicine must not be used in people who are allergic to loxapine or any of its ingredients, or in those with wheezing, shortness of breath, asthma, or COPD.
• Kidney: No specific routine renal dose adjustment is established.
• Liver: Significant liver impairment requires clinical assessment.
• Driving: Loxapine can impair alertness and motor skills; driving should be avoided until its effects are known.
• Alcohol: Alcohol can increase sedation and central nervous system effects.
• Lungs: Adasuve can cause serious bronchospasm and is contraindicated in people with asthma, COPD, or active airway symptoms. Patients must be monitored for at least 1 hour after administration.
• Child Safety: Store the product out of the reach of children.

Storage

• Keep the single-use inhaler sealed in its original foil pouch until the exact moment you are ready to use it.
• Store the product out of the reach of children.
• Keep it in a cool, dry place protected from excess heat and direct sunlight.
• Adasuve is a single-use, disposable device administered strictly under healthcare supervision in a hospital or clinical setting—it is not stored or used at home. Once you tear open the foil pouch and pull the tab, you must use it within 15 minutes, after which the device automatically deactivates and must be discarded. Do not use past the expiration date on the label.

When to see a doctor

• Patients must be closely watched by medical staff for at least one hour after each dose to catch any signs of breathing trouble or excessive sleepiness.
• A fast-acting airway-opening medicine must be available in case the patient develops sudden difficulty breathing (bronchospasm) after taking this medicine.

Alternatives

• Haloperidol
• Aripiprazole
• Ziprasidone
• Olanzapine