Dopamine Injection: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Precautions and Alternates

Quick overview

Dopamine Injection (dopamine hydrochloride) is a catecholamine used as an inotropic agent and vasopressor. It is given through an IV in a hospital, usually in an intensive care setting, to treat shock and improve blood flow, blood pressure, and heart function. It is also used for poor kidney function with low urine output.

What is Dopamine Injection

Dopamine Injection is a medicine given through an IV that contains a man-made version of a substance your body naturally makes. It is used in hospitals, usually in an intensive care setting, to treat shock and help improve blood flow and heart function.

Dopamine Injection uses

• Improving blood flow and blood pressure status in patients in shock
• Shock caused by reduced heart output (e.g., after a heart attack)
• Shock from blood infection (septicemia), injury, heart failure, or open heart surgery
• Low blood pressure
• Poor kidney function and low urine output

Benefits of Dopamine Injection

• Helps increase the strength of heart muscle contractions
• Improves blood flow and oxygen supply to the kidneys, brain, gut, and heart
• Can increase urine production and help protect the kidneys
• Improves blood pressure in patients in shock

How Dopamine Injection works

Dopamine acts on different receptors in the body depending on the dose. At low doses it widens blood vessels in the kidneys and gut, increasing blood flow and urine output. At medium doses it makes the heart beat stronger and faster. At high doses it narrows blood vessels and raises blood pressure.

Dopamine Injection dosage

This medicine is given only by a healthcare provider as a continuous drip into a vein, never by mouth or injection into muscle. It must be diluted before it is given to you. It is usually given into a large vein using a pump, preferably in an intensive care unit.

Your doctor will check the IV site often and will want to know right away if you feel any burning, pain, or swelling where the needle enters your skin. Your breathing, blood pressure, oxygen levels, kidney function, and other vital signs will be watched closely while you receive this medicine.

If the medicine needs to be stopped, your doctor will lower the dose gradually rather than stopping it suddenly, and will give you extra fluids to prevent a sudden drop in blood pressure. This product is not recommended for use in children, according to one source, although another source notes it has been used in children from birth through the teenage years.

Available forms and strengths

• Injection

Side effects of Dopamine Injection

Common

• Headache
• Fast, slow, or pounding heartbeat
• Chest pain and awareness of an irregular pulse
• Difficulty breathing
• Low blood pressure (may cause faintness or dizziness)
• Narrowing of blood vessels (skin may turn cold, pale, or bluish)
• Nausea and vomiting
• Feeling anxious
• Chills, goosebumps
• Hot flushes - a sensation of warmth on the face, ears, neck, and chest

Serious

• Serious allergic reaction: sudden wheezing, difficulty breathing, swelling of the eyelids, face, lips, rash, or itching over the whole body
• Pain in the fingers or toes, which at higher doses can lead to gangrene, especially in people with circulation problems
• Severe irregular heartbeat
• Tissue damage if the medicine leaks out of the vein into surrounding tissue (pain or swelling at the injection site)

Warnings and precautions

• This medicine should not be given to people with a tumor of the adrenal gland called pheochromocytoma.
• This medicine can cause severe narrowing of blood vessels and reduced blood flow to tissues, especially if low blood volume is not corrected first. Your doctor will monitor your arms and legs for any changes.
• If the medicine leaks out of the vein into the surrounding tissue, it can cause tissue damage and tissue death. Tell your doctor right away if you notice pain or swelling where the IV is placed.
• This medicine can cause irregular heartbeats, so your heart rhythm will be monitored closely during treatment.
• Stopping this medicine suddenly can cause a sharp drop in blood pressure, so your doctor will lower the dose gradually.
• This medicine contains a preservative called sodium metabisulfite, which can rarely cause severe allergic reactions, including breathing difficulties, especially in people with asthma.
• If you have recently taken medicines for depression called MAO inhibitors (within the last two to three weeks), tell your doctor, as your dose will need to be greatly reduced to avoid dangerously high blood pressure.
• This medicine should only be used in pregnancy if it is absolutely necessary, as its effects on the fetus are not fully known. However, treating shock in a pregnant woman is considered a medical emergency, and treatment should not be withheld because of pregnancy concerns.
• It is not known whether this medicine passes into breast milk or what effect it may have on a nursing infant. It should only be used while breastfeeding if truly necessary.
• Tell your doctor if you have any kidney disease before receiving this medicine. Your kidney function will be closely monitored during treatment.
• Tell your doctor if you have any liver disease before receiving this medicine.
• Driving does not apply because of how the medicine is used (given only in a hospital setting) and its very short duration of action in the body.

Storage

• Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the ampoule label and carton after EXP
• Do not store above 25°C
• Keep the ampoule in the outer carton in order to protect from light
• If only part used, discard the remaining solution
• If the solution appears darker than slightly yellow or discoloured in any other way, it should be returned unused to the pharmacist
• Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children

When to see a doctor

• Get emergency help right away if you have signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as hives, difficulty breathing, or swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
• Tell your caregivers immediately if you feel light-headed like you might pass out, have chest pain, a fast, slow, or pounding heartbeat, shortness of breath, or your hands or feet feel cold, numb, or look blue or darkened.
• Tell your doctor right away if you notice any pain or swelling where the IV is placed, as this could mean the medicine has leaked into the surrounding tissue.

Alternatives

• Adrenaline Injection
• Vasopressin Injection
• Phenylephrine Injection