What is the most important information I should know about epinephrine injection?
Before using this medication, tell your doctor if you have heart disease or high blood pressure, a
heart rhythm disorder, coronary artery disease, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, or a thyroid disorder.
Before using epinephrine, tell your doctor about all other medications you use, especially
digoxin (digitalis, Lanoxin), heart or blood pressure medicine, heart rhythm medication, an
antidepressant, a diuretic (water pill), thyroid medication, migraine headache medicine, cold or sleep
medicine that contains an antihistamine, or an MAO inhibitor such as Marplan, Nardil, Azilect,
Eldepryl, Emsam, or Parnate.
Do not inject epinephrine into a vein or into the muscles of your buttocks,
or it may not work as well.
Inject it only into the fleshy outer portion of the thigh.
Accidentally injecting epinephrine into your hands or feet may result in a loss of blood flow
to those areas, and resulting numbness. If this occurs, seek emergency medical attention.
Seek emergency medical attention even after you use epinephrine to treat
a severe allergic reaction.
The effects of epinephrine injection may wear off after 10 or 20
minutes. You will need to receive further treatment and observation.
Before using epinephrine a second time, tell your doctor if your first injection caused a
serious side effect such as increased breathing difficulty, or dangerously high blood pressure (severe
headache, blurred vision, buzzing in your ears, anxiety, confusion, chest pain, shortness of breath,
uneven heartbeats, seizure).
Store the auto-injector device in the original tube it came in. Keep this tube at room
temperature away from direct sunlight, heat, and moisture. Do not refrigerate this medication, or store it
in a car.