Sodium nitroprusside is indicated for the immediate reduction of blood pressure of adult and pediatric patients in hypertensive crises. Concomitant longer-acting antihypertensive medication should be administered so that the duration of treatment with sodium nitroprusside can be minimized.
From the U.S. FDA-approved label for Sodium nitroprusside. Full label: DailyMed.
Sodium nitroprusside is indicated for the immediate reduction of blood pressure of adult and pediatric patients in hypertensive crises. Concomitant longer-acting antihypertensive medication should be administered so that the duration of treatment with sodium nitroprusside can be minimized. Sodium nitroprusside is also indicated for producing controlled hypotension in order to reduce bleeding during surgery. Sodium nitroprusside is also indicated for the treatment of acute congestive heart failure.
From the U.S. FDA-approved label for Sodium nitroprusside. Full label: DailyMed.
Dilution to Proper Strength for Infusion: Depending on the desired concentration, the solution containing 50 mg of Sodium Nitroprusside Injection must be further diluted in 250 to 1000 mL of sterile 5% dextrose injection. The diluted solution should be protected from light, using the supplied opaque sleeve, aluminum foil, or other opaque material. It is not necessary to cover the infusion drip chamber or the tubing.
Directions from the U.S. FDA-approved label — your doctor or pharmacist may advise differently.
Sodium nitroprusside should not be used in the treatment of compensatory hypertension, where the primary hemodynamic lesion is aortic coarctation or arteriovenous shunting. Sodium nitroprusside should not be used to produce hypotension during surgery in patients with known inadequate cerebral circulation, or in moribund patients (A.S.A. Class 5E) coming to emergency surgery. Patients with congenital (Leber’s) optic atrophy or with tobacco amblyopia have unusually high cyanide/thiocyanate ratios.
Excerpt from the U.S. FDA-approved label. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before use.
(See also the boxed warning at the beginning of this insert.) The principal hazards of Sodium Nitroprusside Injection administration are excessive hypotension and excessive accumulation of cyanide (see also OVERDOSAGE and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION ). Excessive Hypotension: Small transient excesses in the infusion rate of sodium nitroprusside can result in excessive hypotension, sometimes to levels so low as to compromise the perfusion of vital organs. These hemodynamic changes may lead to a variety of associated symptoms; see ADVERSE REACTIONS.
Warnings and precautions excerpt from the U.S. FDA-approved label — not a complete list. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before use.
The most important adverse reactions to sodium nitroprusside are the avoidable ones of excessive hypotension and cyanide toxicity, described above under WARNINGS. The adverse reactions described in this section develop less rapidly and, as it happens, less commonly. Methemoglobinemia: As described in CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY above, sodium nitroprusside infusions can cause sequestration of hemoglobin as methemoglobin.
Excerpt from the U.S. FDA-approved label — not a complete list. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor about side effects.
Store at 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F). Protect Sodium Nitroprusside Injection from light, it should be stored in its carton until it is used.
Storage information from the U.S. FDA-approved label.
This page is information only and is not medical advice. Medicine details come from the sources listed above and may change — always confirm the medicine, strength and dose with a pharmacist or doctor before use. NLEM listing does not guarantee that a medicine is in stock at any pharmacy.
