There are many emergency drugs that you should know for your daily practice. Some of them are listed below with doses and side effects.
| Drugs (Brand Names) | Indications | Route | Adult Dose | Side Effects |
| Adenosine (Adenocard, Adenoscan, Adeno-jec, My-O-Den, Myoden) | Acute treatment of supraventricular tachycardia | IV | 1st 0.1 mg/kg/dose 2nd 0.2mg/kg/dose 3rd 0.3mg/kg/dose. | Discomfort in neck or jaw Flushing (sudden warmth, redness, or tingly feeling) Headache, dizziness Nausea Shortness of breath |
| Albuterol/ Salbutamol (ProAir HFA, ProAir RespiClick, Proventil HFA, Ventolin HFA, AccuNeb) | Asthmatic bronchospasm | Inhalation | 2 puffs, Repeat as needed | Body aches Chest pain, fast or pounding heartbeats Cough, sore throat, sinus pain, runny or stuffy nose Dizziness Feeling shaky or nervous Painful urination Upset stomach, vomiting |
| Aminophylline (Elixophyllin, Theo-24, Slo-phyllin, Uniphyl) | Acute asthma Chronic bronchitis Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Emphysema | IV over 30 mins | 5.7 mg/kg (max. 500 mg) | Cardiac arrest Hypokalemia Insomnia Nausea Seizures Ventricular tachycardia |
| Amyl Nitrite Inhalation (Amyl Nitrite) | Angina pectoris | Nasal | 1 ampule (0.3 ml) Repeat within 1-5 mins if needed | Blurred vision Dizziness and headaches Low blood pressure Nausea and vomiting Shortness of breath Psychological effects |
| Atropine Sulphate (Atropine Atnaa, Busulfex, Motofen, Donnatal, Atropine, Duodote, Isopto Atropine, Elon-plus, Minims Atropine Sulfate, Lomotil, Phenohytro) | Acute severe bradycardia Organophosphate- carbamate toxicity | IV | 0.02 mg/kg/dose, may repeat x 1 dose in 3 minutes | Dizziness Dry mouth Headache and drowsiness Hypersensitivity reactions Rapid heart rate Sensitivity to light |
| Aspirin (Aspi-Cor, Aspir 81, Aspir-Low, Bayer Plus,) | Myocardial infarction | Oral | 81 mg chewable tablet | Drowsiness Heart burn Mild headache Upset stomach |
| Caffeine sodium benzoate (Caffeine and Sodium Benzoate Injection) | Acute respiratory depression | IV IM | 500 mg-1 g (250–500 mg) | Cardiac arrhythmias Insomnia and anxiety Nausea and gastric irritation Restlessness, nervousness, and seizures Tachycardia |
| Calcium Gluconate (Calcium gluconate) | Dysrhythmia and cardiotoxicity Tetany and hypocalcemia Ventricular arrhythmias | Oral IV | 500 to 2000 mg/day 100 mg/kg May repeat x 1 | Bradycardia Irregular heartbeats Nausea, diarrhea, and decreased appetite Paresthesia |
| Chlorpheniramine (Allerief, Allercalm, Hayleve, Pollenase, Piriton) | Allergic reactions | Oral | 1 tablet or 10 ml liquid medicine (4 mg) every 4-6 hours | Dizziness and disturbed coordination Drowsiness, tremor, and fatigue Dry mouth Nervousness or restlessness Palpitations and mood changes |
| Dextrose 10% (10% Dextrose injection, G-10%) | Hypoglycemia Hyperkalemia in combination with insulin | IV | 0.2 Gm/kg Then continuous infusion of 4-8 mg/kg/min. until normoglycemia | Flushing (warmth, redness, or tingly feeling) for several minutes after a Dextrose injection Pain or tenderness where an injection was given |
| Digoxin (Digitek, Digox, Lanoxicaps, Lanoxin, Cardoxin ) | Abortion Arrhythmias Atrial fibrillation Congestive heart failure | IV | 10 -15 mcg/kg over 20 to 30 minutes | Diarrhoea and stomach pain Difficulty breathing Dizziness, drowsiness, and headache Loss of appetite and vomiting Unusual weight gain and oedema |
| Diphenylhydantoin sodium (Dilantin, Phenytek) | Arrhythmia Bipolar disorder Epilepsies Retina protection Seizures Wound healing | Oral IV | 1 g divided into 3 doses (400 mg, 300 mg, 300 mg) given at 2-hour intervals 10 to 15 mg/kg slowly | Chest pain, tachycardia, and hypotension Dyspnea Drowsiness, ataxia, confusion, insomnia Dry mouth Eye pain, conjunctivitis, photophobiaIrritability, nervousness, numbness, and psychotic disturbances Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation Tinnitus, headache, fatigue, and dizziness Tremor and oedema Weight gain or loss |
| Epinephrine (Adrenalin, Adrenalin Chloride, Audi-Q, Symjepi, Adrenaclick, Epipen, Epipen Jr) | Anaphylaxis Arrhythmia Cardiac arrest Severe bradycardia Septic shock Short term use for systemic hypotension | IV | 0.1mg/ml; 1: 1000 (1mg/ml), auto-injector 0.3 mg/ml (EpiPen), 0.15 mg/ml (EpiPen Jr). | Fast heartbeat and high blood pressure Headache and tremor Nausea and vomiting Nervousness, palpitations, and seizures Tingling and numbness |
| Glucose (Dex4, Insta-Glucose, Relion Grape, TRUEplus, Trutol Fruit Punch) | Hypoglycemia | oral | 15-100 g | Confusion Fever Light-headed feeling Severe shortness of breath, chest pain Sweating, pale skin Swelling in the hands or feet |
| Heparin (Heparin Leo, Hep-Pak, Hep-Pak CVC, Heparin Lock Flush, Heparin Sodium ADD-Vantage) | Atrial fibrillation Dialysis During surgical procedures Pulmonary embolism Thromboembolism | IV SC | 80 units/kg IV x 1, followed by a continuous infusion rate of 18 units/kg/hour. | Blood in urine or stool Coughing up blood Fatigue Nausea and bloody vomiting Pain and bruising |
| Hydrocortisone (A-Hydrocort, SoluCORTEF) | Allergic disorders Blood or bone marrow problems Dermatoses Endocrine disorders Eye inflammatory problems Immune conditions | IV | 50 to 100 mg for 6 hours | Dizziness Fluid retention Headache Increased appetite Rapid weight gain Shortness of breath |
| Isoproterenol (Isuprel) | Bradycardia Heart block | IV | 5 mcg/min (1.25 mL of a 1:250,000 dilution) | Blurred vision Fatigue Headache and dizziness Insomnia Nausea and gastric upset Nervousness Ventricular arrhythmia |
| Magnesium sulfate injection (Magnesium Sulfate) | Life-threatening seizures/Convulsions Pre-Eclampsia and Eclampsia | IV | 1 to 4 g in a 10% to 20% solution | Extreme drowsiness Flushing Numbness |
| Mannitol injection (Mannitol IV, Osmitrol) | Elevated intracranial & intraocular pressure Cerebral edema | IV | 50 – 200 g within 24 hours | Blurred vision Dizziness Headache Hypotension Irregular heartbeat Nausea |
| Morphine (Duramorph PF, Infumorph, Mitigo) | Pain Sedation | IV | 0.05-0.1 mg/kg | Constipation, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting Drowsiness, dizziness, tiredness Feelings of extreme happiness or sadness Sweating |
| Nalorphine (Nalorphine, Naloxone) | Severe acute respiratory depression | IV | 5-10 mg repeated every 10-15 minutes (max. 40 mg) | Cramps Drowsiness Headache Miosis Nausea |
| Neostigmine (Prostigmin, Bloxiverz) | Myasthenia gravis | IV | 0.03 mg/kg to 0.07 mg/kg, up to 5 mg | Abdominal cramps Dizziness Headache Itching Nausea Shortness of breath and irregular heartbeat Seizures |
| Nitroglycerin (Nitroglycerin Lingual Spray) | Angina pectoris | Sublingual | 0.4 mg every 3-5 minutes | Dizziness Flushing Headache Nausea, vomiting Paresthesia Tachycardia |
| NorEpinephrine (Levophed, Levarterenol) | Critical hypotension | IV | 1-30 mcg/min | Blurred vision Headache Insomnia Irregular heart rate Irritation and numbness Problems with vision, speech, or balance |
| Oxygen (Oxygen gas) | All emergencies | Inhalation | 100% | Dry or bloody nose Morning headache Skin irritation Tiredness |
| Phenobarbital (Donnatal, Luminal, Phenobarb, Phenohytro) | All types of seizures | IV | 20 mg/kg; (5-10 mg/kg in 20 minutes, max. 30 mg/kg) | Dizziness Drowsiness Loss of coordination Numbness Shallow breathing Skin rash |
| Phenylephrine (Neo-Synephrine, Pretz-D, Rhinall, Nostril, Tur-Bi-Cal, Vicks Sinex) | Nasal congestion | Oral | 10 mg every 4 hours; max. 60 mg per 24 hours | Flushing Headache Hypertension Insomnia Irregular heartbeat Loss of appetite Nausea and vomiting Tingling, restlessness, and nervousness |
| Pentobarbital (Nembutal, Nembutal sodium) | Short term of insomnia Surgery (pre-anesthesia) Seizure | IV | Max. 50 mg/min | Bradycardia Drowsiness Hallucinations Headache and dizziness Insomnia Nausea and vomiting Respiratory depression Restlessness |
| Procainamide (Procan, Pronestyl) | Life-threatening ventricular arrythmias Local or regional anesthesia Ventricular tachycardia | 100 mg/dose at a 50 mg/minute rate repeated every 5 minutes | Bitter taste Dizziness or light headedness Irregular heartbeats Stomach upset Vomiting and loss of appetite | |
| Protamine injection (Protamine) | Antidote to heparin | IV | 1 to 1.5 mg of protamine per 100 units of heparin | Breathing problems and chest pain Dizziness Fatigue Unusual bleeding or bruising |
| Sodium bicarbonate 8.4% | Severe metabolic acidosis | IV Oral | 1 – 2 mEq/kg | Feeling irritable Muscle spasm, stiffness Shortness of breath Swelling in the arm or leg Twitching |
| Vecuronium (Vecuronium Bromide, Norcuron) | Paralysis Rapid sequence intubation | IV | 0.1 mg/kg | Muscle weakness Weak or shallow breathing |
| Saline for injection (Normal Saline, Sterile Saline) | Severe salt depletion Hyponatremia and hypochloremia Drugs dilution for IV, IM, SC injection | IV IV, IM, SC for injection | According to physician | Fever Rash Shortness of breath Tachycardia |
| Water for injection (sterile water) | Prepare or deliver IV drugs | IV | As needed | No side effects |
References
- https://fadic.net/most-important-emergency-drugs-and-aids/#8
- https://www.javatpoint.com/list-of-emergency-drugs-and-their-actions
- https://instapdf.in/emergency-drug-their-actions/
- https://www.dentalcare.com/en-us/ce-courses/ce391/emergency-drugs
- www.drugs.com