Medication 7-965 - Xopenex (Levalbuterol)

Polk, Hickory, Cedar, & St Clair EMS Protocols

Scope of Practice:

• Advanced Emergency Medical Technician
• Registered Nurse
• Paramedic
• Community Paramedic

Route(s):

• Neb,

Pharmacodynamics (class and mechanism of action):

• β2 (Beta-2) Agonist (β2 Beta-2 receptor agonist with some β1 Beta-1 activity).

Pharmacokinetics:

• Half-life: 3.25-4 hours.
• Onset time: 5-15 minutes.
• Peak action time: 1 hour.
• Duration of action: 3-4 hours.

• Peak	21	42	63	84	105	126	147	168	189	210	231	minutes
  Duration	21	42	63	84	105	126	147	168	189	210	231	minutes

Dosing:

• Refer to specific protocol(s) below for dose(s).

Indications:

• Protocol 2-770 - Respiratory Distress.

Contraindications:

• Hypersensitivity to Levalbuterol or Racemic Albuterol.

Pregnancy Risk Factor:

• Category C
• Risk not ruled out: Animal reproduction studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus and there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in humans, but potential benefits may warrant use of the drug in pregnant women despite potential risks. FDA requires a relatively large amount of high-quality data on a pharmaceutical for it to be defined as Pregnancy Category A. As a result of this, many drugs that would be considered Pregnancy Category A in other countries are allocated to Category C by the FDA.

Potential Incompatibilities:

• None.

Precautions and Adverse Effects:

• Use caution with arrhythmias, Hypertension, paradoxical Bronchospasm.
• May cause rhinitis, headache, tremor, sinusitis, Tachycardia, nervousness, edema, Hyperglycemia, and/or hypokalemia.

Antidote:

• Romazicon.

Controlled Substance Information:

• Not a scheduled drug
• The DEA and FDA have not identified this drug with a schedule classification.
• DEA number: NA.
• Narcotic: No.
• Street names: NA.

CMH PHS Mission: "Provide safe, exceptional, and compassionate care to our communities with an emphasis on highly trained and empowered staff."

Polk, Hickory, Cedar, & St Clair County EMS Protocols by Theron Becker is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.