Dopamine (DO-pa-meen)
Consumer Medicine Information
What is in this leaflet
This leaflet answers some common questions about DBL Sterile Dopamine Concentrate.
It does not contain all the available information.
It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.
All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you being
given DBL Sterile Dopamine Concentrate against the benefits they expect it will have
for you.
If you have any concerns about being given this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Keep this leaflet in a safe place. You may need to read it again.
What DBL Sterile Dopamine Concentrate is used for
Dopamine acts in different ways, depending on the dose given. At low doses, dopamine
increases blood flow to the kidneys. At higher doses, it increases the blood flow
to the muscles and can increase the heart’s pumping efficiency.
Dopamine may be used to increase low blood pressure in people who have:
experienced a heart attack
a severe infection
lost blood during an accident
kidney failure
problems after surgery.
Dopamine may be used to help the heart pump better in some people with congestive
heart failure.
Your doctor may have prescribed DBL Sterile Dopamine Concentrate for another reason.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why DBL Sterile Dopamine Concentrate
has been prescribed for you.
There is no evidence that dopamine is addictive.
This medicine is available only with a doctor’s prescription.
Before you are given DBL Sterile Dopamine Concentrate
When you must not be given it
You must not be given DBL Sterile Dopamine Concentrate if you have an allergy to dopamine
or any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet.
Symptoms of an allergic reaction may include:
shortness of breath, wheezing or difficulty breathing
swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body
rash, itching or hives on the skin.
You should not be given dopamine if you have any of the following medical conditions:
adrenal gland tumour (phaeochromocytoma)
fast or irregular heart beat (arrhythmia, ventricular fibrillation)
overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism).
liver disease
kidney disease
You should not be given dopamine if:
you are being given certain anaesthetics at the same time
you are currently using ergotamine, a medicine used to treat migraines.
If you are not sure whether you should be given dopamine, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Before you are given it
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have allergies to:
any other medicines
sulfites
any other substances, such as foods, preservatives or dyes.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or intend to become pregnant.
If it is necessary for you to be given dopamine, your doctor will discuss the risks
and benefits of using it during pregnancy.
Tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding or plan to breast-feed.
Your doctor will discuss the possible risks and benefits of you being given dopamine
during breast-feeding.
Tell your doctor if you have or have had any medical conditions, especially the following:
hardening of the blood vessels
Raynaud’s disease, where the fingers become white and very painful when cold
diabetes
frostbite
high blood pressure.
If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell them before you are
given dopamine.
Taking other medicines
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are using any other medicines, including any
that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food
shop.
Some medicines and dopamine may interfere with each other. These include:
some anaesthetic agents
ergotamine, methysergide and dihydroergotamine (medicines used to prevent or treat
migraines)
some heart and blood pressure tablets, including digoxin, prazosin, beta-blockers
such as propranolol and metoprolol, calcium channel blockers and glyceryl trinitrate
antidepressants (MAO inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants)
haloperidol or droperidol (medicines used to treat some mental illnesses)
medicines used to control seizures (fits), such as phenytoin.
These medicines may be affected by dopamine, or may affect how well it works. You
may need different amounts of your medicine, or you may need to take different medicines.
Your doctor or pharmacist will advise you.
Your doctor and pharmacist may have more information on medicines to be careful with
or avoid while being given dopamine.
How DBL Sterile Dopamine Concentrate is given
How much is given
Your doctor will decide what dose you will receive. This depends on your condition
and other factors, such as your weight.
How it is given
DBL Sterile Dopamine Concentrate is diluted and given slowly as an infusion (a drip)
into a vein. This medicine should only be given by a doctor, nurse or other trained
person.
If you take too much (overdose)
As DBL Sterile Dopamine Concentrate is given to you in hospital under the supervision
of your doctor, it is very unlikely that you will receive an overdose. Symptoms of
a dopamine overdose include the effects listed below in the ‘Side Effects’ section
but are usually of a more severe nature.
While you are being given DBL Sterile Dopamine Concentrate
Things you must do
Tell any other doctors, dentists and pharmacists who treat you that you have been
given dopamine.
Be sure to keep all of your doctor’s appointments so that your progress can be checked.
Your doctor will check your progress and may want to take some tests from time to
time. This helps to prevent unwanted side effects.
Things to be careful of
Be careful driving or operating machinery until you know how this medicine affects
you.
If you are feeling dizzy or drowsy do not drive, operate machinery, or do anything
else that could be dangerous.
Side effects
Tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well
while you are being given dopamine or soon after the injection.
Dopamine may have unwanted side effects in a few people. All medicines can have side
effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need
medical treatment if you get some of the side effects.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.
Tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist if you notice any of the following and they
worry you:
dizziness
nausea
vomiting
headache
anxiety.
These are the more common side effects of dopamine and are usually mild.
Tell your doctor or nurse immediately if you notice any of the following:
cold or tingling feet which may indicate problems with blood circulation
chest pain
irregular or rapid heart beat
difficulty breathing.
These may be serious side effects. You may need urgent medical attention. Serious
side effects are rare.
Other side effects not listed above may occur in some patients. Tell your doctor,
pharmacist or nurse if you notice anything that is making you feel unwell.
Do not be alarmed by this list of possible side effects.
You may not experience any of them.
After you are given DBL Sterile Dopamine Concentrate
Storage
DBL Sterile Dopamine Injection Concentrate will be stored in the pharmacy or on the
ward. The injection is kept in a cool dry place, protected from light, where the
temperature stays below 30C.
Product description
What it looks like
DBL Sterile Dopamine Concentrate is a sterile, clear colourless to pale yellow liquid
in a glass ampoule.
Each 5 mL ampoule contains 200 milligrams of dopamine hydrochloride.
It is available in packs of 5 ampoules.
Ingredients
Active ingredients:
Dopamine hydrochloride.
Other ingredients
Water for Injection
Sodium metabisulfite.
DBL Sterile Dopamine Concentrate does not contain lactose, sucrose, gluten, tartrazine
or any other azo dyes.
Supplier
Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd
Sydney NSW
Toll Free Number: 1800 675 229
www.pfizer.com.au
Australian Registration Number:
AUST R 16378
This leaflet was updated in:
August 2021.
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© Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd 2021