Possible Interaction: Epinephrine and Vasodilator Agents

“In fact, authoritative voices such as Adams and Victor5 have warned against lowering blood pressure in this setting with statements such as, Vasodilators may actually be harmful rather than beneficial,” and “Injections of epinephrine have been recommended as means of raising the systemic blood pressure above the usual levels.””

“1,2 It is well known that rapidly acting vasodilators , such as nitrites, may counteract the marked pressor effects induced by epinephrine.”

“The vasodilator and vasoconstrictor responses could be mimicked with systemic or local administration of epinephrine.”

“ Vasodilator drugs reduced the sweat output induced by Adr , whereas the beta-antagonist propranolol increased it.”

“This substance has been shown by previous workers to block inhibitor and vasodilator effects of epinephrine and related catechol amines.”

“The available evidence indicates that epinephrine toxicity is most readily reduced by vasodilator drugs which represent physiological antagonists, and by adrenergic blocking drugs which are pharmacological antagonists of epinephrine.”

“Eventually, after a latent period of nearly 20 years, it slowly dawned on me that if the patient was anaesthetized with nitrous oxide and oxygen, the novocain not only performed no useful function, but was actually a nuisance, in that its vasodilator effect counteracted the adrenaline.”