Clevidipine

Clevidipine is a prescription medication used for treating hypertension.

• Clevidipine is available under the following different brand names: Cleviprex

Adult and pediatric dosage

Infusion solution

• 0.5mg/mL

Hypertension

Adult and geriatric  dosage

• 1-2 mg/hr (2-4 mL/hr), double dose every 90 sec initially; as blood pressure approaches goal, increase the dose by less than doubling, and increase the time between adjustments to every 5-10 mins  
• Maintenance: 4-6 mg/hr; not to exceed 21 mg/hr (1000 mL within 24 hour period)

Dosage Considerations – Should be Given as Follows: 

• See “Dosages”

Common side effects of the Clevidipine include:

• headache,
• constipation,
• nausea and
• vomiting.

Serious side effects of the Clevidipine include:

• hives,
• difficulty breathing,
• swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat,
• chest pain;
• pounding heartbeats or fluttering in the chest;
• a light-headed feeling;
• severe dizziness or confusion;
• vision problems;
• shortness of breath; or
• swelling in the hands or feet.

Rare side effects of the Clevidipine include:

• none 

This is not a complete list of side effects and other serious side effects or health problems that may occur as a result of the use of this drug. Call your doctor for medical advice about serious side effects or adverse reactions. You may report side effects or health problems to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

If your medical doctor is using this medicine to treat your pain, your doctor or pharmacist may already be aware of any possible drug interactions and may be monitoring you for them. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with your doctor, health care provider, or pharmacist first.

• Clevidipine has severe interactions with no other drugs.
• Clevidipine has serious interactions with the following drug:
  • lofexidine
• Clevidipine has moderate interactions with at least 63 other drugs.
• Clevidipine has minor interactions with at least 23 other drugs.

This information does not contain all possible interactions or adverse effects. Visit the RxList Drug Interaction Checker for any drug interactions. Therefore, before using this product, tell your doctor or pharmacist about all the products you use. Keep a list of all your medications with you and share this information with your doctor and pharmacist. Check with your health care professional or doctor for additional medical advice, or if you have health questions or concerns.

Contraindications

• Hypersensitivity to drugs, soy, or egg products
• Defective lipid metabolism
• Acute pancreatitis if accompanied by hyperlipidemia
• Severe aortic stenosis

Effects of drug abuse

• None

Short-Term Effects

• See “What Are Side Effects Associated with Using Clevidipine?”

Long-Term Effects

• See “What Are Side Effects Associated with Using Clevidipine?”

Cautions

• Use an aseptic technique and discard unused product within 12hr of stopper puncture
• May produce systemic hypotension and reflex tachycardia; if either occurs, decrease the dose of the drug; there is limited experience with short-duration therapy with beta-blockers as a treatment for drug-induced tachycardia; beta-blocker use for this purpose is not recommended
• The drug contains approximately 0.2 g of lipid per mL (2.0 kcal); lipid intake restrictions may be necessary for patients with significant disorders of lipid metabolism; for these patients, a reduction in the quantity of concurrently administered lipids may be necessary to compensate for the amount of lipid infused as part of drug formulation
• Dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers can produce negative inotropic effects and exacerbate heart failure; monitor heart failure patients carefully
• The drug is not a beta-blocker, does not reduce heart rate, and gives no protection against the effects of abrupt beta-blocker withdrawal; beta-blockers should be withdrawn only after a gradual reduction in dose
• Patients who receive prolonged infusions and are not transitioned to other antihypertensive therapies should be monitored for the possibility of rebound hypertension for at least 8 hours after the infusion is stopped
• There is no information to guide the use of drugs in treating hypertension associated with pheochromocytoma

Pregnancy and Lactation

• Available data based on post-marketing reports with use in pregnant women are not sufficient to inform a drug-associated risk for major birth defects, miscarriage, or adverse maternal or fetal outcomes; there are risks to mother and fetus associated with poorly controlled hypertension in pregnancy
• Hypertension in pregnancy increases the maternal risk for pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, premature delivery, and delivery complications (e.g., need for cesarean section and postpartum hemorrhage); hypertension increases the fetal risk for intrauterine growth restriction and intrauterine death; pregnant women with hypertension should be carefully monitored and managed accordingly
• Lactation
  • There are no data on the presence of drugs in human milk, effects on the breastfed infant, or milk production