Source: Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (GB) Revision Year: 2018 Publisher: Amdipharm UK Limited, Capital House, 85 King William Street, London EC4N 7BL, UK
Pharmacotherapeutic group: adrenergic and dopaminergic agent
ATC code: C01CA
Phenylephrine hydrochloride is a sympathomimetic agent with mainly direct effects on adrenergic receptors. It has predominantly alpha-adrenergic activity and is without significant stimulating effects on the central nervous system at usual doses.
After injection it produces peripheral vasoconstriction and increased arterial pressure; it also causes reflex bradycardia.
When injected subcutaneously or intramuscularly, phenylephrine takes 10 to 15 minutes to act. Subcutaneous and intramuscular injections are effective for up to about one and up to about two hours respectively. Intravenous injections are effective for up to about 20 minutes.
Phenylephrine is metabolised in the liver by monoamine oxidase.
The metabolites, their route and rate of excretion have not been identified.
Phenylephrine has been used to induce cardiac myocyte hypertrophy in cultures of rat neonatal mycocytes at doses of 100 µM and 10 µM. To the best of our knowledge there have been no human studies associating therapeutic phenylephrine use with the development of cardiac myocyte hypertrophy.
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