Labetalol

LABETALOL
Class: Beta-Blocker with Alpha-Blocking Activity
Indications Treatment of mild-to-severe hypertension; I.V. for severe hypertension , Pediatric

hypertension; management of pre-eclampsia; severe hypertension in pregnancy; hypertension during
acute ischemic stroke
Available dosage form in the hospital: 200MG VIAL
Dosage:
-Hypertension: Oral: Initial: 100 mg twice daily, may increase as needed every 2-3 days by 100 mg
twice daily (titration increments not to exceed 200 mg twice daily) until desired response is obtained;
usual dose: 100-400 mg twice daily , may require up to 2.4 g/day.
-Acute hypertension (hypertensive emergency/urgency):
-I.V. bolus: Initial: 20 mg I.V. push over 2 minutes; may administer 40-80 mg at 10-minute
intervals, up to 300 mg total cumulative dose; as appropriate, follow with oral antihypertensive
regimen
-I.V. infusion (acute loading): Initial: 2 mg/minute; titrate to response up to 300 mg total cumulative
dose (eg, discontinue after 2.5 hours of 2 mg/minute); usual total dose required: 50-200 mg; as
appropriate, follow with oral antihypertensive regimen.
Note: Although loading infusions are well described in the product labeling, the labeling is silent in
specific clinical situations, such as in the patient who has an initial response to labetalol infusions but
cannot be converted to an oral route for subsequent dosing. There is limited documentation of
prolonged continuous infusions (ie, >300 mg/day). In rare clinical situations, higher continuous
infusion doses up to 6 mg/minute have been used in the critical care setting (eg, aortic dissection) and
up to 8 mg/minute (eg, hypertension with ongoing acute ischemic stroke). At these doses, it may be
best to consider an alternative agent if the labetalol infusion is not meeting the goals of therapy. At the
other extreme, continuous infusions at relatively low doses (0.03-0.1 mg/minute) have been used in
some settings (following loading infusion in patients who are unable to be converted to oral regimens
or in some cases as a continuation of outpatient oral regimens). These prolonged infusions should not
be confused with loading infusions. Because of wide variation in the use of infusions, an awareness of
institutional policies and practices is extremely important. Careful clarification of orders and specific
infusion rates/units is required to avoid confusion. Due to the prolonged duration of action, careful
monitoring should be extended for the duration of the infusion and for several hours after the infusion.
Excessive administration may result in prolonged hypotension and/or bradycardia.
-Arterial hypertension in acute ischemic stroke: I.V.:
-Patient otherwise eligible for reperfusion treatment (eg, alteplase) except blood pressure (BP)
>185/110 mm Hg: 10-20 mg over 1-2 minutes; may repeat once. If BP does not decline and remains
>185/110 mm Hg, alteplase should not be administered.
-Management of BP during and after reperfusion treatment (eg, alteplase) to maintain BP ≤180/105
mm Hg: If systolic BP >180-230 mm Hg or diastolic >105-120 mm Hg, then administer 10 mg over
1-2 minutes followed by an infusion of 2-8 mg/minute. If hypertension is refractory or diastolic BP
>140 mm Hg, consider other I.V. antihypertensives (eg, nitroprusside).
-I.V. to oral conversion: Upon discontinuation of I.V. infusion, may initiate oral dose of 200 mg
followed in 6-12 hours with an additional dose of 200-400 mg. Thereafter, dose patients with 400-2400
mg/day in divided doses depending on blood pressure response.
Geriatric
Refer to adult dosing. Hypertension: Oral:Manufacturer’s recommendations: Initial: 100 mg twice
daily; may titrate in increments of 100 mg twice daily; usual maintenance: 100-200 mg twice daily
ACCF/AHA Expert Consensus recommendations: Consider lower initial doses and titrating to
response (Aronow, 2011)
Common side effect: Cardiovascular: Orthostatic hypotension.
Central nervous system: Dizziness, fatigue .Gastrointestinal: Nausea.
Pregnancy Risk Factor: C

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Labetalol

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LABETALOL

Class: Beta-Blocker with Alpha-Blocking Activity

Indications Treatment of mild-to-severe hypertension; I.V. for severe hypertension , Pediatric

Available dosage form in the hospital: 200MG VIAL

Common side effect: Cardiovascular: Orthostatic hypotension.

Central nervous system: Dizziness, fatigue .Gastrointestinal: Nausea.

Pregnancy Risk Factor: C

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