Labetalol Hydrochloride

Adults: Oral, Adults: The recommended starting dose is 100 mg twice a day, whether Labetalol Hydrochloride is used alone or together with a diuretic. The usual maintenance dose is 200 to 400 mg twice daily. Patients with severe hypertension may need 1,200 to 2,400 mg per day, with or without a thiazide diuretic; dose increases should not exceed 200 mg twice daily at each step. Elderly patients: most will need only 100 to 200 mg twice daily. Injection and Infusion. Intravenous injection: When blood pressure must be lowered quickly, 50 mg is given by intravenous injection over at least one minute, and this may be repeated every five minutes until the response is satisfactory, up to a total dose of 200 mg. Intravenous infusion: the injection should be diluted with a suitable intravenous fluid to a concentration of 1 mg per ml; compatible fluids include 5% dextrose solution, 0.9% sodium chloride solution, and a mixture of sodium chloride and dextrose injection. Hypertension in pregnancy: start at 20 mg per hour, then double the rate every 30 minutes until the response is satisfactory or the rate reaches 160 mg per hour. Hypertension following acute myocardial infarction: start at 15 mg per hour and increase gradually to a maximum of 120 mg per hour, depending on blood pressure control. Hypertension after stroke: 10 to 20 mg by intravenous injection over one to two minutes, which may be repeated or doubled every 10 minutes, up to a maximum dose of 300 mg. Hypertension due to other causes: infuse at about 2 mg per minute until the response is satisfactory, then stop the infusion. The effective dose is usually 50 to 200 mg, though larger doses may be needed, especially in patients with phaeochromocytoma. Hypotensive anaesthesia: the recommended starting dose of Labetalol Injection is 10 to 20 mg intravenously, depending on the patient's age and condition. Patients in whom halothane is contraindicated usually need a higher starting dose of 25 to 30 mg. If satisfactory hypotension is not achieved after 5 minutes, further increments of 5 to 10 mg should be given until the desired blood pressure level is reached.