Indications
Remifentanil is given by IV administration only. Doctors use it as an analgesic during the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia, for both inpatient and outpatient procedures. It can also be continued as an analgesic into the immediate postoperative period in adult patients, but only under the direct supervision of an anesthesia practitioner in a postoperative anesthesia care unit or an intensive care setting. In adult patients, it is also used as an analgesic component of monitored anesthesia care.
⚠️ Always consult a registered physician before taking any medicine.
Pharmacology
Remifentanil is a µ-opioid agonist. It starts working quickly, reaches its peak effect quickly, and its action is short. Opioid antagonists such as naloxone block the µ-opioid activity of Remifentanil.
Unlike other opioids, Remifentanil is broken down rapidly. Nonspecific esterases in blood and tissue hydrolyse the propanoic acid-methyl ester linkage. Remifentanil is not a substrate for plasma cholinesterase (pseudocholinesterase), so patients with atypical cholinesterase are expected to have a normal duration of action.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
Remifentanil Hydrochloride is Pregnancy Category C. Doctors don't know whether it passes into human milk. Fentanyl analogs do pass into milk, though, so a nursing woman should be given Remifentanil Hydrochloride with caution.
⚠️ Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Dosage Reference
⚠️ Reference ranges from official sources only. Consult your doctor for personalized dosing.