Phenylephrine is an amine, an organic derivative of ammonia, belonging to the phenylethanamine class, a selective alpha-1 adrenoreceptor agonist with strong vasoconstrictive properties.
What it is used for and where
Medical
Phenylephrine is used as an infusion to increase systemic blood pressure (1), as a nasal decongestant and, in combination with other drugs, to treat colds and flu in over-the-counter products.
Safety
Paracetamol-phenylephrine combination oral therapy can potentially increase blood pressure more than phenylephrine alone in subjects with cardiovascular impairment (2).
This study monitored the plasma levels of patients undergoing vitreoretinal surgery to compare the systemic absorption and cardiovascular effects of 2.5 per cent aqueous and 10 per cent viscous ophthalmic solutions of phenylephrine hydrochloride and concluded that phenylephrine eye drops should be administered under close observation so that if an adverse reaction occurs it can be promptly treated (3).
Other undesirable effects have been observed in patients with heart disease (4)
The most relevant studies on this chemical compound have been selected with a summary of their contents:
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- Molecular Formula C9H13NO2
- Molecular Weight 167.20
- CAS 59-42-7
- UNII 1WS297W6MV
- EC Number 200-424-8
