Xopenex

Xopenex is an inhaled prescription medicine used for the treatment or prevention of airway spasms (bronchospasm) in people 6 years of age and older. Xopenex belongs to a group of drugs called beta agonists, or bronchodilators, which work by relaxing and opening air passages to the lungs to make breathing easier.

Xopenex is an inhaled prescription medicine used for the treatment or prevention of airway spasms (bronchospasm) in people 6 years of age and older.

Xopenex has not been shown to be safe and effective in children younger than 6 years of age.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The dose your doctor recommends may be based on the following:

• your age
• the severity of the condition being treated

The recommended doses of Xopenex for treating airway spasms (bronchospasm) are the following:

• Children 6-11 years old: 0.31 mg administered three times a day, by nebulization. Routine dosing should not exceed 0.63 mg three times a day.

• Adults and Adolescents ≥12 years old: 0.63 mg administered three times a day, every 6 to 8 hours, by nebulization.

• Patients 12 years of age and older with more severe asthma or patients who do not respond adequately to a dose of 0.63 mg of Xopenex may benefit from a dosage of 1.25 mg three times a day.

Serious side effects have been reported with Xopenex including the following:

• sudden shortness of breath (bronchospasm). Sudden shortness of breath can happen right away after using Xopenex.
• worsening asthma
• heart problems
• death. If you use too much Xopenex you can have heart or lung problems that can lead to death.
• serious allergic reactions. Call your doctor and stop using levalbuterol right away if you have any symptoms of an allergic reaction such as:
  • swelling of the face, throat or tongue
  • hives
  • rash
  • breathing problems
• low potassium levels in your blood

Call your doctor or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away if you have any of the serious side effects listed above or if you have worsening lung symptoms.

Do not use Xopenex if you are allergice to Xoponex, levalbuterol, racemic albuterol, or any of the ingredients in Xopenex. 

Xopenex can cause serious side effects. See "Xopenex Precautions" section.

The most common side effects of Xopenex include:

• noticeably rapid, strong, or irregular heartbeat (palpitations)
• chest pain
• fast heart rate
• headache
• dizziness
• tremor
• nervousness

Tell your doctor if you have any side effects that bother you or that does not go away.

These are not all the possible side effects of Xopenex. For more information, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• other asthma medicines
• beta blockers such as metoprolol (Toprol XL, Lopressor), carvedilol (Coreg), bisoprolol (Zebeta), betaxolol (Kerlone), nebivolol (Bystolic), propranolol (Inderal)
• heart medicines
• medicines that increase urination (diuretics) such as acetazolamide (Diamox), amiloride (Midamor), bumetanide (Bumex), chlorothiazide (Diuril), chlorthalidone (Thalitone), ethacrynic acid (Edecrin), furosemide (Lasix), hydrochlorothiazide (Microzide, HCTZ), metolazone (Zaroxolyn), torsemide (Demadex), triamterene (Dyrenium, Dyazide, Maxzide)
• digoxin (Lanoxin)
• Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors such as tranylcypromine (Parnate), phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl, Zelapar), isocarboxazid (Marplan), and rasagiline (Azilect)
• Tricyclic Antidepressants such as trimipramine (Surmontil), amitriptyline (Elavil), nortriptyline (Pamelor, Aventyl), protriptyline (Vivactil), and clomipramine (Anafranil)
• medicine to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

This is not a complete list of Xopenex drug interactions. Ask your pharmacist or doctor for more information. 

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. 

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Xopenex falls into category C. There are no good studies that have been done in humans with Xopenex. Because animal reproduction studies are not always predictive of human response, Xopenex should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

It is not known if Xopenex crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. Your doctor and you will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using Xopenex.

Levalbuterol inhalation can sometimes cause wheezing and difficulty breathing immediately after it is inhaled, especially the first time you use a new canister of albuterol aerosol. If this happens, call your doctor right away.

Clean your inhaler or nebulizer regularly.

Levalbuterol controls symptoms of asthma and other lung diseases but does not cure these conditions. Continue to use levalbuterol even if you feel well. Do not stop using levalbuterol without talking to your doctor.