Epinephrine (medication)
Hormone used as a medicine / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Primatene Mist?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, is a medication and hormone.[7][8] As a medication, it is used to treat several conditions, including anaphylaxis, cardiac arrest, asthma, and superficial bleeding.[5] Inhaled epinephrine may be used to improve the symptoms of croup.[9] It may also be used for asthma when other treatments are not effective.[5] It is given intravenously, by injection into a muscle, by inhalation, or by injection just under the skin.[5]
Common side effects include shakiness, anxiety, and sweating.[5] A fast heart rate and high blood pressure may occur.[5] Occasionally, it may result in an abnormal heart rhythm.[5] While the safety of its use during pregnancy and breastfeeding is unclear, the benefits to the mother must be taken into account.[5]
Epinephrine is normally produced by both the adrenal glands and a small number of neurons in the brain, where it acts as a neurotransmitter.[7][10] It plays an essential role in the fight-or-flight response by increasing blood flow to muscles, heart output, pupil dilation, and blood sugar.[11][12] Epinephrine does this through its effects on alpha and beta receptors.[12] It is found in many animals and some single-celled organisms,[13][14] but the medication is produced synthetically and is not harvested from animals.[15]
Jōkichi Takamine first isolated epinephrine in 1901, and it came into medical use in 1905.[16][17] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[18] It is available as a generic medication.[5] In 2021, it was the 221st most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 1 million prescriptions.[19][20]