C-130 spraying daily Inapsine dose over large city
The end is near!
Written on our dry-erase board at the nurses’ station is the following tragic message:
‘OUT OF INAPSINE.’
For those of you unfamiliar with this wonder-drug, its actual name is Droperidol. It has been used over the years for pre-sedation, for nausea, for migraines and for behavior control of agitated, violent and/or psychotic individuals.
A few years ago, it received a dreaded ‘Black Box Warning,’ from the FDA for QT prolongation. That is, in lay terms, it could cause dangerous or fatal cardiac rhythms.
This was news to those of us who grew up as physicians, administering the stuff in liter doses. (Oddly, it coincided with the release of a competing nausea medication, Zofran, which was later shown to cause the same side-effect.)
Now, due to medic0-legal concerns, many hospitals stopped using it. Pity. It was, and is, a wonder-drug. (Despite the fact that there were no X’s or Z’s in the name. If it were Xinapzedine it would never have been questioned.)
It can calm the vilest of drunks, sooth the most outrageous murderous hallucinations and calm the most impressive retching imaginable.  I remember when a partner of mine gave it to a violent, angry, profane drunk one night. He was a dangerous, problematic patient. Within some 30 minutes, the patient looked at my partner and said, ‘pardon me doctor, may I have a glass of water?’ That’s a chemical miracle!
Now, the end is near and I know it because what the plaintive note from our nurses suggests is this; people are using lots Inapsine in ER’s. Violent behavior, depression, anxiety, assaults in ER’s, all are on the increase. Due to a depressed economy, access to mental health is down. I can only assume that Inapsine is one of the last bastions of hope for down-trodden, overwhelmed emergency physicians and nurses, simultaneously doing the jobs of social-workers, police officers and psychiatrists in their crushed, understaffed emergency departments.
The note, ‘OUT OF INAPSINE,’ might as well be followed by ‘Send Cavalry,’ or ‘High Explosives on my coordinates!’Â Or simply a hopeless, weeping sound and last notes to loved ones.
If we’re out of it, and if it’s indeed on back-order, heaven help us all! It may mean that the fabric of society, indeed the fabric of space-time itself is unraveling.
I can make only one suggestion. If society is out of Inapsine, buy ammunition. You’ll need it.
OMG! Is this the reason we don’t have it anymore? It’s not on back order??? What the heck are we going to do? This is ridiculous. Other problems this drug works well on: migraine headaches and vertigo. I haven’t ever found an ER drug that works well on vertigo until I used it for nausea for a patient who also had vertigo. All symptoms resolved! Wow! And migraines, if it is a true migraine, it works better than any other drug, in my opinion. I can’t believe this. Will someone let me practice medicine please. Oh yes…and get rid of… Read more »
Ok, so many drugs prolong the QT interval and are still on the market. You can buy Sudaphed over the counter. Having Congenital Long QT Syndrome, I carry around 2 copies of the Arizona CERTS list with me at all times. The list is 5 pages and includes all antidepressants, many antibiotics, and most antihystimines. Doctors do not like treating me because of all the medications that are taken out of their hands due to that list. Why would they be pulling that one drug out of use? Wouldn’t it make more sence just to be sure that you don’t… Read more »
Yes, have seriously missed inapsine. Because of its calming effects as well as its anti emetic effects, we now have to give more drugs to a patient to achieve the same effect. And as the post above notes, some of those drugs have the same QT problem. The only side effect I have seen personally are extra pyramidal effects that can sometimes happen with the drug given IV. I have not given it that I can recall since 2005.
whitecap nurse
12 years ago
We haven’t had droperidol for years – sure do miss it.
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OMG! Is this the reason we don’t have it anymore? It’s not on back order??? What the heck are we going to do? This is ridiculous. Other problems this drug works well on: migraine headaches and vertigo. I haven’t ever found an ER drug that works well on vertigo until I used it for nausea for a patient who also had vertigo. All symptoms resolved! Wow! And migraines, if it is a true migraine, it works better than any other drug, in my opinion. I can’t believe this. Will someone let me practice medicine please. Oh yes…and get rid of… Read more »
Ok, so many drugs prolong the QT interval and are still on the market. You can buy Sudaphed over the counter. Having Congenital Long QT Syndrome, I carry around 2 copies of the Arizona CERTS list with me at all times. The list is 5 pages and includes all antidepressants, many antibiotics, and most antihystimines. Doctors do not like treating me because of all the medications that are taken out of their hands due to that list. Why would they be pulling that one drug out of use? Wouldn’t it make more sence just to be sure that you don’t… Read more »
Yes, have seriously missed inapsine. Because of its calming effects as well as its anti emetic effects, we now have to give more drugs to a patient to achieve the same effect. And as the post above notes, some of those drugs have the same QT problem. The only side effect I have seen personally are extra pyramidal effects that can sometimes happen with the drug given IV. I have not given it that I can recall since 2005.
We haven’t had droperidol for years – sure do miss it.