What is Exparel: Uses, Warnings & Interactions

How to take Exparel

• Injection routeA nurse or other health provider will give you this medicine.

• A nurse or other trained health professional will give you this medicine. It is given through a needle injected into the surgical site or into the nerve endings of the brachial plexus (nerves that conduct signals to the shoulder, arm, and hand).

• A nurse or other trained health professional will give you this medicine. It is given through a needle injected into the surgical site or into the nerve endings of the brachial plexus (nerves that conduct signals to the shoulder, arm, and hand).

• Injection routeA nurse or other health provider will give you this medicine.

What to do if you miss a dose of Exparel

Exparel contraindications

• This medicine is not right for everyone. You should not receive it if you had an allergic reaction to bupivacaine, or if you are pregnant.

Exparel warnings

• Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding, or if you have kidney disease, liver disease, heart or blood vessel problems, lung or breathing problems, a blood disorder, or G6PD.

• This medicine may cause the following problems:Methemoglobinemia (blood disorder)Heart or blood vessel problems, including changes in heart rhythm, low blood pressure, or heart attackChondrolysis (a bone or joint problem)Seizures

• This medicine may make you dizzy or drowsy. Do not drive or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how this medicine affects you.

• This medicine should cause numbness only to the area where it is injected. It is not meant to cause you to fall asleep or become unconscious.

• It may be easier to hurt yourself while your treated body area is still numb. The effects of this medicine may last up to 5 days. Be careful to avoid injury until you have regained all the feeling and are no longer numb.

• Your doctor will check your progress and the effects of this medicine at regular visits. Keep all appointments.

Exparel interactions

• Some medicines can affect how bupivacaine works. Tell your doctor if you are using any of the following:Acetaminophen, chloroquine, metoclopramide, primaquine, quinine, sulfasalazineCancer medicine (including cyclophosphamide, flutamide, hydroxyurea, ifosfamide, rasburicase)Medicine to treat an infection (including dapsone, nitrofurantoin, para-aminosalicylic acid, sulfonamide)Medicine to treat seizures (including phenobarbital, phenytoin, sodium valproate)Nitrate or nitrite medicine (including nitric oxide, nitroglycerin, nitroprusside, nitrous oxide)

• Tell your doctor if you are using other numbing medicines (including lidocaine). You should not be given any other kind of anesthetic within 4 days after receiving this medicine.

• This medicine should cause numbness only to the area where it is injected. It is not meant to cause you to fall asleep or become unconscious.

• It may be easier to hurt yourself while your treated body area is still numb. Be careful to avoid injury until you have regained all the feeling and are no longer numb.