Pindolol overdosage
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overdosage
No specific information on emergency treatment of overdosage is available. Therefore, on the basis of the pharmacologic actions of Visken®(pindolol), the following general measures should be employed as appropriate in addition to gastric lavage:
Excessive Bradycardia: administer atropine; if there is no response to vagal blockade, administer isoproterenol cautiously.
Cardiac Failure: digitalize the patient and/or administer diuretic. It has been reported that glucagon may be useful in this situation.
Hypotension: administer vasopressors, e.g., epinephrine or levarterenol, with serial monitoring of blood pressure. (There is evidence that epinephrine may be the drug of choice.)
Bronchospasm: administer a beta2 stimulating agent such as isoproterenol and/or a theophylline derivative.
A case of an acute overdosage has been reported with an intake of 500 mg of Visken® (pindolol) by a hypertensive patient. Blood pressure increased and heart rate was ≥80 beats/min. Recovery was uneventful. In another case, 250 mg of Visken® (pindolol) was taken with 150 mg diazepam and 50 mg nitrazepam, producing coma and hypotension. The patient recovered in 24 hours.[1]
References
Adapted from the FDA Package Insert.