Ipecac Syrup
Ipecac Syrup Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Food Interaction and all others data.
Ipecac Syrup is obtained from the plant Cephaelis ipecacuanha and contains a number of emetic alkaloids including emetine and cephaeline. Ipecac Syrup was approved by Health Canada as an OTC but all those products are now discontinued. The FDA does not have currently any approved product containing ipecac, however, ipecac as an ingredient is accepted to be sold over the counter in packages of 1 fluid ounce (30 ml) for the emergency use to cause vomiting in poisoning.
An effective and safe dose of ipecac may cause vomiting within 20 minutes of the administration. In prospective studies with children, the mean time to vomit was reported to be of 21.7 minutes.
| Trade Name | Ipecac Syrup |
| Availability | Over the counter |
| Generic | Ipecac |
| Ipecac Other Names | Ipecac, Ipecac syrup, Ipecacuanha, Ipsatol |
| Type | |
| Protein binding | This pharmacokinetic property is not relevant as the absorbed dose of ipecac is minimal. |
| Groups | Approved, Withdrawn |
| Therapeutic Class | |
| Manufacturer | |
| Available Country | |
| Last Updated: | September 19, 2023 at 7:00 am |
Uses
Ipecac Syrup is an emetic agent used to induce vomiting in poisoning.
Ipecac Syrup is indicated as an emetic agent for the induction of vomiting in poisoning victims who ingested systemic poison in order to prevent absorption of the chemicals through the gastrointestinal tract. In low doses, ipecac was also used as an expectorant.
Reports have suggested that ipecac was vastly used in patients with eating disorders to produce vomiting.
Ipecac Syrup is also used to associated treatment for these conditions: Allergic cough, Bronchitis, Cough, Cough caused by Common Cold, Rhinorrhoea, Sore Throat, Airway secretion clearance therapy
How Ipecac Syrup works
The emetic components of ipecac, emetine and cephaeline, act centrally and locally in the gastrointestinal tract to cause vomiting. The mechanism by which ipecac performs his effect is by irritating the stomach lining and chemically stimulating the chemoreceptor trigger zone.
Toxicity
An overdose of an ipecac preparation may cause serious poisoning. If emesis is not provoked after two doses of ipecac, a gastric lavage is recommended. The overdose of the components such as emetine is reported to cause the onset of myopathy. Chronic use of this drug has been indicated to produce muscle weakness, waddling gait, dyspnea, left atrial enlargement and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction.
Food Interaction
No interactions found.Ipecac Syrup Disease Interaction
Major: aspiration pneumoniaModerate: cardiovascular dysfunction, vascular disorders
Volume of Distribution
The volume of distribution is thought to be large based on the prolonged excretion.
Elimination Route
The main components of ipecac are rapidly absorbed from the GI tract, this absorption depends on the amount of emesis produced by the administered dose. The peak plasma concentration of 10-16 ng/ml is attained 20 minutes after first administration. The bioavailability of ipecac is reduced over time from 67-11% after 5-60 minutes of administration.
Half Life
The effect of ipecac is done in about 20 minutes and the elimination of the little-absorbed dose is reported to be very rapid. Thus, the half-life is thought to be of about 0.5-1 hour.
Clearance
The urinary excretion of the main components of ipecac accounts for 75% of the administered dose 48 hours after initial administration.
Elimination Route
Due to the emetic function, even 76% of the administered dose is vomited. From the absorbed dose, the elimination from plasma is relatively rapid. In some clinical trials, the alkaloids were not observed in plasma 6 hours after administration. When the patient does not vomit any part of the administered dose, there could be traces in plasma after 24 hours. The component alkaloids are eliminated via the bile and urine as it has been observed a persistence in urine after chronic administration. Biliary and urinary excretion of ipecac corresponds to 57.5% and 16.5% of the administered dose respectively. From the excreted dose, unchanged cephaeline accountd for 42.4% of the eliminated dose in feces.
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