Ketorolac Injection
Ketorolac injection is used for the short-term relief of moderately severe pain in people who are at least 17 years of age. Ketorolac injection should not be used for longer than 5 days, for mild pain, or for pain from chronic (long-term) conditions. You will receive your first doses of ketorolac by intravenous (into a vein) or intramuscular (into a muscle) injection in a hospital or medical office. After that, your doctor may choose to continue your treatment with oral ketorolac. You must stop taking oral ketorolac and using ketorolac injection on the fifth day after you received your first dose of ketorolac injection. Talk to your doctor if you still have pain after 5 days or if your pain is not controlled with this medication. Ketorolac may cause serious side effects.
People who are treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (other than aspirin) such as ketorolac may have a higher risk of having a heart attack or a stroke than people who are not treated with these medications. These events may happen without warning and may cause death. This risk may be higher for people who are treated with NSAIDs for a long time. Tell your doctor if you or anyone in your family has or has ever had heart disease, a heart attack, or a stroke or ‘ministroke;’ and if you have or have ever had high blood pressure. Get emergency medical help right away if you experience any of the following symptoms: chest pain, shortness of breath, weakness in one part or side of the body, or slurred speech.
Receiving ketorolac injection increases the risk that you will experience severe or uncontrolled bleeding. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had a bleeding or clotting problem. Your doctor will probably not give you ketorolac injection.
If you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are using ketorolac injection. If you will be undergoing a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG; a type of heart surgery), you should not use ketorolac injection right before or right after the surgery.
NSAIDs such as ketorolac may cause ulcers, bleeding, or holes in the stomach or intestine. These problems may develop at any time during treatment, may happen without warning symptoms, and may cause death. The risk may be higher for people who take NSAIDs for a long time, are older in age, have poor health, smoke cigarettes, or drink alcohol while using ketorolac injection. Tell your doctor if you take any of the following medications: anticoagulants (‘blood thinners’) such as warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven); aspirin; or oral steroids such as dexamethasone (Decadron, Dexpak), methylprednisolone (Medrol), and prednisone (Deltasone). Do not take aspirin or other NSAIDs such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn) while you are using ketorolac. Also tell your doctor if you have or have ever had ulcers, holes, or bleeding in your stomach or intestine, or a disease that causes inflammation of the bowels such as Crohn’s disease (a condition in which the body attacks the lining of the digestive tract, causing pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and fever) or ulcerative colitis (a condition which causes swelling and sores in the lining of the colon [large intestine] and rectum). If you experience any of the following symptoms, stop using ketorolac injection and call your doctor: stomach pain, heartburn, vomit that is bloody or looks like coffee grounds, blood in the stool, or black and tarry stools.
Ketorolac may cause kidney failure. Tell your doctor if you have kidney or liver disease, if you have had severe vomiting or diarrhea or think you may be dehydrated, and if you are taking angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors such as benazepril (Lotensin), captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), fosinopril, lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril), moexipril (Univasc), perindopril (Aceon), quinapril (Accupril), ramipril (Altace), and trandolapril (Mavik); or diuretics (‘water pills’). If you experience any of the following symptoms, stop using ketorolac injection and call your doctor: unexplained weight gain; swelling of the hands, arms, feet, ankles, or lower legs; confusion; or seizures.
Part of the reason for these long wait times and short appointments is due to a nationwide shortage of physicians that is only getting worse. A report by the Association of American Medical Colleges predicts that, due to population growth and specifically growth of the elderly population, the physician shortfall in the U.S. could reach 121,300 by the year 2030.
Some people have severe allergic reactions to ketorolac injection. Tell your doctor if you are allergic to ketorolac, aspirin or other NSAIDs such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), any other medications, or any of the ingredients in ketorolac injection. Also tell your doctor if you have or have ever had asthma, especially if you also have frequent stuffed or runny nose or nasal polyps (swelling of the lining of the nose). If you experience any of the following symptoms, stop using ketorolac injection and call your doctor right away: rash; fever; peeling or blistering skin; hives; itching; swelling of the eyes, face, throat, tongue, lips; difficulty breathing or swallowing; or hoarseness.
You should not receive ketorolac injection during labor or while you are giving birth.
Do not breast-feed while you are using ketorolac injection.
Tell your doctor if you are 65 years of age or older or if you weigh less than 110 lb (50 kg). Your doctor will need to prescribe a lower dose of medication. If you are an older adult, you should know that ketorolac injection is not as safe as other medications that can be used to treat your condition. Your doctor may choose to prescribe a different medication that is safer for use in older adults.
Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor will monitor your symptoms carefully and will probably order certain tests to check your body’s response to ketorolac injection.
