Papaverine Hcl Coupons & Prices

Use a free Rx.com papaverine HCl coupon to compare cash prices at more than 60,000 U.S. pharmacies before you fill. Papaverine hydrochloride is a vasodilator (a smooth muscle relaxant) that is now supplied in the United States mainly as an injection, and it is available only as a generic; there is no brand-name papaverine product currently marketed here. Because pharmacies set their own cash prices, what you pay for the same generic can vary widely from one store to the next, so it is worth checking more than one. Enter your ZIP code above to see today's price near you.

What is papaverine HCl and how does it work?

Papaverine hydrochloride is a direct-acting smooth muscle relaxant and vasodilator. It is a benzylisoquinoline alkaloid found in the opium poppy, but it is not an opioid, has no narcotic pain-relieving activity, and is not a controlled substance. It works largely by inhibiting phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzymes in a non-selective way, which relaxes smooth muscle in blood vessel walls and in organs such as the ureters, biliary tract, and gastrointestinal tract, allowing vessels to widen and spasm to ease.

Papaverine is what the FDA calls a marketed-unapproved drug: it predates the modern approval system and there is no current FDA-approved application behind it, so its labeling is legacy rather than a modern FDA-approved indication list. The labeling for the injection covers conditions involving smooth muscle spasm, including vascular spasm associated with acute myocardial infarction (coronary occlusion), angina pectoris, peripheral and pulmonary embolism, and peripheral vascular disease, as well as visceral spasm of the ureters, biliary tract, or GI tract. Oral tablets and extended-release capsules were used historically for cerebral and peripheral ischemia linked to arterial spasm, but oral papaverine products are essentially no longer marketed in the U.S. A 1979 FDA advisory committee concluded the evidence was not sufficient to support the marketed indications and recommended withdrawal; the drug nonetheless remains available. Your prescriber decides whether papaverine is appropriate for you.

What papaverine HCl costs without insurance, and how a coupon helps

Papaverine is dispensed as a generic, and generics generally cost less than brand-name drugs, but do not assume the price is the same everywhere. Cash prices for the identical product routinely differ between a chain pharmacy, a grocery store pharmacy, and an independent, sometimes by a lot. That spread is exactly why comparing matters. Rx.com compares cash prices across more than 60,000 pharmacies and shows you a free coupon you can hand to the pharmacist; there is no membership or signup. Enter your ZIP above to see today's price in your area.

A few honest notes. A discount coupon is a cash-price tool, so you use it instead of insurance, not on top of it. If you have insurance or Medicare, check your copay first and then use whichever is lower. There is no manufacturer savings card for papaverine, since no brand-name papaverine is currently marketed in the U.S. If papaverine is being given to you in a hospital, clinic, or operating room, it is billed through that facility rather than a retail pharmacy, and a pharmacy coupon will not apply. Compounded preparations that contain papaverine are priced by the compounding pharmacy and are typically not covered by a retail coupon either.

Papaverine compared with related medicines

There is no brand equivalent of papaverine to compare against; the U.S. brands, including Pavabid, Para-Time SR, and Pavacot, have all been discontinued and are no longer marketed. Papaverine also should not be confused with the other vasodilators and circulation drugs it is sometimes grouped with, because they are different medicines with different labels and different approved uses.

• Pentoxifylline and cilostazol are oral medicines used for symptoms of peripheral arterial disease.
• Dipyridamole is a platelet inhibitor and coronary vasodilator with its own distinct label.
• Alprostadil and phentolamine are agents papaverine is sometimes compounded with in certain injectable mixtures.
• Sildenafil and tadalafil are selective PDE5 inhibitor tablets, a different and much more targeted class than papaverine's non-selective PDE inhibition.

Only a prescriber can say which of these, if any, fits your situation. If you are switching between medicines, ask about the differences in how they are given and monitored.

Papaverine HCl safety basics

Papaverine has no boxed warning. The injection is contraindicated in complete atrioventricular heart block. Rapid intravenous injection can cause apnea, irregular heartbeat, and death, so IV doses must be given slowly, over one to two minutes; this is a reason papaverine is usually administered by a health professional. Hypersensitivity hepatitis has been reported, with jaundice, eosinophilia, and raised liver enzymes, and it can progress to cirrhosis. Liver function should be monitored during therapy, and papaverine should be stopped right away if liver tests rise or jaundice appears. Use caution if you have glaucoma. Papaverine must not be mixed with Lactated Ringer's Injection, because a precipitate forms. It is Pregnancy Category C, and safety has not been established in pregnancy, in nursing mothers, or in children.

Reported side effects include flushing of the face, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, sweating, fast or irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, nausea, abdominal discomfort, loss of appetite, diarrhea or constipation, and rash. Because papaverine can cause drowsiness or dizziness, be careful about driving until you know how it affects you, and be aware that alcohol can make those effects worse. Note that the FDA label explicitly states papaverine is not indicated for the treatment of impotence by injection into the penis, and use by that route carries real risks, including a prolonged erection (priapism) and scarring of the penis with repeated use. Any erection lasting more than about four hours is a urologic emergency and needs care right away. This page is information, not medical advice; talk with your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation, and tell them about every medicine you take.