User:Mr. Ibrahem/Vecuronium bromide

Vecuronium bromide, sold under the brand name Norcuron among others, is a medication used as part of general anesthesia to provide skeletal muscle relaxation during surgery or mechanical ventilation. It is also used to help with endotracheal intubation; however, suxamethonium (succinylcholine) is generally preferred if this needs to be done quickly. It is given by injection into a vein. Effects are greatest at about 4 minutes and last for up to an hour.

Side effects may include low blood pressure and prolonged paralysis. Allergic reactions are rare. It is unclear if use in pregnancy is safe for the baby. Vecuronium is in the aminosteroid neuromuscular-blocker family of medications and is of the non-depolarizing type. It works by blocking the action of acetylcholine on skeletal muscles.

Vecuronium was approved for medical use in the United States in 1984. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. Vecuronium is available as a generic medication. In the United States it is less than US$25 a dose. The effects may be reversed with a combination of neostigmine and atropine.