Apraclonidine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Apraclonidine is an alpha-adrenergic agonist sold in the U.S. under one brand, for ocular hypertension. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Alpha-Adrenergic Agonist
- Treats
- Ocular Hypertension
- Available as
- Drops
- Sold as
- Iopidine
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $10 per ml — not your price
How apraclonidine is dosed
From the FDA label for Iopidine (application NDA019779). Other apraclonidine products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
One drop of IOPIDINE* 1% Ophthalmic Solution should be instilled in the scheduled operative eye one hour before initiating anterior segment laser surgery and a second drop should be instilled to the same eye immediately upon completion of the laser surgical procedure. Use a separate container for each single‑drop dose and discard each container after use.
Apraclonidine side effects
The following adverse events, occurring in less than 2% of patients, were reported in association with the use of IOPIDINE 1% Ophthalmic Solution in laser surgery: ocular injection, upper lid elevation, irregular heart rate, nasal decongestion, ocular inflammation, conjunctival blanching, and mydriasis. The following adverse events were observed in investigational studies dosing IOPIDINE 1% Ophthalmic Solution once or twice daily for up to 28 days in non‑laser studies: Ocular Conjunctival blanching, upper lid elevation, mydriasis, burning, discomfort, foreign body sensation, dryness, itching, hypotony, blurred or dimmed vision, allergic response, conjunctival microhemorrhage. Gastrointestinal Abdominal pain, diarrhea, stomach discomfort, emesis Cardiovascular Bradycardia, vasovagal attack, palpitations, orthostatic episode Central Nervous System Insomnia, dream disturbances, irritability, decreased libido. Other Taste abnormalities, dry mouth, nasal burning or dryness, headache, head cold sensation, chest heaviness or burning, clammy or sweaty palms, body heat sensation, shortness of breath, increased pharyngeal secretion, extremity pain or numbness, fatigue, paresthesia, pruritus not associated with rash. Clinical Practice The following events have been identified during postmarketing use of IOPIDINE 1% Ophthalmic Solution in clinical practice. Because they are reported…
Who shouldn’t take apraclonidine
IOPIDINE 1% Ophthalmic Solution is contraindicated for patients receiving monoamine oxidase inhibitor therapy and for patients with hypersensitivity to any component of this medication or to clonidine.
Apraclonidine drug interactions
Interactions with other agents have not been investigated.
Every apraclonidine product we track (1)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
Only one: Iopidine.
Apraclonidine and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for apraclonidine: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadNo information is available on the use of apraclonidine during breastfeeding. To substantially diminish the amount of drug that reaches the breastmilk after using eye drops, place pressure over the tear duct by the corner of the eye for 1 minute or more, then remove the excess solution with an absorbent tissue. One manufacturer recommends avoiding breastfeeding on the one day on which it is used for argon laser trabeculoplasty, argon laser iridotomy or posterior capsulotomy.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised September 20, 2021. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about apraclonidine
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 21 reports naming apraclonidine, and the FDA flagged 67% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- adrenal insufficiency3 reports
- drug intolerance3 reports
- injection site reaction3 reports
- vaginal infection3 reports
- abdominal distension2 reports
- vision blurred2 reports
- abdominal pain upper1 reports
- activities of daily living impaired1 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean apraclonidine caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved July 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is apraclonidine?
IOPIDINE 1% Ophthalmic Solution contains apraclonidine hydrochloride, an alpha adrenergic agonist, in a sterile isotonic solution for topical application to the eye. Apraclonidine hydrochloride is a white to off‑white powder and is highly soluble in water.
What kind of drug is apraclonidine?
The FDA classifies apraclonidine as an alpha-adrenergic agonist. Alpha-adrenergic agonists switch on alpha receptors on blood-vessel walls, much like the body's own adrenaline. This tightens the smooth muscle around the vessels, narrowing them to raise blood pressure or reduce swelling and congestion. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take apraclonidine with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run apraclonidine against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What forms does apraclonidine come in?
Across the brands we track, apraclonidine is currently marketed as drops, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic apraclonidine?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled apraclonidine product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Apraclonidine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/apraclonidine
- MLA
- “Apraclonidine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/apraclonidine.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for apraclonidine on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.