Desflurane: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Desflurane is a medicine sold in the U.S. under one brand, for pain. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Treats
- Pain
- Available as
- Liquid
- Sold as
- Suprane
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
How desflurane is dosed
From the FDA label for Suprane (application NDA020118). Other desflurane products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Only persons trained in the administration of general anesthesia should administer SUPRANE. Only a vaporizer specifically designed and designated for use with desflurane should be utilized for its administration. Facilities for maintenance of a patent airway, artificial ventilation, oxygen enrichment, and circulatory resuscitation must be immediately available. SUPRANE is administered by inhalation. The administration of general anesthesia must be individualized based on the patient’s response. Hypotension and respiratory depression increase as anesthesia with SUPRANE is deepened. The minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of SUPRANE decreases with increasing patient age. The MAC for SUPRANE is also reduced by concomitant N 2 O administration ( see Table 1 ). The dose should be adjusted accordingly. The following table provides mean relative potency based upon age and effect of N 2 O in predominately ASA physical status I or II patients. Benzodiazepines and opioids decrease the MAC of SUPRANE [ See Drug Interactions (7.1, Table 3) ]. SUPRANE also decreases the doses of neuromuscular blocking agents required [ See Drug Interactions (7.2, Table 4) ]. The dose should be adjusted accordingly. Table 1 Effect of Age on Minimum Alveolar Concentration of Desflurane Mean ± SD (percent atmospheres) Age N O 2 100% N N 2 O 60%/40% O 2 2 weeks 6 9.2 ± 0.0 - - 10 weeks 5 9.4 ± 0.4 - - 9…
Desflurane side effects
Most common adverse reactions (incidence> 10%) are coughing, breath holding, apnea, nausea, vomiting. (6) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Baxter Healthcare Corporation at 1-800-262-3784 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch . 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Adverse event information is derived from controlled clinical trials, the majority of which were conducted in the United States. The studies were conducted using a variety of premedications, other anesthetics, and surgical procedures of varying length. Most adverse events reported were mild and transient, and may reflect the surgical procedures, patient characteristics (including disease) and/or medications administered. Of the 2,143 patients exposed to SUPRANE in clinical trials, 370 adults and 152 children were induced with desflurane alone and 987 patients were maintained principally with desflurane. The frequencies given reflect the percent of patients with the event. Each patient was counted once for each type of adverse event. They are presented in alphabetical order according to body system. Table 2 Frequency of Events Occurring in…
Who shouldn’t take desflurane
The use of SUPRANE is contraindicated in the following conditions: • Known or suspected genetic susceptibility to malignant hyperthermia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) , Clinical Pharmacology (12.5) ] . • Patients in whom general anesthesia is contraindicated. • Induction of anesthesia in pediatric patients. • Patients with known sensitivity to SUPRANE or to other halogenated agents [ See Warnings and Precautions (5.5) ]. • Patients with a history of moderate to severe hepatic dysfunction following anesthesia with SUPRANE or other halogenated agents and not otherwise explained [ See Warnings and Precautions (5.5) ]. • Patients with known or suspected genetic susceptibility to malignant hyperthermia ( 4 ) • Patients in whom general anesthesia is contraindicated ( 4 ) • Induction of anesthesia in pediatric patients ( 4 ) • Patients with known sensitivity to halogenated agents ( 4 ) • Patients with a history of moderate to severe hepatic dysfunction following anesthesia with halogenated agents and not otherwise explained. ( 4 )
Desflurane drug interactions
No clinically significant adverse interactions with commonly used preanesthetic drugs, or drugs used during anesthesia (muscle relaxants, intravenous agents, and local anesthetic agents) were reported in clinical trials. The effect of SUPRANE on the disposition of other drugs has not been determined. Similar to isoflurane, SUPRANE does not predispose to premature ventricular arrhythmias in the presence of exogenously infused epinephrine in swine. • Concomitant use of N 2 O, benzodiazepines and/or opioids reduces the MAC of SUPRANE. Adjust dose accordingly. ( 7.1 , 7.3 ) • SUPRANE decreases the doses of neuromuscular blocking agents required. Adjust dose accordingly. (7.2) 7.1 Benzodiazepines and Opioids (MAC Reduction) Benzodiazepines and opioids decrease the amount of desflurane (MAC) needed to produce anesthesia. This effect is shown in Table 3 for intravenous midazolam (25-50 µg/kg) and intravenous fentanyl (3-6 µg/kg) in patients of two different age groups. Table 3 SUPRANE MAC with Fentanyl or Midazolam Mean ± SD (percent reduction) Dose 18-30 years 31-65 years No fentanyl 6.4 ± 0.0 6.3 ± 0.4 3 µg/kg fentanyl 3.5 ± 1.9 (46%) 3.1 ± 0.6 (51%) 6 µg/kg fentanyl 3.0 ± 1.2 (53%) 2.3 ± 1.0 (64%) No midazolam 6.9 ± 0.1 5.9 ± 0.6 25 µg/kg midazolam - 4.9 ± 0.9 (16%) 50 µg/kg midazolam - 4.9 ± 0.5 (17%) 7.2 Neuromuscular Blocking Agents Anesthetic concentrations of desflurane at equilibrium (administered for 15 or more minutes before testing) reduced the ED 95 of succinylcholine by approximately 30% and that of atracurium and pancuronium by approximately 50% compared to N 2 O/opioid anesthesia ( see Table 4 ). The effect of desflurane on duration of nondepolarizing neuromuscular blockade has not been studied. Table 4 Dosage of Muscle Relaxant Causing 95% Depression in Neuromuscular Blockade Desflurane Concentration Mean ED 95 (µg/kg) Pancuronium Atracurium Succinylcholine Vecuronium 0.65 MAC 60% N 2 O/O 2 26 133 - - 1.25 MAC 60% N 2 O/O 2 18 119 - - 1.25 MAC O 2 22 120 360 19 Dosage reduction of neuromuscular blocking agents during induction of anesthesia may result in delayed onset of conditions suitable for endotracheal intubation or inadequate muscle relaxation, because potentiation of neuromuscular blocking agents requires equilibration of muscle with the delivered partial pressure of SUPRANE. Among nondepolarizing drugs, pancuronium, atracurium, and vecuronium interactions have been studied. In the absence of specific guidelines: 1. For endotracheal intubation, do not reduce the dose of nondepolarizing muscle relaxants or succinylcholine. 2. During maintenance of anesthesia, the dose of nondepolarizing muscle relaxants is likely to be reduced compared to that during N 2 O/opioid anesthesia. Administration of supplemental doses of muscle relaxants should be guided by the response to nerve stimulation. 7.3 Concomitant use with N 2 O Concomitant administration of N 2 O reduces the MAC of SUPRANE [ See Dosage and Administration (2), Table 1 ].
Every desflurane 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: Suprane.
How long desflurane keeps
No desflurane label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.
Does desflurane expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsDesflurane and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for desflurane: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadThere is no published experience with desflurane during breastfeeding. Because the serum half-life of desflurane in the mother is short and the drug is not expected to be absorbed by the infant, no waiting period or discarding of milk is required. Breastfeeding can be resumed as soon as the mother has recovered sufficiently from general anesthesia to nurse. When a combination of anesthetic agents is used for a procedure, follow the recommendations for the most problematic medication used during the procedure. In one study, breastfeeding before general anesthesia induction reduced requirements of sevoflurane and propofol compared to those of nursing mothers whose breastfeeding was withheld or nonnursing women. It is possible that requirements for other anesthetic agents would be affected similarly.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised November 16, 2020. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about desflurane
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 1,128 reports naming desflurane, and the FDA flagged 95% 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:
- hypotension92 reports
- serotonin syndrome69 reports
- bradycardia64 reports
- anaphylactic shock60 reports
- anaphylactic reaction49 reports
- hyperthermia malignant44 reports
- tachycardia39 reports
- anaesthetic complication neurological35 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean desflurane 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.
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Frequently asked questions
What is desflurane?
Suprane (Desflurane) is a medication used to treat Pain.
Can you take desflurane 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 desflurane 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 desflurane come in?
Across the brands we track, desflurane is currently marketed as liquid, 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 desflurane?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled desflurane 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). Desflurane: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/desflurane
- MLA
- “Desflurane: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/desflurane.
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 desflurane on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.