Dobutamine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Dobutamine is a medicine sold in the U.S. under 2 brand and generic names, for low cardiac output. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Treats
- Low Cardiac Output
- Available as
- Injectable
- Sold as
- 2 products — Dobutamine Hydrochloride and Dobutrex
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
How dobutamine is dosed
From the FDA label for Dobutamine Hydrochloride (application ANDA074206). Other dobutamine products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Recommended Dosage Dobutamine Hydrochloride in 5% Dextrose Injection is administered intravenously through a suitable intravenous catheter or needle. A calibrated electronic infusion device is recommended for controlling the rate of flow in mL/hour or drops/minute. Infusion of dobutamine should be started at a low rate (0.5-1.0 mcg/kg/min) and titrated at intervals of a few minutes, guided by the patient’s response, including systemic blood pressure, urine flow, frequency of ectopic activity, heart rate, and (whenever possible) measurements of cardiac output, central venous pressure, and/or pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. In reported trials, the optimal infusion rates have varied from patient to patient, usually 2-20 mcg/kg/min but sometimes slightly outside of this range. On rare occasions, infusion rates up to 40 mcg/kg/min have been required to obtain the desired effect. Rates of infusion in mL/hour for dobutamine hydrochloride concentrations of 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000 mcg/mL are in Table 2. This container system may be inappropriate for the dosage requirements of pediatric patients under 30 kg. Other dosage forms may be more appropriate. Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration whenever solution and container permit. Dobutamine Hydrochloride in 5% Dextrose Injection solutions may exhibit a…
Dobutamine side effects
Increased Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, and Ventricular Ectopic Activity A 10 to 20-mm Hg increase in systolic blood pressure and an increase in heart rate of 5 to 15 beats/minute have been noted in most patients (see WARNINGS regarding exaggerated chronotropic and pressor effects). Approximately 5% of adult patients have had increased premature ventricular beats during infusions. These effects are dose related. Hypotension Precipitous decreases in blood pressure have occasionally been described in association with dobutamine therapy. Decreasing the dose or discontinuing the infusion typically results in rapid return of blood pressure to baseline values. In rare cases, however, intervention may be required and reversibility may not be immediate. Stress Cardiomyopathy Stress cardiomyopathy has been reported with dobutamine in association with cardiac stress testing. Reactions at Sites of Intravenous Infusion Phlebitis has occasionally been reported. Local inflammatory changes have been described following inadvertent infiltration. Miscellaneous Uncommon Effects The following adverse effects have been reported in 1% to 3% of adult patients: nausea, headache, anginal pain, nonspecific chest pain, palpitations, and shortness of breath. Administration of dobutamine, like other catecholamines, has been associated with decreases in serum potassium concentrations, rarely to hypokalemic…
Who shouldn’t take dobutamine
Dobutamine Hydrochloride in 5% Dextrose Injection is contraindicated in patients with idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis and in patients who have shown previous manifestations of hypersensitivity to dobutamine. Solutions containing dextrose may be contraindicated in patients with known allergy to corn or corn products.
Every dobutamine product we track (2)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → |
Dobutamine recalls
From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.
How long dobutamine keeps
The date on a sealed pack is not the only one: some dobutamine labels start a second clock once the product is opened or mixed, as short as 24 hours.
The in-use limits dobutamine labels print, quotedDobutamine and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for dobutamine: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadNo information is available on the use of dobutamine during breastfeeding. Because of its poor oral bioavailability and short half-life, any dobutamine in milk is unlikely to affect the infant.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised April 19, 2021. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about dobutamine
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 1,432 reports naming dobutamine, and the FDA flagged 96% 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:
- stress169 reports
- sepsis148 reports
- multiple organ dysfunction syndrome136 reports
- general physical health deterioration131 reports
- cardiogenic shock127 reports
- ventricular fibrillation121 reports
- hyponatraemia119 reports
- nausea117 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean dobutamine 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.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved October 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is dobutamine?
Dobutamine Hydrochloride is a medication used to treat Low Cardiac Output.
Can you take dobutamine 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 dobutamine against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is dobutamine sold under?
We track 2 dobutamine-containing products in the U.S.: Dobutamine Hydrochloride and Dobutrex. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does dobutamine come in?
Across the brands we track, dobutamine is currently marketed as injectable, 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 dobutamine?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic dobutamine product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Has dobutamine been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement database lists 1 recall record whose product description mentions dobutamine. The most recent: DOBUTamine Injection (May 28, 2025). A recall applies to specific lots, not to the drug as a whole — check the record for the affected lot numbers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Dobutamine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/dobutamine
- MLA
- “Dobutamine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/dobutamine.
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 dobutamine on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.