Terlipressin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Terlipressin is a medicine sold in the U.S. under one brand. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Available as
- Injectable
- Sold as
- Terlivaz
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
- Boxed warning
- Boxed warning
How terlipressin is dosed
From the FDA label for Terlivaz (application NDA022231). Other terlipressin products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Prior to initial dosing, assess patients for ACLF Grade 3 and obtain patient baseline oxygenation level. Monitor patient oxygen saturation with pulse oximetry. ( 2.1 ) Recommended Dosage Regimen: ( 2.2 ) Days 1 to 3 administer TERLIVAZ 0.85 mg (1 vial) intravenously every 6 hours. Day 4: Assess serum creatinine (SCr) versus baseline. If SCr has decreased by at least 30% from baseline, continue TERLIVAZ 0.85 mg (1 vial) intravenously every 6 hours. If SCr has decreased by less than 30% from baseline, dose may be increased to TERLIVAZ 1.7 mg (2 vials) intravenously every 6 hours. If SCr is at or above baseline value, discontinue TERLIVAZ. Continue TERLIVAZ until 24 hours after two consecutive SCr ≤1.5 mg/dL values at least 2 hours apart or a maximum of 14 days. See full prescribing information for instructions on preparation and administration ( 2.3 ). Flush IV line after administration. 2.1 Important Considerations Prior to Initiating and During Therapy Obtain baseline oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ) prior to administering the first dose of TERLIVAZ. During treatment, monitor patient oxygen saturation using continuous pulse oximetry. Do not use TERLIVAZ treatment in patients experiencing hypoxia until hypoxia resolves [see Contraindications (4) , and Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] . Assess Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure (ACLF) Grade and volume status before initiating TERLIVAZ…
Terlipressin side effects
The following adverse reactions are discussed elsewhere in the labeling: Serious or Fatal Respiratory Failure [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Ischemic Events [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] The most common adverse reactions (≥10%) include abdominal pain, nausea, respiratory failure, diarrhea, and dyspnea. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact 1-800-844-2830 and www.Mallinckrodt.com 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, the adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of TERLIVAZ cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. The safety of TERLIVAZ was evaluated in the CONFIRM trial [see Clinical Studies (14) ] . The average daily dose of TERLIVAZ was 3.1 mg (range 0.8 to 5.8 mg), with a mean duration of exposure to TERLIVAZ of 6.2 days (range 1 to 15 days). Treatment discontinuation due to adverse events occurred in 12.0% (24/200) of patients receiving TERLIVAZ and 5.1% (5/99) of patients receiving placebo. The most common adverse reactions that led to TERLIVAZ discontinuation were respiratory failure, abdominal pain, and intestinal ischemia/obstruction. Table 1 lists adverse reactions that occurred more commonly on TERLIVAZ than on placebo, and…
Who shouldn’t take terlipressin
TERLIVAZ is contraindicated in patients experiencing hypoxia or worsening respiratory symptoms. TERLIVAZ is contraindicated in patients with ongoing coronary, peripheral, or mesenteric ischemia. TERLIVAZ is contraindicated: In patients experiencing hypoxia or worsening respiratory symptoms. ( 4 ) In patients with ongoing coronary, peripheral, or mesenteric ischemia. ( 4 )
Every terlipressin 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: Terlivaz.
Terlipressin recalls
From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.
What people report to the FDA about terlipressin
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 23 reports naming terlipressin, and the FDA flagged 100% 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:
- electrocardiogram qt prolonged6 reports
- ventricular fibrillation5 reports
- thrombophlebitis superficial4 reports
- acute respiratory distress syndrome3 reports
- eosinophilia3 reports
- lung disorder3 reports
- skin necrosis3 reports
- anuria2 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean terlipressin 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 26, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is terlipressin?
Terlivaz (Terlipressin Acetate) is a medication supplied as an injection, powder, lyophilized, for solution.
Can you take terlipressin 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 terlipressin 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 terlipressin come in?
Across the brands we track, terlipressin 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 terlipressin?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled terlipressin 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.
Has terlipressin been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement database lists 1 recall record whose product description mentions terlipressin. The most recent: Terlivaz (terlipressin for injection) (Feb 6, 2024). 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). Terlipressin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/terlipressin
- MLA
- “Terlipressin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/terlipressin.
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 terlipressin on DailyMed (NIH) ↗ — including its boxed warning in full.