What is Dantrolene?
Dantrolene was introduced in the U.S. in 1979 as a treatment for MH. Today it is still the first-line drug to treat a MH-crisis. Dantrolene is given through an intravenous line and is thought to reverse the effects of triggering agents on muscle function, thereby interrupting a chain of events that otherwise would likely lead to serious damage to multiple organ system and possibly death in the untreated patient. If dantrolene therapy is started promptly in a MH-crisis, the risk of complications or death is substantially reduced.
