[2] In individuals with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), adenosine is a first line treatment used to help identify and convert the rhythm.

When adenosine is used to cardiovert an abnormal rhythm, it is normal for the heart to enter ventricular asystole for a few seconds.

Due to adenosine's extremely short half-life (less than 10 seconds), it is often injected through a central venous line or a large proximal peripheral vein; administration into lower extremities, PICC lines, or smaller veins may lead to therapeutic failure due to rapid metabolism before reaching the heart.

The recommended dose may be increased in patients on theophylline since methylxanthines prevent binding of adenosine at receptor sites.

The dose is often decreased in patients on dipyridamole (Persantine) and diazepam (Valium) because adenosine potentiates the effects of these drugs.

Side effects of adenosine include skin flushing, lightheadedness, nausea, sweating, nervousness, numbness, and a sense of impending doom.

Thus, in regard to stress or injury, the function of adenosine is primarily that of cytoprotection preventing tissue damage during instances of hypoxia, ischemia, and seizure activity.

Researchers at Cornell University have recently shown adenosine receptors to be key in opening the blood-brain barrier (BBB).

Mice dosed with adenosine have shown increased transport across the BBB of amyloid plaque antibodies and prodrugs associated with Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, and cancers of the central nervous system.

This causes dilation of the "normal" segments of arteries, i.e. where the endothelium is not separated from the tunica media by atherosclerotic plaque.

This feature allows physicians to use adenosine to test for blockages in the coronary arteries, by exaggerating the difference between the normal and abnormal segments.

This interaction suppresses peak viremia and rise in cytokines and prevents lethality in infected animals, raising the possibility of a new treatment for this flavivirus.

[32][33] Topical treatment of adenosine to foot wounds in diabetes mellitus has been shown in lab animals to drastically increase tissue repair and reconstruction.

Topical administration of adenosine for use in wound-healing deficiencies and diabetes mellitus in humans is currently under clinical investigation.

[37][38] A 2013 study compared topical adenosine with minoxidil in male androgenetic alopecia, finding it was as potent as minoxidil (in overall treatment outcomes) but with higher satisfaction rate with patients due to “faster prevention of hair loss and appearance of the newly grown hairs” (further trials were called for to clarify the findings).

[41] Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), which is considered one of the most effective treatments for insomnia, utilizes short-term sleep deprivation to raise and regulate adenosine levels in the body, for the intended promotion of consistent and sustained sleep in the long term.

[42] A principal component of cannabis delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and the endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA) induces sleep in rats by increasing adenosine levels in the basal forebrain.