Morrhuate Sodium

• Tell all of your health care providers that you take this medicine. This includes your doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and dentists.
• Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan on getting pregnant. You will need to talk about the benefits and risks of using morrhuate sodium while you are pregnant.
• Tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding. You will need to talk about any risks to your baby.

Use this medicine as ordered by your doctor. Read all information given to you. Follow all instructions closely.

• It is given as a shot into a vein.

What do I do if I miss a dose?

• Call your doctor to find out what to do.

Morrhuate sodium causes inflammation of the vein's intima resulting in the formation of a thrombus. Occlusion secondary to the fibrous tissue and the thrombus results in the obliteration of the vein.

Refer to adult dosing.

No dosage adjustment provided in manufacturer’s labeling.

Concerns related to adverse effects:

• Anaphylactic/hypersensitivity reactions: Anaphylactic and hypersensitivity reactions (eg, asthma, nausea, vomiting, respiratory depression, urticaria, vascular collapse) have occurred. Immediate treatment (including epinephrine, antihistamines, corticosteroids) should be available.

• Extravasation: Sloughing and necrosis of tissue may occur following extravasation.

• Infections: Delay therapy in patients with acute local or systemic infections (eg, infected ulcers).

• Local reactions: Burning or cramping sensations may occur following administration.

Other warnings/precautions:

• Appropriate use: Valvular and venous competency should be evaluated prior to use.

• Experienced physician: This drug should only be administered by a physician familiar with proper injection techniques.

• Test dose: A test dose of 0.25-1 mL of a 5% injection may be given 24 hours before full-dose treatment.

• Discuss specific use of drug and side effects with patient as it relates to treatment. (HCAHPS: During this hospital stay, were you given any medicine that you had not taken before? Before giving you any new medicine, how often did hospital staff tell you what the medicine was for? How often did hospital staff describe possible side effects in a way you could understand?)

• Patient may experience short-term pain, injection site skin discoloration or stiffness, or headache. Have patient report immediately to prescriber angina, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, or severe injection site pain, redness, burning, edema, or irritation (HCAHPS).

• Educate patient about signs of a significant reaction (eg, wheezing; chest tightness; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; seizures; or swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat). Note: This is not a comprehensive list of all side effects. Patient should consult prescriber for additional questions.

Intended Use and Disclaimer: Should not be printed and given to patients. This information is intended to serve as a concise initial reference for healthcare professionals to use when discussing medications with a patient. You must ultimately rely on your own discretion, experience and judgment in diagnosing, treating and advising patients.

WARNING/CAUTION: Even though it may be rare, some people may have very bad and sometimes deadly side effects when taking a drug. Tell your doctor or get medical help right away if you have any of the following signs or symptoms that may be related to a very bad side effect:

• Signs of an allergic reaction, like rash; hives; itching; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin with or without fever; wheezing; tightness in the chest or throat; trouble breathing or talking; unusual hoarseness; or swelling of the mouth, face, lips, tongue, or throat.
• Chest pain.
• Coughing up blood.
• Shortness of breath.
• This drug may cause tissue damage if the drug leaks from the vein. Tell your nurse if you have any redness, burning, pain, swelling, blisters, skin sores, or leaking of fluid where the drug is going into your body.

Applies to morrhuate sodium: injectable solution

Cardiovascular

Cardiovascular side effects have included thrombosis, valvular incompetency, and vascular collapse.[Ref]

Nervous system

Nervous system side effects have included drowsiness, headache, and dizziness.[Ref]

Dermatologic

Dermatologic side effects have included urticaria.[Ref]

Gastrointestinal

Gastrointestinal side effects have included nausea and vomiting.[Ref]

Local

Local side effects have included burning at the site of injection and severe extravasation effects.[Ref]

Musculoskeletal

Musculoskeletal side effects have included weakness.[Ref]

Respiratory

Respiratory side effects have included asthma and pulmonary embolism.[Ref]

Hypersensitivity

Hypersensitivity side effects have included anaphylaxis reactions.[Ref]

Some side effects of morrhuate sodium may not be reported. Always consult your doctor or healthcare specialist for medical advice. You may also report side effects to the FDA.

There are no data on the excretion of morrhuate sodium into human milk.