Patient Medication Information: uses, side effects, how to take - Omnipaque 240
Serious Warnings and Precautions
- There is a possibility of serious, life-threatening, or fatal allergic reaction. Most serious reactions happen within the first 30 minutes, though reactions can happen 1 hour or more later. Your healthcare professional should observe you for at least 30 minutes after you take Omnipaque.
- Serious or fatal reactions have happened after taking products in the same class of drugs as Omnipaque. Your healthcare professional should have a plan for how to immediately treat serious reactions. Proper facilities and healthcare professionals should be available to treat a serious reaction should one happen.
What is Omnipaque used for?
Omnipaque is for diagnostic use only. It is used only to help identify an illness and not in connection with treatment.
- It can be used for X-rays of your urinary system, spine or blood vessels, including blood vessels of your heart.
- You may be given this medicine before or during a scan of your head, brain or body using “computed tomography” (also called a CAT or CT scan). This type of scan uses X-rays.
- It can also be used to look at your knee joints or shoulder joints.
Your doctor will explain which part of your body will be scanned.
How does Omnipaque work?
Omnipaque is an iodine-based contrast medium. It is given before an X-ray to create contrast in your body. This contrast will help your doctor to more easily identify any issues or irregularities in your body.
What are the ingredients in Omnipaque?
Medicinal ingredients: Iohexol
Non-medicinal ingredients: edetate calcium disodium, hydrochloric acid, tromethamine.
Omnipaque comes in the following dosage forms:
Omnipaque is a solution for injection that is supplied in three strengths: Omnipaque 240 (52% w/v, 240 mg I/mL), Omnipaque 300 (65% w/v, 300 mg I/mL), and Omnipaque 350 (76% w/v, 350 mg I/mL).
Do not use Omnipaque if you:
- are allergic (hypersensitive) to iohexol or to any of the non-medicinal ingredients in Omnipaque.
- have been told you have significant problems with your liver and kidneys.
To help avoid side effects and ensure proper use, talk to your healthcare professional before you take Omnipaque. Talk about any health conditions or problems you may have, including if you:
- have pheochromocytoma (a rare tumor on one or both adrenal glands)
- have sickle cell disease (not enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body)
- have multiple myeloma (cancer of plasma blood cells)
- have severe heart disease, low or high blood pressure, a risk of developing blood clots
- have hyperthyroidism (too much thyroid hormone)
- have a history of allergy or a sensitivity to iodine
- are very dehydrated
- have a high body temperature
- have bronchial asthma
- have serious liver/kidney disease, low urine production, or too much uric acid in your blood
- have diabetes mellitus
- have an infection, sepsis (a serious complication of an infection) or endotoxemia (having endotoxins in your blood)
- have a history of seizures or you are epileptic
- have problems with your brain, such as bleeding, clotting or a lesion
are pregnant. Your doctor will only use this product if it is considered that the benefit outweighs the risk for both the mother and the baby.
- are breastfeeding. Breastfeeding should be discontinued for at least 48 hours following administration of Omnipaque.
Other warnings you should know about:
Thyroid function
Contrast media containing iodine, such as Omnipaque, may change thyroid activity in some patients, both in adults and infants. This may cause:
- Hypothyroidism (i.e., too little thyroid hormones in the blood)
- Or hyperthyroidism (i.e., too much thyroid hormones in the blood)
Thyroid function in infants
Contrast media containing iodine, such as Omnipaque, may cause hypothyroidism in infants, especially infants born too soon, that:
- Can continue for several weeks to a month after treatment
- Can harm growth and development
- Can harm mental growth
- May require treatment
Can cause symptoms such as:
- Fatigue, shortness of breath, low heart rate
- Reduced appetite, feeling cold, weight gain
- Muscle stiffness
Contact your doctor if these symptoms happen to you or your infant.
Your doctor may order blood tests for your infant after treatment to follow thyroid hormone levels in the blood.
Tell your healthcare professional about all the medicines you take, including any drugs, vitamins, minerals, natural supplements or alternative medicines.
The following may interact with Omnipaque:
- Vasopressors (drugs that cause constriction of the blood vessels)
- Beta-blockers (drugs that reduce your blood pressure)
- Phenothiazine derivatives (drugs used to treat allergies, as a sedative, and / or to prevent vomiting)
- Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants (drugs to treat depression)
- CNS stimulants (drugs that stimulate the brain, such as drugs to treat sleep disorders and ADHD),
- major tranquilizers or antipsychotic drugs (used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder)
- Drugs that are taken before you have an X-ray of your gall bladder
- Metformin (for the treatment of Type II diabetes)
How to take Omnipaque:
Omnipaque will always be used in a hospital or clinic and will be administered to you by a specially trained and qualified healthcare professional. They will tell you anything you need to know for its safe use.
Usual dose:
Your doctor will decide the dose that is best for you and for the type of procedure to be performed.
Overdose:
| If you think you, or a person you are caring for, have taken too much Omnipaque, contact a healthcare professional, hospital emergency department, or regional poison control centre immediately, even if there are no symptoms. |
|---|
What are possible side effects from using Omnipaque?
These are not all the possible side effects you may have when taking Omnipaque. If you experience any side effects not listed here, tell your healthcare professional.
You may get the side effects in the list below depending on how or why Omnipaque was given to you. Ask your doctor if you are not sure how you were given Omnipaque.
- Headache, may be severe and lasting for several days
- Pain in the back, leg, neck, stiffness and neuralgia (stabbing, burning nerve pain)
- Nausea, vomiting
- Short term dizziness, fainting
- Flashes of light in the eyes
- Changes in taste
- Heat sensation
- Pain at the injection site
- Swelling in joint where Omnipaque was injected.
The side effects in the table below may happen several hours or days after Omnipaque is given. If any of these side effects happen after you leave the hospital or clinic, go straight to the emergency department of your nearest hospital.
Serious side effects and what to do about them
| Symptom/ Effect | Talk to your healthcare professional | |
|---|---|---|
| Only if severe | In all cases | |
| RARE | ||
| Allergic reactions: wheeziness, difficulty in breathing or tightness or pain in your chest, swelling of your face, dizziness or feeling faint (caused by low blood pressure) can lead to shock and collapse | X | |
Serious side effects and what to do about them
| Symptom/ Effect | Talk to your healthcare professional | |
|---|---|---|
| Only if severe | In all cases | |
| Kidney problems: short term decrease in kidney function and / or damage to the kidney(s). Can include little to no urine production. | X | |
| Heart problems: irregular heartbeats including fast heart rate or slow heart rate | X | |
| Breathing problems: trouble breathing, including stopped breathing (where you don’t breathe for a short time) | X | |
| VERY RARE | ||
| High or low blood pressure | X | |
| Heart attack: pressure, tightness, pain, or a squeezing or aching sensation in your chest or arms that may spread to your neck, jaw or back, nausea, shortness of breath, cold sweat, light-headedness or sudden dizziness. | X | |
| Seizures (fits) | X | |
| Loss of consciousness | X | |
| Stroke: sudden onset headache and/or weakness, difficulty speaking, blurred vision, sleepiness (somnolence), confusion | X | |
| UNKNOWN | ||
| Heart problems: heart failure, arrest of the heart, spasms of the heart arteries and cyanosis (blue to purple colour of skin because of decreased oxygen) | X | |
| Asthma attack | X | |
| Short-term brain damage: coma, swelling of brain, stupor (“sleepy state”), short term memory loss, disorientation | X | |
| Severe skin reactions: severe rash, blistering and peeling of skin | X | |
| Vision problems: short-term blindness (hours to a few days), | X | |
If you have a troublesome symptom or side effect that is not listed here or becomes bad enough to interfere with your daily activities, tell your healthcare professional.
Reporting Side Effects
You can report any suspected side effects associated with the use of health products to Health Canada by:
NOTE: Contact your health professional if you need information about how to manage your side effects. The Canada Vigilance Program does not provide medical advice. |
Storage:
Store at 15oC to 30oC. Protect from light. Keep out of reach and sight of children.
If you want more information about Omnipaque:
- Talk to your healthcare professional
Find the full product monograph that is prepared for healthcare professionals and includes
this Patient Medication Information by visiting the Health Canada website: (https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/drug-products/drug-product-database.html;or by calling 1-800-387-7146.