Patient Medication Information: uses, side effects, how to take - Visipaque 270
What is Visipaque used for?
Visipaque 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, blood vessels, including blood vessels of your heart.
- You may be given this medicine before or during a scan of your head or body using ‘computed tomography’ (also called a CT scan). This type of scan uses X-rays.
Your doctor will explain which part of your body will be scanned.
How does Visipaque work?
Visipaque 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 Visipaque?
Medicinal ingredients: Iodixanol
Non-medicinal ingredients: calcium chloride dihydrate, edetate calcium disodium, hydrochloric acid, sodium chloride, tromethamine.
Visipaque comes in the following dosage forms:
Visipaque is a solution for injection that is supplied in two strengths: Visipaque 270 ( 55% w/v, 270 mg I/mL) and Visipaque 320 (65% w/v, 320 mg I/mL).
Do not use Visipaque if you:
- are allergic (hypersensitive) to iodixanol, or to any of the other ingredients in Visipaque
To help avoid side effects and ensure proper use, talk to your healthcare professional before you take Visipaque. Talk about any health conditions or problems you may have, including if you:
- have a tumour of the adrenal gland (pheochromocytoma)
- have sickle cell disease ( not enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body)
- have multiple myeloma (a cancer of the plasma blood cells)
- have severe heart disease, including congestive heart failure, high or low blood pressure, thickening or hardening of the walls of your arteries, or a recent heart attack
- have a history of allergy, bronchial asthma, or a sensitivity to iodine
- have kidney problems or have had a recent kidney transplant
- have both liver and kidney disease
- have too much uric acid in your blood
- have a lung condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- have recently had or are scheduled to have an X-ray examination of your bladder, kidneys and ureters
- have a condition where your body overproduces certain proteins (paraproteinemia)
- have homocystinuria (inherited disorder)
- have endotoxemia (presence of toxins from bacteria in blood), sepsis (a serious complication of an infection) or other infections
- have too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism)
- have a vascular condition in which you have clotting of some small blood vessels in the hands or feet (Buerger's disease or thromboangiitis obliterans)
- have problems with your blood circulation, including blood clots and swelling in your veins (phlebitis)
- have a high body temperature
- are very dehydrated
- have problems with your brain, such as bleeding, stroke, clotting, disrupted blood brain barrier or a lesion
- have diabetes mellitus
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 Visipaque.
Thyroid function
Contrast media containing iodine, such as Visipaque, 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 Visipaque 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 Visipaque:
- Cholecystographic agents (other agents containing iodine used to image the gallbladder)
- Adrenergic beta blockers (to treat heart disease including high blood pressure)
- Biguanides (metformin) (help control blood sugar in diabetics)
- Anesthetics
- Ionotropic agents (medications used to help change the force of the heart’s contractions)
- beta-blockers (medicines used to treat high blood pressure or other heart conditions)
- Some medical tests (eg, protein in the urine test) may be affected by the use of Visipaque. Tell your doctor if you have any of these tests scheduled.
How to take Visipaque:
Visipaque 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:
Overdose affects mainly the heart and the lungs and can be life-threatening. The symptoms of overdose may include bluish skin, abnormally slow heart, bleeding in the lungs, seizures, coma and heart attack.
| If you think you have been given too much Visipaque, contact your healthcare professional, hospital emergency department or regional poison control centre immediately, even if there are no symptoms. |
What are possible side effects from using Visipaque?
These are not all the possible side effects you may feel when taking Visipaque. If you experience any side effects not listed here, contact your healthcare professional.
Side effects that you may have are listed below, these depend on how or why Visipaque was given to you. Ask your doctor if you are not sure how you were given Visipaque.
After an injection into an artery or vein
- headache
- nausea
- rash/skin rash with redness
- itching
- chest pain
- feeling dizzy
- feeling confused
- changes in your senses e.g. sight, taste or smell, numbness, tingling or burning sensation
The side effects in the table below may happen several hours or days after Visipaque 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 | |||
| Uncommon | ||||
| Kidney problems: short term decrease in kidney function and / or damage to the kidney(s). Can include little to no urine production. | X | |||
Serious side effects and what to do about them
| Symptom/ Effect | Talk to your healthcare professional |
|---|
| Only if severe | In all cases | |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | ||
| Heart problems: irregular heartbeats including fast heart rate or slow heart rate, spasm of one of the arteries including arteries to the heart, 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, lightheadedness or sudden dizziness | X | |
| Very rare | ||
| Arrest of the heart, high blood pressure | X | |
| Breathing problems: trouble breathing, including stopped breathing (where you don’t breathe for a short time) | X | |
| Vision problems: short-term blindness | X | |
| Not known | ||
| 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 | |
| Short-term brain damage: coma, short term memory loss, hallucinations, movement problems, feeling confused | X | |
| Seizures (fits) | X | |
Serious side effects and what to do about them
| Symptom/ Effect | Talk to your healthcare professional |
|---|
| Only if severe | In all cases | |
|---|---|---|
| Decrease in pumping activity of the heart | X | |
| Severe skin reactions: severe rash, blistering and peeling of skin | 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, talk to 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 15 oC to 30oC. Protect from light and freezing. Keep out of reach and sight of children.
If you want more information about Visipaque:
- 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