Glucose 20% w/v Solution for Infusion

• Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again
• If you have any further questions, ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.
• If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.

What is in this leaflet

1. What Glucose 20% w/v Solution for Infusion is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you are given Glucose 20% w/v Solution for Infusion
3. How Glucose 20% w/v Solution for Infusion is given to you
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Glucose 20% w/v Solution for Infusion
6. Contents of the pack and other information

• are allergic to Glucose 20% w/v Solution for Infusion or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
• are allergic to corn or corn products.
• have glucose-galactose malabsorption syndrome.
• have been bleeding in the spine or brain.
• cannot pass urine.
• have had a stroke.
• have a condition known as Delerium Tremens - uncontrolled bouts of shaking after stopping drinking alcohol.

Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before being given the infusion if you:

• are a diabetic
• are under-nourished
• have low levels of phosphates (a mineral) or thiamine (vitamin B1) in your blood
• have an infection
• have had a recent injury
• are dehydrated

Patients who are acutely ill, with pain, postoperative stress, infections, burns, nervous system, heart, liver and kidney diseases and patients who are on medicines increasing the effect of vasopressin (a hormone which regulates the amount of body fluids), when given Glucose 20 % w/v Solution for Infusion, are at particular risk of developing acute hyponatraemia (abnormally low level of sodium in the blood) which can lead to encephalopathy (brain oedema).

Children, women of childbearing potential and patients with serious brain conditions like meningitis (infection of the membranes surrounding the brain) or brain injury are at particular risk of severe and life-threatening brain swelling caused by an acute decrease in blood sodium levels.

Tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines especially the following medicines which increase the effect of vasopressin and the risk of a low sodium level (hyponatraemia):

• Carbamazepine and Oxcarbazepine used to treat epilepsy
• Vincristine and Ifosfamide used as anticancer treatments
• Cyclophosphamide to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases
• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) to treat depression
• The recreational drug ‘ecstasy’ (MDMA)
• Antipsychotics for mental health disorders
• Opioid pain killers to relieve severe pain
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to relieve mild to moderate pain and to treat inflammation in your body
• Desmopressin for the treatment of diabetes insipidus (extreme thirst and the continuous production of large volumes of dilute urine)
• Oxytocin used during labour
• Vasopressin and terlipressin used to treat ‘bleeding oesophageal varices’ (enlarged veins in your food pipe caused by liver problems)
• Diuretics or water tablets (medicines which increase the amount of urine)

If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or nurse for advice before using this medicine.

You should not drive or use machinery if you are affected by the administration of Glucose 20% w/v Solution for Infusion.

Since the infusion will be given to you by a doctor or nurse, it is unlikely that you will be given too much. If you think you have been given too much, you must tell the person giving you the infusion.

Your doctor will monitor chemical and fluid balance, glucose and electrolyte levels (including sodium) in your blood before and during treatment , especially in patients with disrupted vasopressin release (a hormone which regulates the amount of body fluids) and in patients taking medicines increasing the action of vasopressin due to the risk of hyponatraemia (abnormal low sodium level in your blood).

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse: This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

The active substance is glucose (20% w/v or 200 g/l) in a sterile solution.

The other excipients are hydrochloric acid and sterile water for injections.

Glucose 20% w/v Solution for Infusion is supplied in 100 ml clear glass vials with rubber stopper and cap packed in cartons to contain either 1 vial, 10 vials or 25 vials.

Not all pack sizes may be marketed.

For any information about this medicine, please contact the Marketing Authorisation Holder