Suxamethonium Chloride
Consumer Medicine Information
What is in this leaflet
This leaflet answers some of the common questions people ask about Suxamethonium Chloride Injection. It does not contain all the information that is known about Suxamethonium Chloride Injection.
It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.
All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor will have weighed the risks of your being given Suxamethonium Chloride Injection against the benefits they expect it will have for you.
If you have any concerns about being given this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Keep this leaflet.
You may need to read it again.
What Suxamethonium Chloride Injection is for
Suxamethonium Chloride Injection is used to stop your muscles moving during surgery or medical procedures.
It belongs to a group of medicines called neuromuscular blockers which work by stopping messages being sent from the nerves to the muscles.
Your doctor will have explained why you will be given Suxamethonium Chloride Injection.
Follow all directions given to you by your doctor carefully.
They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.
Your doctor may prescribe this medicine for another use. Ask your doctor if you want more information.
Suxamethonium Chloride Injection is not addictive.
Before you are given Suxamethonium Chloride Injection
You may already have been given Suxamethonium Chloride Injection. Your doctor will have considered the situation carefully and decided to use it. However, if any of the following applies to you, tell your doctor immediately.
When you must not use it
You should not be given Suxamethonium Chloride Injection if you are pregnant or breastfeeding unless your doctor says so. Ask your doctor about the risks and benefits involved.
We do not know if it is safe for you to be given it while you are pregnant. It may affect your baby if you are given it early in pregnancy or in the last weeks before your baby is due.
Your baby may take in Suxamethonium Chloride Injection from breast milk if you are breastfeeding.
You must not be given Suxamethonium Chloride Injection if you:
are sensitive to suxamethonium
have an allergy to any ingredient listed at the end of this leaflet or any other related medicines.
If you have an allergic reaction, you may get a skin rash, hayfever, breathing difficulties or feel faint.
You should not be given Suxamethonium Chloride Injection if you have or have had the following medical conditions:
severe muscle stiffness and fever (malignant hyperthermia)
family history of malignant hyperthermia
muscle disease or weakness (e.g. myasthenia gravis or muscular dystrophy)
glaucoma (increased pressure in the eye)
eye injuries
recent paraplegia
kidney problems
severe burns
High blood levels of potassium
prolonged infections
Before you are given it
You must tell your doctor if you have any of these medical conditions:
heart or lung problems
malnutrition or severe dehydration
reduced red blood cells and iron stores (anaemia)
under-active thyroid gland
liver problems
fever
paraplegia
severe injuries
cancer
skin diseases
broken bones.
It may not be safe for you to be given Suxamethonium Chloride Injection if you have any of these conditions.
Taking other medicines
Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, including medicines that you buy at the chemist, supermarket or health food shop.
These medicines may affect the way Suxamethonium Chloride Injection works.
Some medicines and Suxamethonium Chloride Injection may interfere with each other. These include:
quinine
chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine
contraceptive pill
medicines for depression or mental illness
medicine for epilepsy or seizures e.g. phenytoin
some antibiotics
diuretics
corticosteroids
medicine for reflux or stomach ulcers e.g. cimetidine
asthma reliever medication e.g. Bricanyl®
medicines for high blood pressure or heart problems
quinidine or digoxin
magnesium salts
eye drops for glaucoma
some anticancer medicines
medicines to treat Alzheimer's disease
medicines to treat myasthenia gravis.
These medicines may affect the way Suxamethonium Chloride Injection works.
Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you what to do if you are taking any of these medicines.
Tell your doctor if you have recently been in contact with weed killers or insecticides.
If you have not told your doctor or anaesthetist about any of these things, tell them before you are given any Suxamethonium Chloride Injection.
How Suxamethonium Chloride Injection is given
Suxamethonium Chloride Injection will be given to you by an anaesthetist. It will not be given to you until you are asleep from an anaesthetic.
It will be given by injection into your bloodstream or muscles. The dose you will be given will be carefully worked out depending on the length of the procedure, and your body weight. Children will be given reduced amounts of Suxamethonium Chloride Injection.
Since Suxamethonium Chloride Injection will stop your muscles moving, it may be necessary for the anaesthetist to help you breathe while you are being given it.
Overdose
The anaesthetist giving you Suxamethonium Chloride Injection will be experienced in its use, so it will be extremely unlikely that you will be given too much.
Suxamethonium Chloride Injection doses should be carefully worked out, so problems with overdose are unlikely. There is another medicine called neostigmine which can be used if needed to reverse that effects of too much Suxamethonium Chloride Injection.
Side effects
Tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well after you have been given Suxamethonium Chloride Injection.
It may have unwanted side effects in a few people.
All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical treatment if you get some of the side effects.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.
Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following and they worry you:
increased saliva levels or mucous production
rash
muscle twitching or pain
flushing
itching
more bowel movements than normal
These are all mild side effects of Suxamethonium Chloride Injection.
Tell your doctor immediately if you notice any of the following:
change in heart beat or palpitations
eye pain
muscle stiffness
fever
breathing difficulties, rash or irritation
headache
feeling faint.
These are all serious side effects. You may need urgent medical attention.
Serious side effects are rare.
Tell your doctor if you notice anything else that is making you feel unwell.
Some people may get other side effects while being given Suxamethonium Chloride Injection.
Storage
Suxamethonium Chloride Injection Injection must be kept in the fridge where the temperature stays between 2 - 8 degrees C.
Do not freeze.
Disposal
Any Suxamethonium Chloride Injection from a single dose which is not used will be disposed of in a safe manner by your doctor or nurse.
Product description
Suxamethonium Chloride Injection is a clear, colourless solution. It contains suxamethonium chloride 50 mg/mL as the active ingredient, plus:
Sodium Hydroxide or Hydrochloric Acid for pH adjustment
Water for Injections
Available in 2mL Polyamp DuoFit® ampoules in packs of 50.
