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Quick facts
- Drug class
- Nitrate Vasodilator [EPC]
- How it is given
- intravenous
- Type
- human prescription drug
- Brand names
- Nitroglycerin In Dextrose
- RxNorm ID
- 1868562
We do not publish dosing. How much of this medicine to take, how often, and for how long depends on your age, weight, kidney and liver function, other conditions and other medicines. That is a decision for the person who prescribes or dispenses it. Follow the directions on your own pack and ask your pharmacist if anything is unclear.
What it is used to treat
INDICATIONS AND USAGE Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection is indicated for treatment of peri-operative hypertension; for control of heart failure in the setting of acute myocardial infarction; for treatment of angina pectoris in patients who have not responded to sublingual nitroglycerin and ß-blockers; and for induction of intraoperative hypotension.
About this medicine
DESCRIPTION Nitroglycerin is 1,2,3-propanetriol trinitrate, an organic nitrate whose structural formula is whose empiric formula is C 3 H 5 N 3 O 9 , and whose molecular weight is 227.09. The organic nitrates are vasodilators, active on both arteries and veins. Dextrose (Dextrose Hydrous, USP) is D-glucose monohydrate, a hexose sugar whose structural formula is whose empiric formula is C 6 H 12 O 6 • H 2 O, and whose molecular weight is 198.17. Dextrose is derived from corn. Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection is a sterile, nonpyrogenic solution of nitroglycerin and dextrose in water for injection. The solution is clear and practically colorless. Each 100 mL contains 10 mg, 20 mg, or 40 mg nitroglycerin (added as Diluted Nitroglycerin, USP with propylene glycol); 5 g Dextrose Hydrous, USP; 0.84 mL Alcohol, USP (added as a dissolution aid); and 105 mg Citric Acid Hydrous, USP (added as a buffer). The pH of the solution is adjusted with sodium hydroxide and, if necessary, hydrochloric acid. Although dry nitroglycerin is explosive, nitroglycerin in 5% dextrose is not. Composition, osmolarity and pH are given in Table 1. Table 1 Composition Normal physiologic osmolarity range is approximately 280 to 310 mOsmol/L. Administration of substantially hypertonic solutions (≥600 mOsmol/L) may cause vein damage. Osmolarity (mOsmol/L) (calc) pH Nitroglycerin (mcg/mL) Dextrose Hydrous, USP (g/L) 25 mg Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection 100 50 428 4.0 (3.0 to 5.0) 50 mg Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection 200 50 440 4.0 (3.0 to 5.0) 100 mg Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection 400 50 465 4.0 (3.0 to 5.0) Nitroglycerin Structural Formula Dextrose Structural Formula
Who should not take it
CONTRAINDICATIONS Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection is contraindicated in patients who are allergic to it. In patients with pericardial tamponade, restrictive cardiomyopathy, or constrictive pericarditis, cardiac output is dependent upon venous return. Intravenous nitroglycerin is contraindicated in patients with these conditions. Nitroglycerin is also contraindicated in patients with increased intracranial pressure. Do not use Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection in patients who are taking certain drugs for erectile dysfunction (phosphodiesterase inhibitors) such as sildenafil, tadalafil, or vardenafil. Concomitant use can cause severe hypotension, syncope, or myocardial ischemia. Do not use Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection in patients who are taking the soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator riociguat. Concomitant use can cause hypotension.
Warnings
WARNINGS Use of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) tubing in infusion sets may lead to loss of active ingredient due to adsorption of nitroglycerin to PVC tubing, therefore dosage is affected (see Dosage and Administration ). Nitroglycerin adsorption by PVC tubing is increased when the tubing is long, the flow rates are low, and the nitroglycerin concentration of the solution is high. The delivered fraction of the solution's original nitroglycerin content has been 20-60% in published studies using PVC tubing; the fraction varies with time during a single infusion, and no simple correction factor can be used. PVC tubing has been used in most published studies of intravenous nitroglycerin, but the reported doses have been calculated by simply multiplying the flow rate of the solution by the solution's original concentration of nitroglycerin. The actual doses delivered have been less, sometimes much less, than those reported. Relatively non-adsorptive intravenous administration sets are available. If intravenous nitroglycerin is administered through non-adsorptive tubing, doses based upon published reports will generally be too high. Some in-line intravenous filters also adsorb nitroglycerin; these filters should be avoided. Solutions containing dextrose without electrolytes should not be administered through the same administration set as blood, as this may result in pseudoagglutination or hemolysis. The intravenous administration of solutions may cause fluid overloading resulting in dilution of serum electrolyte concentrations, overhydration and congested states of pulmonary edema. The risk of dilutional states is inversely proportional to the electrolyte concentrations of the injections. The risk of solute overload causing congested states with peripheral and pulmonary edema is directly proportional to the electrolyte concentration of the injections.
Reported side effects
ADVERSE REACTIONS Adverse reactions to nitroglycerin are generally dose-related and almost all of these reactions are the result of nitroglycerin's activity as a vasodilator. Headache, which may be severe, is the most commonly reported side effect. Headache may be recurrent with each daily dose, especially at higher doses. Transient episodes of lightheadedness, occasionally related to blood pressure changes, may also occur. Hypotension occurs infrequently, but in some patients it may be severe enough to warrant discontinuation of therapy. Syncope, crescendo angina, and rebound hypertension have been reported but are uncommon. Allergic reactions to nitroglycerin are also uncommon, and the great majority of those reported have been cases of contact dermatitis or fixed drug eruptions in patients receiving nitroglycerin in ointments or patches. There have been a few reports of genuine anaphylactoid reactions, and these reactions can probably occur in patients receiving nitroglycerin by any route. Extremely rarely, ordinary doses of organic nitrates have caused methemoglobinemia in normal-seeming patients. Methemoglobinemia is so infrequent at these doses that further discussion of its diagnosis and treatment is deferred (see Overdosage ). Dyspnea has also been reported. Data are not available to allow estimation of the frequency of adverse reactions during treatment with Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection.
Interactions with other medicines
Drug Interactions: The vasodilating effects of nitroglycerin may be additive with those of antihypertensives (e.g., beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers and tricyclic antidepressants) and may cause increased hypotensive effects.. Concomitant use of Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection with phosphodiesterase inhibitors (e.g. sildenafil, tadalafil, or vardenafil) can cause hypotension and is contraindicated (see Contraindications ). Concomitant use of Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection with riociguat, a soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator, can cause hypotension and is contraindicated (see Contraindications ). Marked symptomatic orthostatic hypotension has been reported when calcium channel blockers and organic nitrates were used in combination. Nitroglycerin at higher dosages may interfere with the anticoagulant effect of heparin. Intravenous nitroglycerin can induce heparin resistance. Administration of Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection through the same infusion set as blood can result in pseudoagglutination and hemolysis. Do not mix Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection with any other medication of any kind.
If too much is taken
OVERDOSAGE Signs and symptoms of overdose are generally similar to the described adverse reactions (see Adverse Reactions ). There is no specific antidote for overdose of nitroglycerin. The risk of overdose can be minimized by close monitoring during treatment. Hemodynamic Effects: The ill effects of nitroglycerin overdose are generally the results of nitroglycerin's capacity to induce vasodilation, venous pooling, reduced cardiac output, and hypotension. These hemodynamic changes may have protean manifestations, including increased intracranial pressure, with any or all of persistent throbbing headache, confusion, and moderate fever; vertigo; palpitations; visual disturbances; nausea and vomiting (possibly with colic and even bloody diarrhea); syncope (especially in the upright posture); air hunger and dyspnea, later followed by reduced ventilatory effort; diaphoresis, with the skin either flushed or cold and clammy; heart block and bradycardia; paralysis; coma; seizures; and death. Laboratory determinations of serum levels of nitroglycerin and its metabolites are not widely available, and such determinations have, in any event, no established role in the management of nitroglycerin overdose. No data are available to suggest physiological maneuvers (e.g., maneuvers to change the pH of the urine) that might accelerate elimination of nitroglycerin and its active metabolites. Similarly, it is not known which -if any- of these substances can usefully be removed from the body by hemodialysis. No specific antagonist to the vasodilator effects of nitroglycerin is known, and no intervention has been subject to controlled study as a therapy of nitroglycerin overdose. Because the hypotension associated with nitroglycerin overdose is the result of venodilatation and arterial hypovolemia, prudent therapy in this situation should be directed toward increase in central fluid volume. Passive elevation of the patient's legs may be sufficient, but intravenous infusion of normal saline or similar fluid may also be necessary. The use of epinephrine or other arterial vasoconstrictors in this setting is likely to do more harm than good. […]
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This page is built from the openFDA record of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approved labelling for this product, effective 18 December 2025. Label text has been shortened and reformatted for readability; safety wording has not been altered in meaning. FDA labelling describes products approved in the United States — brand names, strengths, formulations and approved uses may differ in your country. Always read the leaflet that comes with your own pack. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the FDA. Retrieved 2026-07-30.