Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
Quick facts
- How it is given
- intramuscular, intravenous
- Type
- human prescription drug
- RxNorm ID
- 313324
We do not publish dosing.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 Thiamine hydrochloride injection is effective for the treatment of thiamine deficiency or beriberi whether of the dry (major symptoms related to the nervous system) or wet (major symptoms related to the cardiovascular system) variety. Thiamine hydrochloride injection should be used where rapid restoration of thiamine is necessary, as in Wernicke’s encephalopathy, infantile beriberi with acute collapse, cardiovascular disease due to thiamine deficiency, or neuritis of pregnancy if vomiting is severe. It is also indicated when giving IV dextrose to individuals with marginal thiamine status to avoid precipitation of heart failure. Thiamine hydrochloride injection is also indicated in patients with established thiamine deficiency who cannot take thiamine orally due to coexisting severe anorexia, nausea, vomiting, or malabsorption. Thiamine hydrochloride injection is not usually indicated for conditions of decreased oral intake or decreased gastrointestinal absorption, because multiple vitamins should usually be given.
About this medicine
DESCRIPTION Thiamine Hydrochloride Injection, USP is a sterile solution of thiamine hydrochloride in Water for Injection for intramuscular (IM) or slow intravenous (IV) administration. Each mL contains: Thiamine hydrochloride 100 mg; chlorobutanol anhydrous (chloral derivative) 0.5%; monothioglycerol 0.5%; water for injection, q.s. Sodium hydroxide may have been added for pH adjustment (2.5 to 4.5). Thiamine hydrochloride, or vitamin B 1 , occurs as white crystals or crystalline powder that usually has a slight characteristic odor. Freely soluble in water; soluble in glycerin; slightly soluble in alcohol; insoluble in ether and benzene. Thiamine is rapidly destroyed in neutral or alkaline solutions but is stable in the dry state. It is reasonably stable to heat in acid solution. The chemical name of thiamine hydrochloride is thiazolium,3-[(4-amino-2-methyl-5- pyrimidinyl)methyl]-5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methylchloride, monohydrochloride and it has the following structural formula: C 12 H 17 CIN 4 OS • HCl M.W. 337.27 Structural formula
Who should not take it
CONTRAINDICATIONS A history of sensitivity to thiamine or to any of the ingredients in this drug is a contraindication. (See WARNINGS for further information.)
Warnings
WARNINGS WARNING: This product contains aluminum that may be toxic. Aluminum may reach toxic levels with prolonged parenteral administration if kidney function is impaired. Premature neonates are particularly at risk because their kidneys are immature, and they require large amounts of calcium and phosphate solutions, which contain aluminum. Research indicates that patients with impaired kidney function, including premature neonates, who receive parenteral levels of aluminum at greater than 4 to 5 mcg/kg/day accumulate aluminum at levels associated with central nervous system and bone toxicity. Tissue loading may occur at even lower rates of administration. Serious hypersensitivity/anaphylactic reactions can occur, especially after repeated administration. Deaths have resulted from IV or IM administration of thiamine (see ADVERSE REACTIONS ). Routine testing for hypersensitivity, in many cases, may not detect hypersensitivity. Nevertheless, a skin test should be performed on patients who are suspected of drug allergies or previous reactions to thiamine, and any positive responders should not receive thiamine by injection. If hypersensitivity to thiamine is suspected (based on history of drug allergy or occurrence of adverse reactions after thiamine administration), administer one-hundredth of the dose intradermally and observe for 30 minutes. If no reaction occurs, full dose can be given; the patient should be observed for at least 30 minutes after injection. Be prepared to treat anaphylactic reactions regardless of the precautions taken. Treatment of anaphylactic reactions includes maintaining a patent airway and the use of epinephrine, oxygen, vasopressors, steroids and antihistamines.
Reported side effects
ADVERSE REACTIONS To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. at 1-877-845-0689 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. An occasional individual may develop a hypersensitivity or life-threatening anaphylactic reaction to thiamine, especially after repeated injections. Collapse and death have been reported. A feeling of warmth, pruritus, urticaria, weakness, sweating, nausea, restlessness, tightness of the throat, angioneurotic edema, cyanosis, pulmonary edema, and hemorrhage into the gastrointestinal tract have also been reported. Some tenderness and induration may follow IM use (see WARNINGS ).
Interactions with other medicines
Information for Patients The patient should be advised as to proper dietary habits during treatment so that relapses will be less likely to occur with reduction in dosage or cessation of injection therapy.
If too much is taken
OVERDOSAGE Parenteral doses of 100 to 500 mg singly have been administered without toxic effects. However, dosages exceeding 30 mg three times a day are not utilized effectively. When the body tissues are saturated with thiamine, it is excreted in the urine as pyrimidine. As the intake of thiamine is further increased, it appears unchanged in the urine.
Before you take anything new
Tell your pharmacist or doctor about every medicine you take — including ones bought without a prescription, herbal products and supplements. Interactions are one of the most common avoidable causes of harm from medicines, and a pharmacist can check your full list in a couple of minutes.
This page is built from the openFDA record of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approved labelling for this product, effective 30 September 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.