Description and Brand Names

Drug information provided by: Merative, Micromedex®

US Brand Name

1. Barhemsys

Descriptions

Amisulpride injection is used alone or with other medicines to prevent and treat nausea and vomiting that may occur after surgery. This medicine works in the stomach to block the signals to the brain that cause nausea and vomiting.

This medicine is to be given only by or under the immediate supervision of your doctor.

This product is available in the following dosage forms:

• Solution

Before Using

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects amisulpride injection for the prevention and treatment of nausea and vomiting after surgery in the pediatric population. Safety and efficacy have not been established.

Geriatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of amisulpride injection in the elderly. However, elderly patients are more likely to have kidney problems, which may require caution and an adjustment in the dose for patients receiving this medicine.

Breastfeeding

Studies in women breastfeeding have demonstrated harmful infant effects. An alternative to this medication should be prescribed or you should stop breastfeeding while using this medicine.

Drug Interactions

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are receiving this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

• Bepridil
• Cisapride
• Dronedarone
• Levoketoconazole
• Mesoridazine
• Pimozide
• Piperaquine
• Saquinavir
• Sparfloxacin
• Terfenadine
• Thioridazine
• Ziprasidone

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

• Adagrasib
• Alfuzosin
• Amiodarone
• Amitriptyline
• Anagrelide
• Apomorphine
• Aripiprazole
• Aripiprazole Lauroxil
• Arsenic Trioxide
• Asenapine
• Astemizole
• Atazanavir
• Azithromycin
• Bedaquiline
• Buprenorphine
• Buserelin
• Ceritinib
• Chloroquine
• Chlorpromazine
• Ciprofloxacin
• Citalopram
• Clarithromycin
• Clofazimine
• Clomipramine
• Clothiapine
• Clozapine
• Crizotinib
• Cyclobenzaprine
• Dabrafenib
• Dasatinib
• Degarelix
• Delamanid
• Desipramine
• Deslorelin
• Deutetrabenazine
• Dexmedetomidine
• Disopyramide
• Dofetilide
• Dolasetron
• Domperidone
• Donepezil
• Doxepin
• Droperidol
• Ebastine
• Efavirenz
• Encorafenib
• Entrectinib
• Eribulin
• Erythromycin
• Escitalopram
• Etrasimod
• Famotidine
• Felbamate
• Fexinidazole
• Fingolimod
• Flecainide
• Fluconazole
• Fluoxetine
• Formoterol
• Foscarnet
• Fosphenytoin
• Galantamine
• Gatifloxacin
• Gemifloxacin
• Gepirone
• Glasdegib
• Gonadorelin
• Goserelin
• Granisetron
• Halofantrine
• Haloperidol
• Histrelin
• Hydroquinidine
• Hydroxychloroquine
• Hydroxyzine
• Ibutilide
• Iloperidone
• Imipramine
• Inotuzumab Ozogamicin
• Itraconazole
• Ivabradine
• Ivosidenib
• Lapatinib
• Lenvatinib
• Leuprolide
• Levodopa
• Levofloxacin
• Lofexidine
• Lumefantrine
• Macimorelin
• Mefloquine
• Methadone
• Methotrimeprazine
• Metronidazole
• Mifepristone
• Mirtazapine
• Mizolastine
• Mobocertinib
• Moricizine
• Moxifloxacin
• Nafarelin
• Nelfinavir
• Nilotinib
• Norfloxacin
• Octreotide
• Ofloxacin
• Olanzapine
• Ondansetron
• Osilodrostat
• Osimertinib
• Ozanimod
• Pacritinib
• Paliperidone
• Panobinostat
• Papaverine
• Paroxetine
• Pasireotide
• Pazopanib
• Pentamidine
• Perphenazine
• Phenobarbital
• Pimavanserin
• Pipamperone
• Pitolisant
• Ponesimod
• Primidone
• Probucol
• Procainamide
• Prochlorperazine
• Promethazine
• Propafenone
• Protriptyline
• Quetiapine
• Quinidine
• Quinine
• Quizartinib
• Ranolazine
• Relugolix
• Ribociclib
• Risperidone
• Ritonavir
• Selpercatinib
• Sertindole
• Sertraline
• Sevoflurane
• Siponimod
• Sodium Phosphate
• Sodium Phosphate, Dibasic
• Sodium Phosphate, Monobasic
• Solifenacin
• Sorafenib
• Sotalol
• Sulpiride
• Sultopride
• Sunitinib
• Tacrolimus
• Tamoxifen
• Telaprevir
• Telavancin
• Telithromycin
• Tetrabenazine
• Tolterodine
• Toremifene
• Trazodone
• Triclabendazole
• Trimipramine
• Triptorelin
• Vandetanib
• Vardenafil
• Vemurafenib
• Venlafaxine
• Vilanterol
• Vinflunine
• Voclosporin
• Voriconazole
• Vorinostat
• Zotepine
• Zuclopenthixol

Other Interactions

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.

Other Medical Problems

The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Congestive heart failure or
• Electrolyte imbalance (eg, hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia) or
• Heart disease—May increase risk to have prolonged QT interval.

• Heart rhythm problems (eg, arrhythmia, prolonged QT interval)—Use with caution. May make these conditions worse.

• Kidney disease, severe—Use with caution. The effects may be increased because of slower removal of the medicine from the body.

Proper Use

A nurse or other trained health professional will give you this medicine in a hospital. This medicine is given through a needle placed in one of your veins.

When this medicine is used to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by surgery, it is usually given 1 to 2 minutes before anesthesia (medicine to put you to sleep before surgery).

When this medicine is used to treat nausea and vomiting caused by surgery, it is usually given 1 to 2 minutes right after surgery if nausea and vomiting begin.

Precautions

Check with your doctor if severe nausea and vomiting continue after leaving the hospital.

Do not use this medicine together with levodopa. Using these medicines together may cause serious unwanted effects.

This medicine can cause changes in heart rhythms, such as a condition called QT prolongation. It may change the way your heart beats and cause fainting or serious side effects in some patients. Contact your doctor right away if you have any symptoms of heart rhythm problems, such as fast, pounding, or uneven heartbeats.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.

Side Effects

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor or nurse immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

Less common

1. Blurred vision
2. chills
3. confusion
4. convulsions
5. decreased urine
6. dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position
7. dry mouth
8. increased thirst
9. irregular heartbeat
10. loss of appetite
11. mood changes
12. muscle pain or cramps
13. nausea or vomiting
14. numbness or tingling in the hands, feet, or lips
15. sweating
16. trouble breathing
17. unusual tiredness or weakness

Incidence not known

1. Chest pain or discomfort
2. cough or hoarseness
3. fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse
4. fever with or without chills
5. general feeling of tiredness or weakness
6. hives, itching, or rash
7. hoarseness
8. irritation
9. joint pain, stiffness or swelling
10. large, hive-like swelling on the face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, hands, legs, feet, or sex organs
11. lower back or side pain
12. painful or difficult urination
13. redness of the skin
14. slow or irregular heartbeat
15. sore throat
16. sores, ulcers, or white spots on the lips or in the mouth
17. swelling of the eyelids, face, lips, hands, or feet
18. tightness in the chest
19. troubled swallowing
20. unusual bleeding or bruising

Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

More common

1. Pain at the injection site

Less common

1. Full or bloated feeling
2. pressure in the stomach
3. swelling of the abdominal or stomach area

Incidence not known

1. Anxiety
2. bleeding, blistering, burning, coldness, discoloration of the skin, feeling of pressure, hives, infection, inflammation, itching, lumps, numbness, rash, redness, scarring, soreness, stinging, swelling, tenderness, tingling, ulceration, or warmth at the injection site
3. hyperventilation
4. irritability
5. nervousness
6. restlessness
7. shaking
8. sleepiness or unusual drowsiness
9. trouble sleeping

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Portions of this document last updated: March 01, 2024

Original article: https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/amisulpride-intravenous-route/description/drg-20484188