Contains 1 g/10 mL Calcium Chloride Dihydrate (10%)
Consumer Medicine Information
What is in this leaflet
This leaflet answers some common questions about Calcium Chloride Injection. It does not contain all the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor.
All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you being given Calcium 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.
Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
What Calcium Chloride 10% Injection is used for
Calcium Chloride is a calcium salt used primarily to treat or prevent calcium deficiency. It is also used to treat high levels of potassium in the blood.
This medicine works by increasing the level of calcium in the blood.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why Calcium Chloride Injection has been prescribed for you. Your doctor may have prescribed it for another reason.
Before you are given Calcium Chloride 10% Injection
When you must not be given it
You should not be given Calcium Chloride Injection if you are allergic to calcium chloride.
Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include:
- shortness of breath
- wheezing or difficulty breathing
- swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body
- rash, itching or hives on the skin.
You should not be given Calcium Chloride Injection if the calcium levels in your blood or urine are above normal.
You should not be given Calcium Chloride Injection if you have any of the following medical conditions:
- a dangerously fast heart beat
- severe kidney disease or kidney stones
- sarcoidosis, a disease that causes tiny lumps of cells in your body.
Calcium Chloride Injection must not be given to infants by mouth, as it may severely irritate their stomach.
You should not be given Calcium Chloride Injection if the solution is discoloured, cloudy, turbid, or a precipitate or particles are present. The solution is normally a clear, colourless liquid.
You should not be given this medicine if when diluted with another solution it causes the solution to precipitate, become cloudy, turbid, discolour, or particles are visible.
Do not take this medicine after the expiry date printed on the pack or if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering. If you are given this medicine after the expiry date has passed it may not work as well.
If you are not sure whether you should be given this medicine, talk to your doctor.
Before you are given it
Tell your doctor if you have allergies to any other medicines, foods, preservatives or dyes.
Tell your doctor if you have or have had any of the following medical conditions:
- low blood pressure
- kidney disease
- heart disease
- kidney stones or stones of the urinary tract
- breathing difficulties or increased rate of breathing
- dehydration or any other chemical imbalance in the blood.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant or are breast-feeding. Your doctor will discuss the risks and benefits involved.
If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell him/her before you are given Calcium Chloride Injection.
Taking other medicines
Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, including medicines that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket, health food shop, naturopath or herbalist.
Some medicines and Calcium Chloride Injection may interfere with each other. These include:
- digoxin a medicine used to treat heart disease
- verapamil a medicine used to relax the blood vessels and prevent abnormal beating of the heart
- Other medicines containing calcium or magnesium.
These medicines may be affected by Calcium Chloride Injection, or may affect how well it works. Your doctor or pharmacist has more information on medicines to be careful with or avoid while being given this medicine.
How Calcium Chloride 10% Injection is given
Calcium Chloride Injection must only be given by a doctor or nurse.
It is usually given as a slow injection into a vein while the patient is lying down.
Your doctor will decide what dose of calcium chloride you will receive and for how long you will receive it. This depends on your medical condition and other factors, such as your weight. Sometimes only a single dose of calcium chloride is required.
If you are given too much (overdose)
Calcium Chloride Injection must only be given by a nurse or doctor so an overdose is not likely to occur.
Some medical conditions may result in too much calcium in the blood. Your doctor or nurse will monitor the level of calcium in the blood.
Symptoms of an overdose are the same as side effects but may be more severe.
The symptoms of a side effect are listed under Side Effects.
If you notice any symptoms of an overdose immediately contact your doctor or go to the Emergency Department at the nearest hospital.
For information on the management of overdose, contact the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 (Australia).
While you are being given Calcium Chloride 10% Injection
Things you must do
If you are about to be started on any new medicine, remind your doctor and pharmacist that you have been given Calcium Chloride Injection.
Tell any other doctors, dentists, and pharmacists who treat you that you have been given this medicine.
If you are going to have surgery, tell the surgeon or anaesthetist that you are taking this medicine. It may affect other medicines used during surgery.
If you are about to have any blood tests, tell your doctor that you have been given this medicine. It may interfere with the results of some tests.
Keep all of your doctor’s appointments so that your progress can be checked. Your doctor may do some tests from time to time to make sure the medicine is working and to prevent unwanted side effects.
Things to be careful of
You should continue to lie down for a short time after you have been given Calcium Chloride Injection.
If you feel light-headed, dizzy or faint when getting out of bed or standing up, get up slowly. Standing up slowly, especially when you get up from chairs, will help your body get used to change in position and blood pressure. If this problem continues or gets worse, talk to your doctor.
Side effects
Tell your doctor or nurse as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are being given Calcium Chloride Injection. This medicine 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 to answer any of the questions you may have.
Tell your doctor or nurse if you notice any of the following and they worry you:
- sweating, hot flushes
- a calcium or chalky taste
- dizziness, feeling faint
- irregular, fast or slow heart beat
- skin redness, pain, rash, burning or hardening of the skin at injection site.
If any of the following happen tell your doctor immediately or go to Emergency Department at your nearest hospital:
- nausea or vomiting
- mental disturbances
- constipation or abdominal pain
- muscle weakness
- excessive thirst or urination.
The above list includes very serious side effects. You may need urgent medical attention or hospitalisation. These side effects are very rare.
Tell your doctor or nurse if you notice anything that is making you feel unwell.
Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some people.
After being given Calcium Chloride 10% Injection
You should lie down for a short time to prevent dizziness following the injection of calcium chloride.
If you feel light-headed or dizzy when getting up, get up slowly. Standing up slowly will help your body get used to the change in position and blood pressure.
If this problem continues or gets worse, talk to your doctor.
Storage
Calcium Chloride Injection will be stored in the surgery, pharmacy or ward of a hospital. The injection is kept in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 30°C.
Calcium Chloride Injection will be opened for use on you. It will be used only once and then it will be discarded. It will never be stored after it is opened nor used for more than one person.
Product description
What it looks like
Calcium Chloride Injection is a clear, colourless solution in a 10 mL clear glass vial with a plastic top.
The vial stopper is not made with natural rubber latex.
Ingredients
Calcium Chloride Injection contains 1g of calcium chloride dihydrate in water for injections.
Calcium Chloride Injection does not contain lactose, sucrose, gluten, tartrazine, alcohol, dyes or any preservatives.
Manufacturer
Calcium Chloride 10% Injection is made in Australia by:
Phebra Pty Ltd
19 Orion Road
Lane Cove West,
NSW 2066, Australia
Telephone: 1800 720 020
Calcium Chloride Injection is distributed in New Zealand by:
AFT Pharmaceuticals Ltd
PO Box 33-203, Auckland.
Telephone: +64 9 4880232
Calcium Chloride Injection 1g of calcium chloride dihydrate in 10 mL in a 10 mL vial
AUST R 137325
Phebra product code – INJ017
This leaflet was prepared in Aug 2022.
Phebra and the Phi symbol are trademarks of Phebra Pty Ltd, 19 Orion Road, Lane Cove West, NSW 2066, Australia.
Published by MIMS October 2022