Patient leaflet - Metoclopramide Hydrochloride 5 mg / ml solution for injection
1. What Metoclopramide Injection is and what it is used for
Metoclopramide Injection is an antiemetic. It contains a medicine called “metoclopramide”. It works on a part of your brain that prevents you from feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting).
Adult population
Metoclopramide Injection is used in adults:
to prevent nausea and vomiting that may
occur after surgery
to treat nausea and vomiting including
nausea and vomiting which may occur with a migraine
to prevent nausea and vomiting caused
by radiotherapy
Paediatric population
Metoclopramide Injection is used in children (aged 1-18 years) only if other treatment does not work or cannot be used:
to prevent delayed nausea and vomiting
that may occur after chemotherapy
to treat nausea and vomiting that has
occurred after surgery
2. What you need to know before you use Metoclopramide Injection
You should not be given Metoclopramide Injection
if you are allergic to metoclopramide
hydrochloride or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
- if you are breast-feeding.
if you have bleeding, obstruction or a
tear in your stomach or gut.
if you have had a stomach or bowel
operation within the previous four days.
if you have or may have a rare tumour of
the adrenal gland, which sits near the kidney (pheochromocytoma).
if you have ever had involuntary muscle
spasms (tardive dyskinesia), when you have been treated with a medicine.
- if you have epilepsy
- if you have Parkinson’s disease
if you are taking levodopa (a medicine
for Parkinson’s disease) or dopaminergic agonists (see “Other medicines and Metoclopramide Injection” below)
if you have ever had an abnormal blood
pigment levels (methaemoglobinemia) or NADH cytochrome-b5 deficiency.
Do not give Metoclopramide Injection to a child less than 1 year of age (see “Children and adolescents up to 18 years” below).
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor or nurse before you are given Metoclopramide Injection:
if you have a history of abnormal heart
beats (QT interval prolongation) or any other heart problems.
if you have problems with the levels of
salts in your blood, such as potassium, sodium and magnesium.
if you are using other medicines known
to affect the way your heart beats.
if you have any neurological (brain)
problems.
if you have liver or kidney problems. The
dose may be reduced (see section 3).
- if pregnant or if you are breast-feeding.
if taking any other medicine by mouth. It
is possible that metoclopramide injection may change the amount of the other medicine that gets into your body.
if taking any drugs known as
serotonergic drugs, as taking these medications with metoclopramide injection can cause side effects (such as restlessness, loss of co-ordination, fast heart beat increased body temperature).
if suffering from porphyria (a rare
inherited blood disease).
Your doctor may perform blood tests to check your blood pigment levels. In cases of abnormal levels (methaemoglobinemia), the treatment should be immediately and permanently stopped.
Package leaflet: Information for the user
Metoclopramide hydrochloride 5 mg/ml Solution for Injection
Even though some of the above may appear obvious, it is important that your doctor is aware if any of them apply to you.
If you are receiving this medicine for vomiting, and if the vomiting does not stop, tell your doctor. He will want to do some tests to find out what is the cause of your vomiting.
Do not exceed 3-month treatment because of the risk of involuntary muscle spasms.
Children and adolescents up to 18 years
Uncontrollable movements (extrapyramidal disorders) may occur in children and young adults. This medicine must not be used in children below 1 year of age because of the increased risk of the uncontrollable movements .
Other medicines and Metoclopramide Injection
Tell your doctor or nurse if you are using, have recently used or might use any other medicines. This is because some medicines can affect the way this medicine works or this medicine can affect how other medicines work. These medicines include the following:
levodopa or other medicines used to treat
Parkinson’s disease (see above “You should not be given Metoclopramide injection”)
- morphine derivatives (medicines used to treat severe pain)
- sedative medicines
- digoxin (medicine used to treat heart failure)
- fluoxetine and paroxetine (medicine used to treat depression)
- anticholinergics (medicines used to relieve stomach cramps or spasms)
antidepressants (e.g. other
phenothiazines, lithium)
- neuroleptic medicines (for mental illness or nausea and vomiting)
- medicines for fits (anticonvulsants)
- medicines to reduce the level of the hormone prolactin in your body (e.g. bromocriptine, cabergoline)
- any medicines used to treat mental health problems
- atovaquone (to treat pneumonia)
- pain killers such as aspirin or paracetamol or stronger pain killers called opioids
- any other drugs to treat nausea and vomiting
mivacurium and suxamethonium
(medicines used to relax muscles)
- cyclosporine (medicine used to treat certain problems with the immune system).
Metoclopramide Injection with food, drink and alcohol
Alcohol should not be consumed during treatment with metoclopramide because it increases the sedative effect of
Metoclopramide Injection.
Pregnancy and breast feeding and fertility
Pregnancy
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor for advice before being given this medicine. If necessary, Metoclopramide Injection may be used during pregnancy. Your doctor will decide whether or not you should be given this medicine.
Breast-feeding
Metoclopramide Injection is not
recommended if you are breast-feeding because metoclopramide passes into breast milk and may affect your baby.
Fertility
No data available.
Driving and using machines
You may feel drowsy, dizzy or have uncontrollable twitching, jerking or writhing movements and unusual muscle tone causing distortion of the body after using Metoclopramide Injection. This may affect your vision and also interfere with your ability to drive and use machines.
Metoclopramide Injection contains Sodium
This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per 2ml, that is to say essentially ’sodium- free’.
3. How Metoclopramide Chloride will be given to you
The medicine will normally be given to you by a doctor or a nurse. It will be given as a slow injection into a vein (over at least 3 minutes) or by injection into a muscle.
The recommended dose is:
In adult population
For the treatment of nausea and vomiting including nausea and vomiting which may occur with a migraine and for the prevention of nausea and vomiting caused by radiotherapy:
the recommended single dose is 10 mg, repeated up to 3 times daily.
The maximum recommended dose per day is 30 mg or 0.5 mg/kg body weight.
For the prevention of nausea and vomiting that may occur after surgery prevention: a single dose of 10mg is recommended.
The following information is intended for healthcare professionals only:
Posology and method of administration
Due to the risk of severe cardiovascular reactions such as cardiac arrest, the use of the solution for injection is limited to situations where the necessary resuscitation equipment is available (see sections 4.4 and 4.8).
The solution can be administered intravenously or intramuscularly.
Intravenous doses should be administered as a slow bolus (over at least 3 minutes).
All indications (adult patients)
For prevention of PONV a single dose of 10mg is recommended.
For the symptomatic treatment of nausea and vomiting, including acute migraine induced nausea and vomiting and for the prevention of radiotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (RINV): the recommended single dose is 10 mg, repeated up to three times daily.
The maximum recommended daily dose is 30 mg or 0.5 mg / kg body weight.
Age Body Dose Frequency Weight
1 – 3 years 10 – 14 kg 1 mg Up to 3 times daily 3 – 5 years 15 – 19 kg 2 mg Up to 3 times daily 5 – 9 years 20 – 29 kg 2.5 mg Up to 3 times daily 9 – 18 years 30 – 60 kg 5 mg Up to 3 times daily 15 – 18 years Over 60 kg 10 mg Up to 3 times daily The injectable treatment duration should be as short as possible and transfer to oral or rectal treatment should be made as soon as possible.
All indications (paediatric patients aged 1 – 18 years)
The recommended dose is 0.1 to 0.15 mg / kg body weight, repeated up to three times daily by intravenous route. The maximum dose in 24 hours is 0.5 mg / kg body weight.
Dosing table
L : 150mm
BACK
All indications (paediatric population aged 1-18 years)
The recommended dose is 0.1 to 0.15 mg/kg body weight, repeated up to 3 times daily, given by slow injection into a vein. The maximum dose in 24 hours is 0.5 mg/kg body weight
Dosing table
The treatment should not exceed 48 hours for treatment of nausea and vomiting that has occurred after surgery.
The treatment should not exceed 5 days for prevention of delayed nausea and vomiting that may occur after chemotherapy.
Elderly people
The dose may need to be reduced depending on kidney problems, liver problems and overall health.
Adults with kidney problems
Talk to your doctor if you have kidney problems. The dose should be reduced if you have moderate or severe kidney problems.
Adults with liver problems Talk to your doctor if you have liver problems. The dose should be reduced if you have severe liver problems.
Use in Children and adolescents
Metoclopramide must not be used in children aged less than 1 year (see section 2).
If you are given more Metoclopramide Injection than you should
Contact your doctor straight away. You may experience uncontrollable movements (extrapyramidal disorders), feel drowsy, have some troubles of consciousness, be confused, have hallucination and heart problems. Your doctor may prescribe you a treatment for these signs if necessary.
If you forget to use Metoclopramide Injection
Do not use a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or nurse.
4. Possible side effects
Serious side effects
Stop the treatment and talk straight away to your doctor or nurse if you experience one of the following signs while having this medicine:
uncontrollable movements (often involving
head or neck). These may occur in children or young adults and particularly when high doses are used. These signs usually occur at the beginning of treatment and may even occur after one single administration. These movements will stop when treated appropriately
high fever, high blood pressure,
convulsions, sweating, production of saliva. These may be signs of a condition called neuroleptic malignant syndrome
Itching or skin rashes, swelling of the
face, lips or throat, difficulty in breathing. These may be signs of an allergic reaction, which may be severe.
Other side effects:
Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people)
- feeling drowsy.
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)
- depression
uncontrollable movements such as tics,
shaking, twisting movements or muscle contracture (stiffness, rigidity)
symptoms similar to Parkinson disease
(rigidity, tremor)
- feel restless
blood pressure decrease (particularly
with intravenous route)
- diarrhoea
- feeling weak.
Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)
raised levels of a hormone called
prolactin in the blood which may cause: milk production in men, and women who are not breast-feeding
- irregular periods
visual disturbances and involuntary
deviation of the eye ball
- hallucination
- decreased level of consciousness
slow heart beat (particularly with
intravenous route)
- allergy.
Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people)
- confusional state
convulsion (especially in patients with
epilepsy).
Not known (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data)
- abnormal blood pigment levels: which may change the colour of your skin
abnormal development of breasts
(gynaecomastia)
- involuntary muscle spasms after prolonged use, particularly in elderly patients
high fever, high blood pressure,
convulsions, sweating, production of saliva. These may be signs of a condition called neuroleptic malignant syndrome
- changes in heart beat, which may be shown on an ECG test
- cardiac arrest (particularly with injection route)
shock (severe decrease of heart pressure)
(particularly with injection route)
- fainting (particularly with intravenous route)
allergic reaction which may be severe
(particularly with intravenous route)
- Sudden increase in blood pressure in patients with tumour of the adrenal gland (pheochromocytoma)
- very high blood pressure.
If you get any side effects talk to your doctor or nurse. This includes any side effects not listed in this leaflet.
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.
By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5. How to store Metoclopramide Injection
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
The expiry date (EXP) is printed on the label and the carton. The first 2 digits indicate the month and the remaining digits indicate the year of expiry. Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton and label. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Keep the ampoule in the outer carton in order to protect from light. If only part of the ampoule is used, discard the remaining solution. This medicinal product does not require any special temperature storage conditions.
For single use only.
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
6. Contents of the pack and other information
What Metoclopramide Injection contains The active substance is metoclopramide hydrochloride.
Each ml contains metoclopramide hydrochloride monohydrate equivalent to 5 mg of anhydrous metoclopramide hydrochloride.
Each 2ml ampoule of Metoclopramide Injection contains metoclopramide hydrochloride monohydrate equivalent to 10mg anhydrous metoclopramide hydrochloride. The other excipients are sodium chloride, dilute hydrochloric acid or sodium hydroxide in water for injections.
What Metoclopramide Injection looks like and contents of the pack
Metoclopramide Injection is a clear, colourless sterile solution. The solution is supplied in glass ampoule (small bottle). These ampoules are then packed into cardboard boxes. Each box contains 10 x 2ml ampoules
Marketing Authorisation Holder
Medsurge Healthcare UK Ltd,
The IMEX Building
575-599 Maxted Road, Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire, HP2 7DX
United Kingdom
Manufacturer:
Wasdell Packaging Limited
UNITS 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 & 8
Euroway Industrial Estate
Blagrove, Swindon, SN5 8YW
United Kingdom
This leaflet was last revised in May 2026. Age Body Dose Frequency Weight
1-3 years 10-14 kg 1 mg Up to 3 times daily
3-5 years 15-19 kg 2 mg Up to 3 times daily
5-9 years 20-29 kg 2.5 mg Up to 3 times daily
9-18 years 30-60 kg 5 mg Up to 3 times daily
15-18 years Over 60kg 10 mg Up to 3 times daily
The maximum treatment duration is 48 hours for treatment of established post operative nausea and vomiting (PONV).
The maximum treatment duration is 5 days for prevention of delayed chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (CINV).
Frequency of administration:
A minimal interval of 6 hours between two administrations is to be respected, even in case of vomiting or rejection of the dose (see section 4.4).
Special population
Elderly:
In elderly patients a dose reduction should be considered, based on renal and hepatic function and overall frailty.
Renal impairment:
In patients with end stage renal disease (Creatinine clearance < 15 ml / min), the daily dose should be reduced by 75 %. In patients with moderate to severe renal impairment (Creatinine clearance 15 – 60 ml / min), the dose should be reduced by 50 % (see section 5.2).
Hepatic impairment:
In patients with severe hepatic impairment, the dose should be reduced by 50 % (see section 5.2). Other pharmaceutical forms may be more appropriate for administration to this population.
Paediatric population:
Metoclopramide is contraindicated in children aged less than 1 year (see section 4.3).
Incompatibilities
The literature indicates that metoclopramide may be added to the following solutions:
- Glucose 5% in sodium chloride 0.45%
- Glucose 5% in water
- Mannitol 20%
- Sodium chloride 0.9%
- Ringer's injection
- Ringer's injection, lactated (Hartmann’s solution)
Shelf life
24 months
For single use only. After first opening of the ampoule: the product must be used immediately.
Manufacturer-Wasdell Packaging Limited_Rev.04_05.05.26 L : 150mm