What the label lists and what reports show
Dextrose and heparin side effects
Dextrose and heparin's FDA label: “Most common adverse reactions are: hemorrhage, thrombocytopenia, HIT or HITT, heparin resistance, hypersensitivity reactions, hyperkalemia, and elevations of aminotransferase levels.” FAERS holds 706 reports naming it through July 30, 2026; the reaction reported most often, leaving out the conditions it is used for, product-use terms and outcomes, is general physical health deterioration (73 reports).
- No generic listed
Check it at the source: the dextrose and heparin FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 31, 2023, B. Braun Medical Inc.); the FDA FAERS public dashboard.
What does the label list?
From the label: adverse reactionsMost common adverse reactions are: hemorrhage, thrombocytopenia, HIT or HITT, heparin resistance, hypersensitivity reactions, hyperkalemia, and elevations of aminotransferase levels.
From the label: adverse reactions, continuedThe following serious adverse reactions are described elsewhere in the labeling: Hemorrhage [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia and Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia with Thrombosis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] Thrombocytopenia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] Heparin Resistance [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] Hypersensitivity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.7) ] Hyperkalemia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.8) ] Elevations of Serum Aminotransferases [see Warnings and Precautions (5.9) ] Most common adverse reactions are: hemorrhage, thrombocytopenia, HIT or HITT, heparin resistance, hypersensitivity reactions, hyperkalemia, and elevations of aminotransferase levels. ( 6 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact B. Braun Medical Inc. at 1-800-227-2862 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Postmarketing Experience The following adverse reactions have been identified during post-approval use of heparin sodium. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency. Hemorrhage – Hemorrhage is the chief complication that may result from heparin therapy [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ]. …
Source: FDA drug label, B. Braun Medical Inc., effective July 31, 2023 (SPL set 92a6f533-1a3d-4734-b413-d245592454e3), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show?
706 reports list dextrose and heparin among the medicines taken, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 132 are coded as a death and 337 as a hospital stay. Counts follow how widely a medicine is used and watched, and they are not a measure of how risky it is. Of the 20 reactions below, 3 are named by the same term (in US spelling) in the label's adverse reactions, warnings or patient leaflet; a reaction the label does not name may still be there under another word, and a report does not show that the medicine caused it.
Reports received each year
The 25 most reported reactions
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026; reactions as MedDRA preferred terms
What next?
- Dextrose and heparin: the full record
- label, generics, price, shortages, recalls
- Report a side effect to the FDA
- MedWatch
- Side effects hub
- the most reported medicines and reactions