Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous
Dextrose / lidocaine hydrochloride is an intravenous (IV) heart rhythm medicine used in hospital settings for dangerous ventricular arrhythmias, including those during cardiac surgery and heart attack.
🧬 Where this information comes from Click to expand
The clinical label records used on this page are FDA-filed Structured Product Labeling (SPL) retrieved through openFDA. We identified 2 clinical label sets within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, strengths, and NDC product-record counts are built separately from matching FDA National Drug Code Directory records. The linked DailyMed document is a representative official source for verification, not the page’s only clinical source. View the linked label on DailyMed →
Dextrose / lidocaine is a premixed IV drip of lidocaine, used in the hospital for dangerous ventricular arrhythmias (abnormal rhythms from the heart's lower chambers) during heart surgery or a heart attack, settling them by raising the electrical threshold needed to trigger a beat; it is an older standby, on the market since about 1992. Short infusions are usually well tolerated, though light-headedness, drowsiness or nausea are common. The real worry is lidocaine building up, so it runs on a carefully set rate under constant ECG (heart monitor) watching and stops once the rhythm is stable; tell the nurse promptly about ringing in the ears, tingling, twitching or blurred vision.
Clinical pearls
- Tell the team if you take propranolol or cimetidine, since both slow lidocaine clearance and can push it toward toxic levels.
- Mention any past reaction to amide-type local anesthetics, the family that includes most dental numbing shots.
- People with a corn allergy should say so, because the dextrose in this bag may not be suitable.
- Being over 70, or having liver problems or heart failure, usually means a lower rate because lidocaine clears more slowly.
Patient information guide A plain-language walkthrough of Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous, written from its FDA label.
What Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous is used for
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Intravenous lidocaine is used for urgent treatment of certain heart rhythm problems:
- Lidocaine Hydrochloride and Dextrose (IV) is used for ventricular arrhythmias during cardiac manipulations such as cardiac surgery.
- Lidocaine Hydrochloride and Dextrose (IV) is used for life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, such as those during acute myocardial infarction (heart attack).
How Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous works
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Lidocaine has an antiarrhythmic effect. It raises the electrical threshold of the ventricles during diastole, making abnormal beats less likely to start.
The dextrose component is a sugar solution that supplies about 170 calories per liter.
Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous dosage
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This medicine is given only by healthcare professionals through a vein, with constant ECG monitoring.
- Treatment is often started with a single IV bolus of lidocaine injection.
- A continuous infusion of Lidocaine Hydrochloride and 5% Dextrose Injection may follow if arrhythmias tend to recur and oral rhythm medicines cannot be used.
- Infusion is stopped when the rhythm is stable or at early signs of toxicity, and rarely continues beyond 24 hours.
- Patients are switched to an oral antiarrhythmic for maintenance when appropriate.
Because it is given in a monitored setting, missed doses are not a concern for you.
Dosing details from the FDA-approved label
From the Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous prescribing information (“Dosage and Administration”). Doses are set by your prescriber for your product, condition, kidney function and age — never change a dose on your own.
- Ventricular arrhythmias (initial therapy)
- Often initiated with a single IV bolus of 1 mg/kg of Lidocaine Hydrochloride Injection USP
- Adults - continuous IV infusion for arrhythmias that tend to recur, in patients incapable of receiving oral antiarrhythmic agents (after bolus)
- 20 to 50 mcg/kg/min
- Average 70 kg adult: 0.4% Lidocaine Hydrochloride and 5% Dextrose Injection USP (4 mg/mL): 1-4 mg/min, 15-60 mL/hr, 0.25-1.0 mL/min
- 0.8% (8 mg/mL): 1-4 mg/min, 7.5-30 mL/hr, 0.12-0.5 mL/min
- Infusion should rarely be necessary beyond 24 hours; elimination is reduced after prolonged infusion (24 hours), so adjust the rate; concentrated solutions (greater than 0.2%) require carefully calibrated infusion devices; use constant ECG monitoring
- Pediatric patients
- Initiate with a single IV bolus of 1 mg/kg of Lidocaine Hydrochloride Injection USP
- Maintenance IV infusion at a recommended rate of 30 mcg/kg/min may be given
- Geriatric patients, and patients with reduced hepatic function or diminished hepatic blood flow (as in heart failure and after cardiac surgery), or over 70 years of age
- Half the usual loading dose and lower maintenance levels of intravenous lidocaine
- Patients over 65 years may benefit from dosing based upon body weight
Read the label’s full dosing text
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Therapy of ventricular arrhythmias is often initiated with a single IV bolus of 1 mg/kg of Lidocaine Hydrochloride Injection USP. Following acute treatment by bolus in patients in whom arrhythmias tend to recur and who are incapable of receiving oral antiarrhythmic agents, intravenous infusion of Lidocaine Hydrochloride and 5% Dextrose Injection USP is administered continuously. Rate of Administration Adults (20 to 50 mcg/kg/min): Average 70 kg adult mg/min mL/hr mL/min 0.4% Lidocaine Hydrochloride and 5% Dextrose Injection USP (4 mg lidocaine hydrochloride/mL) 1–4 15–60 0.25–1.0 0.8% Lidocaine Hydrochloride and 5% Dextrose Injection USP (8 mg lidocaine hydrochloride/mL) 1–4 7.5–30 0.12–0.5 Pediatric Patients (30 mcg/kg/min). Standards and Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiac Care (ECC). American Heart Association, JAMA 244 (5):453–509, 1980. Pharmacokinetic data indicate reduced elimination of lidocaine after prolonged infusion (24 hours) with resultant prolongation of the half-life to approximately three times that seen following a single administration. Failure to adjust the rate of infusion in keeping with this altered ability to eliminate lidocaine may result in toxic accumulation of the drug in the patient's serum. LeLorier J, Grenon D, Latour Y, et al.: Pharmacokinetics of lidocaine after prolonged intravenous infusions in uncomplicated myocardial infarction. Ann Int Med 87:700–702, 1977. Intravenous infusions of lidocaine hydrochloride must be administered under constant ECG monitoring to avoid potential overdosage and toxicity. Intravenous infusion should be terminated as soon as the patient's basic cardiac rhythm appears to be stable or at the earliest signs of toxicity. It should rarely be necessary to continue intravenous infusions beyond 24 hours. As soon as possible and when indicated, patients should be changed to an oral antiarrhythmic agent for maintenance therapy. Caution: Concentrated solutions of lidocaine hydrochloride (greater than 0.2%) should be administered by carefully calibrated infusion devices. Pediatric Use Therapy should be initiated with a single IV bolus of 1 mg/kg of Lidocaine Hydrochloride Injection USP.
Excerpted — the section continues on the label. Read the full Dosage and Administration section on DailyMed →
Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous side effects
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Most reported effects involve the nervous system and heart.
Common side effects
- Light-headedness or dizziness
- Drowsiness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Blurred or double vision
- Tingling, numbness, or feeling hot or cold
- Twitching or tremors
- Low blood pressure
- Feeling hot, cold, or numb; twitching; tremors
When to get medical help
- Tell your care team right away about seizures, loss of consciousness, or trouble breathing.
- Report a very slow heartbeat, a fainting feeling, or very low blood pressure.
- Report signs of a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis); the infusion would be stopped.
- Worsening or new heart rhythm problems on the monitor lead to prompt stopping of the infusion.
- Methemoglobinemia (blood that carries less oxygen) has been reported.
Seizures, loss of consciousness, breathing slowing or stopping, cardiac arrest, methemoglobinemia, and allergic reactions including anaphylaxis can occur. Your care team will act quickly on these.
Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous warnings and precautions
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- Constant ECG monitoring is essential; signs of excessive suppression of heart conduction (longer PR interval, wider QRS, new or worse arrhythmias) mean the infusion should stop promptly.
- Emergency resuscitation equipment and drugs must be immediately available.
- Lidocaine can accumulate with prolonged infusions, causing toxicity.
- The ventricular rate may speed up in people with atrial fibrillation.
- Anaphylactic reactions may occur; severe reactions require stopping the drug.
- Evidence for use in children is limited.
Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous interactions
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Several drugs can change lidocaine levels or add to its heart effects.
- Propranolol: can reduce lidocaine clearance and raise blood levels.
- Cimetidine: can reduce clearance and cause toxic buildup.
- Other antiarrhythmics (phenytoin, procainamide, amiodarone, quinidine): heart and toxic effects may be additive or opposing.
- Phenytoin: may speed lidocaine breakdown in the liver; the clinical importance is unknown.
- Digitalis toxicity with AV block: use caution.
Interactions listed in the FDA-approved label
From the Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous prescribing information (“Drug Interactions”): what the manufacturer studied or reported to the FDA.
- Digitalis toxicity accompanied by atrioventricular block: Lidocaine should be used with caution in patients with digitalis toxicity accompanied by atrioventricular block. Use with caution
- Propranolol or cimetidine: Coadministration with lidocaine has been reported to reduce clearance from the plasma and may result in toxic accumulation of the drug.
- Other antiarrhythmic drugs such as phenytoin, procainamide, propranolol, amiodarone, or quinidine: Cardiac effects may be additive or antagonistic and toxic effects may be additive.
- Phenytoin: Phenytoin may stimulate the hepatic metabolism of lidocaine, but the clinical significance of this effect is not known.
Read the label’s full interactions text
Drug Interactions Lidocaine should be used with caution in patients with digitalis toxicity accompanied by atrioventricular block (see CONTRAINDICATIONS ). Coadministration of propranolol or cimetidine with lidocaine has been reported to reduce clearance from the plasma and may result in toxic accumulation of the drug (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY ). When lidocaine is administered with other antiarrhythmic drugs such as phenytoin, procainamide, propranolol, amiodarone, or quinidine, the cardiac effects may be additive or antagonistic and toxic effects may be additive. Phenytoin may stimulate the hepatic metabolism of lidocaine, but the clinical significance of this effect is not known.
Not a complete list. The label covers the interactions the manufacturer studied or reported, and our own interaction database does not cover every medicine either. Bring your full medication list, including vitamins and herbal products, to your pharmacist.
Before taking Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous
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- Not for people with a known allergy to amide-type local anesthetics.
- Not for Stokes-Adams syndrome, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, or severe sinoatrial, atrioventricular, or intraventricular block.
- Dextrose solutions may be unsuitable with a known corn allergy.
- Older adults over 70, and people with reduced liver function or reduced liver blood flow (such as in heart failure or after cardiac surgery), should receive lower doses.
- Evidence for children is limited; the label gives pediatric dosing guidance for clinicians.
Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous overdose
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Too much lidocaine causes systemic toxicity, meaning the side effects listed above, such as seizures, breathing problems, and heart effects. This is why the infusion is monitored closely and stopped at the earliest signs of toxicity.
What Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous does in the body
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Lidocaine raises the electrical stimulation threshold of the ventricle during diastole. At usual doses it does not change heart contractility, systemic arterial pressure, or the absolute refractory period.
How your body processes Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous
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About 90% of a dose is broken down in the liver, and about 10% leaves unchanged through the kidneys. With prolonged infusions (about 24 hours), clearance falls and half-life can grow to roughly three times longer, so lidocaine can accumulate. Propranolol may raise blood levels by up to 30% in some patients. Clearance was lower in patients over 65.
How to store Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous
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Avoid excessive heat. Protect from freezing. stored at room temperature (25°C); however, brief exposure up to 40°C does not adversely affect the product.
Written from the FDA-approved label with AI and reviewed by our pharmacy team. How we use AI →
Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous: pharmacist answers to common questions
Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.
What is this medicine for?
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How is it given?
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What side effects might I notice?
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Why do they adjust the rate so carefully?
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Can I get this if I take other medicines?
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Who should not receive it?
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Is Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous available over the counter?
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When was Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous first available?
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Who makes Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous?
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Answers drafted from the FDA-approved label with AI and reviewed by our pharmacy team. How we use AI →
More about Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous on HelloPharmacist
Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous forms and strengths (how it comes)
Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous is available in 1 form. Different forms and brands can have different approved uses, doses, schedules, and directions. Follow the instructions for your exact product, and do not switch forms without guidance from your prescriber or pharmacist.
Need a version that does not list lactose, a gluten source, a dye or gelatin? Inactive ingredients differ by manufacturer: see Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous inactive ingredients by manufacturer.
Injection
How this form is used
- Lidocaine Hydrochloride and Dextrose is used IV for ventricular arrhythmias during cardiac manipulations such as cardiac surgery.
- Lidocaine Hydrochloride and Dextrose is used IV for life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, such as those during acute myocardial infarction.
- Lidocaine Hydrochloride and Dextrose infusion is given under constant ECG monitoring.
- Lidocaine Hydrochloride and Dextrose infusion should be stopped once the heart rhythm is stable or at the earliest signs of toxicity.
- Nothing should be added to Lidocaine Hydrochloride and 5% Dextrose Injection.
Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous on the U.S. market: products, makers and brands
How Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous appears in the FDA’s National Drug Code Directory — including its dosage forms, strengths, brand names, manufacturers, and FDA-listed product records. These are directory records, not sales or prescription volume.
2 companies list 3 Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous product records with the FDA, mostly as injection; the earliest marketing or approval year on record is 1992.
Share of FDA-listed product records by manufacturer — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.
How widely Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous is used (Medicaid data)
A general measure of how commonly Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous is prescribed, based on Medicaid — one of the largest public drug programs. The figure below is prescriptions filled in Q2 2025 – Q1 2026, summed across every form and brand of the drug.
Think of this as a proxy for how widely Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous is used, drawn from freely available public data. Medicaid is just one program — these numbers don’t include Medicare, other government coverage, or commercial and cash-pay prescriptions, so real-world use is higher than what’s shown here.
How commonly is Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous prescribed? Of the 1,601 medications we measure, Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous ranks #1,378 by Medicaid prescriptions — more than 14% of them.
Source: Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data (CMS), aggregated by generic ingredient — summed across every NDC (all brands, strengths, salt forms and dosage forms) of Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous, and across all states and both fee-for-service and managed-care claims. A general popularity signal; it excludes Medicare, commercial insurance and cash prescriptions, so it is not total U.S. use. Based on the 2 of 4 listed Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous NDCs with Medicaid activity.
Compare Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous products
A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous — across manufacturers, strengths, and dosage forms, grouped by form with each product’s manufacturer and how the FDA approved it. The same medicine may be made and packaged by different companies, so a single drug can have many directory entries. (It’s also why a refill can look different — a new shape, color, or box — even though it contains the same medication.)
| Strength | Route | Manufacturer / Labeler | Category ⓘ | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💊Injection | ||||
| LIDOCAINE HYDROCHLORIDE ANHYDROUS 0.4 g/100 mL; DEXTROSE MONOHYDRATE 5 g/100 mL | Intravenous | B. Braun Medical Inc. | NDA | View NDC → |
| LIDOCAINE HYDROCHLORIDE ANHYDROUS 0.8 g/100 mL; DEXTROSE MONOHYDRATE 5 g/100 mL | Intravenous | B. Braun Medical Inc. | NDA | View NDC → |
| LIDOCAINE HYDROCHLORIDE ANHYDROUS 0.4 g/100 mL; DEXTROSE MONOHYDRATE 5 g/100 mL | Intravenous | ProPharma Distribution | NDA | View NDC → |
Showing 3 of 3 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 3 Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous NDCs →
Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous side effects reported to the FDA (FAERS)
After a medicine reaches the market, patients, doctors and drugmakers can send the FDA reports of problems they think may be linked to it. Here’s what’s been reported for Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous — a signal of what to watch for, not proof the drug caused it.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). These are voluntary reports — they don’t prove the drug caused the effect, and counts reflect how often something was reported, not how often it actually happens. Reports also often name the very problem the medicine is taken for — a common reason to file one is that the drug didn’t help — so for a pain reliever you may see “pain” high on the list; that points to why the report was filed, not to the drug causing the symptom. This counts every report that lists Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous in any role, so the total runs higher than the FDA’s official dashboard, which counts only cases where the drug is the suspect. For the authoritative figures, see the FDA FAERS Public Dashboard. Always talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous FDA approval history
How Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous went from FDA review to the pharmacy shelf — the key milestones in its regulatory journey.
Source: Drugs@FDA.
Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous recall history
A recall is when a specific batch of a medicine is pulled from the market — usually a manufacturing issue, not a problem with the drug itself. Class I is most serious, Class III least.
The FDA’s enforcement reports list no Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous recalls since July 2021.
✅No Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous recalls on record since July 2021Source: FDA enforcement (recall) reports, via openFDA; our copy was last updated Sep 24, 2026.
Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous supply and shortage status
Whether Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous is in short supply in the U.S. right now, plus any shortage history the FDA has on record. A shortage usually reflects a manufacturing or demand issue — not a safety problem with the drug.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Drug Shortages database.
Who makes Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous: manufacturers and labelers
2 companies list Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous products with the FDA. By number of product records, the largest are B. Braun Medical Inc., ProPharma Distribution. Labelers include manufacturers and repackagers; the product in your bottle depends on which one your pharmacy stocks.
Sources for this Dextrose / Lidocaine Hydrochloride Anhydrous page
Core label, product, RxNorm, safety, and utilization data on this page come from the sources identified below. AI-written, editorial, and licensed sections are labeled separately.
How this page is built
HelloPharmacist combines public FDA and NLM records and does not author the underlying clinical facts. The plain-language sections are written with AI from the FDA-approved label text and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. B. Braun Medical Inc. is the representative DailyMed label linked for verification and dates. This is general education, not medical advice: always talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own medicines. How we build and review drug pages →