General Information on Gadavist
Gadavist is used during MRI scans in order to clearly visualize areas with abnormal CNS vascularity or disrupted BBB.
The active ingredient in the drug is Gadobutrol, and it falls under the category of gadolinium-based contrast agents. It is given to a patient in the form of an intravenous injection.
When injected, Gadavist rapidly gets distributed in the extra-cellular fluid of the area to be monitored so as to induce better visualization.
Side effects of Gadavist
Your doctor will not recommend you to buy Gadavist if you suffer from severe kidney disease or acute kidney injury/failure and impaired elimination of drugs from your system. Such patients may develop a condition known as NSF, which can be identified by debilitating fibrosis of the muscle, skin, or internal organs.
Gadavist is not meant to be given to patients less than 2 years of age unless extremely necessary or if the benefits of the drug outweigh its risks.
Before undergoing an MRI, inform your doctor or lab professional if you have hypertension, reduced renal function, or diabetes. In such a scenario, he/she will need to make some necessary adjustments before carrying out the procedure.
As Gadavist may make you dizzy, you may not be able to drive a vehicle for a few hours after the drug has been administered. Therefore, take someone along with you who can drive you back home after the procedure.
Some common side effects of Gadavist include nausea, headache, dizziness, dysgeusia, vomiting, hot flushes, pruritis, dyspnea, paresthesia, erythema, or rashes that are macular, pruritic, poplar, or generalized in nature. Most of these are short lived side effects of the drug and may persist for 1 to 7 days after the shot is given. However, you must inform your doctor if any of these becoming increasingly intolerable after 7 days.
Seek medical attention if you suffer from palpitationa, dry mouth, chills, tachycardia, convulsions, parosmia, flushing, loss of consciousness, pallor, hypotension, or urticarial after being given Gadavist. These are serious side effects of the drug and may lead to dangerous medical conditions if left untreated.
Hypersensitive patients may experience respiratory arrest, bronchospasms, chest pain, circulatory collapse, hypertension, cyanosis, oropharyngeal swelling, laryngeal edema, face edema, conjunctivitis, eyelid edema, angioedema, burning sensation, hyperhidrosis, sneezing, or cough. Seek medical attention immediately if you develop any of these symptoms after being given Gadavist.
Dosage of Gadavist
Gadavist 7.5ml, 10ml, and 15ml vials are available in the market. Gadavist 0.1ml per kg is administered as per a patient’s weight. Therefore, you have to buy Gadavist vial in accordance with your weight.
These are single-dose vials and are given to a patient only once during the MRI scan.
1 ml of Gadavist vial contains 1mmol of Gadobutrol, which is around 604.72mg in strength.
Gadavist vials are to be stored at 15 to 30ºC and must not be frozen.
Drug Interactions of Gadavist
Gadavist must never be mixed with any other drug prior to administration.
There are no drug interactions of Gadavist reported so far. However, to be on the safer side, it would be better to inform your doctor about all the prescription and non-prescription drugs you are taking at present.
