EPSOM SALTS BP Crystals or Crystalline Powder Ref.[6958] Active ingredients: Magnesium sulfate

1. Oral. As a dilute solution.
2. Cutaneous. As a concentrated solution or paste.

Recommended doses and dosage schedules

Indication 1

Adults and children over 12 years: 5-15g (1–3 teaspoons) to be taken as required in 250 ml of water, which may be flavoured with citrus juices.

The elderly: To be used with caution, not exceeding the adult dose.

Indication 2

As a wet dressing suitable for all ages: Dissolve one tablespoonful in a small cupful of warm water and apply with lint or cotton wool as required.

Though magnesium is poorly absorbed following oral administration there may be sufficient accumulation to produce toxic effects if given to a patient with impaired renal function.

Symptoms of hypermagnesaemia may include extreme thirst, a feeling of heat, hypotension due to vasodilation, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, gastrointestinal irritation and watery diarrhoea, flushing, confusion, slurred speech, double vision and muscle weakness, loss of tendon reflexes due to neuromuscular blockade, CNS and respiratory depression, cardiac arrhythmias (including bradycardia), coma and cardiac arrest.

Treatment of mild hypermagnesaemia is usually limited to restricting magnesium intake. In severe hypermagnesaemia, ventilatory and circulatory support may be required. Slow intravenous injection of calcium gluconate (10 to 20ml of 10% calcium gluconate) is recommended to reverse the effects on cardiovascular and respiratory systems. If renal function is normal, adequate fluids should be given to promote renal magnesium clearance. This may be increased by the use of furosemide. Haemodialysis using a magnesium-free dialysis solution effectively removes magnesium, and this may be necessary in patients with renal impairment, or for whom other methods prove ineffective.

Shelf life: 36 months unopened.

Do not store above 25°C. Store in the original package.

300gm: Polypropylene securitainer with LDPE/HDPE white cap.

None.