Barium: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Barium is a radiographic contrast agent sold in the U.S. under 14 brand and generic names. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Radiographic Contrast Agent
- Available as
- Powder · Tablet · Suspension · Topical
- Sold as
- 14 products — E-Z-Cat Dry, E-Z-Disk and E-Z-Hd, and others
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
How E-Z-Cat Dry is dosed
From the FDA label for E-Z-Cat Dry (application NDA208036). Other barium products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
For oral use only– once reconstituted, administer by infant bottle, syringe, spoon, or cup. The recommended dose is: ● Adults: 5 mL ● Pediatric patients 6 months and older: 1 mL to 3 mL ● Pediatric patients younger than 6 months of age: 0.5 mL to 1 mL During a single modified barium swallow examination, multiple doses may be administered Maximum cumulative dose: 80 mL ( 2.1 ) Must reconstitute supplied powder with water prior to use. See Full Prescribing Information for reconstitution instructions ( 2.2 ) 2.1 Recommended Dosing and Administration Instructions The recommended dose of reconstituted VARIBAR THIN LIQUID administered orally by infant bottle, syringe, spoon, or cup is: Adults: 5 mL Pediatric patients 6 months and older: 1 mL to 3 mL Pediatric patients younger than 6 months of age: 0.5 mL to 1 mL During a single modified barium swallow examination, multiple doses of VARIBAR THIN LIQUID may be administered, to assess the patient during multiple swallows and different radiographic views. The maximum cumulative dose is 80 mL. For oral use only Advise patients to hydrate following the barium sulfate procedure. 2.2 Instructions for Reconstitution The VARIBAR THIN LIQUID powder must be reconstituted prior to administration by a healthcare provider according to the following instructions: Add water to the fill line on the bottle label Replace the lid securely Invert the…
Everything below is the FDA label for E-Z-Cat Dry (powder). Barium is also sold as tablet, suspension and topical, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
E-Z-Cat Dry side effects
The following adverse reactions have been identified from spontaneous reporting or clinical studies of barium sulfate administered orally. Because the reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or to establish a causal relationship to drug exposure: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramping Serious adverse reactions and fatalities include aspiration pneumonitis, barium sulfate impaction, intestinal perforation with consequent peritonitis and granuloma formation, vasovagal and syncopal episodes Common adverse reactions include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramping ( 6 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Bracco Diagnostics Inc at 1-800-257-5181 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch
Who shouldn’t take E-Z-Cat Dry
VARIBAR THIN LIQUID is contraindicated in patients with: known or suspected perforation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract known obstruction of the GI tract high risk of GI perforation such as those with a recent GI perforation, acute GI hemorrhage or ischemia, toxic megacolon, severe ileus, post GI surgery or biopsy, acute GI injury or burn, or recent radiotherapy to the pelvis high risk of aspiration such as those with known or suspected tracheo-esophageal fistula or obtundation known severe hypersensitivity to barium sulfate or any of the excipients of VARIBAR THIN LIQUID Known or suspected perforation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract ( 4 ) Known obstruction of the GI tract ( 4 ) Conditions associated with high risk of GI perforation or aspiration ( 4 ) Known hypersensitivity to barium sulfate or any of the excipients of VARIBAR THIN LIQUID ( 4 )
Every barium product we track (14)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Suspension | No data | — | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Tablet | No data | — | View → | |
| 3 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Suspension | No data | — | View → | |
| 4 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Suspension | No data | — | View → | |
| 5 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Suspension | No data | — | View → | |
| 6 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Suspension | No data | — | View → | |
| 7 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Suspension | No data | — | View → | |
| 8 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Suspension | No data | — | View → | |
| 9 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Suspension | No data | — | View → | |
| 10 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Suspension | No data | — | View → |
Can you crush or split barium?
At least one bariumproduct is labelled to be swallowed whole — crushing an extended-release tablet releases the whole day’s dose at once. Which applies depends on the form you were given.
What each barium label says about crushing, splitting and chewingHow long barium keeps
The date on a sealed pack is not the only one: some barium labels start a second clock once the product is opened or mixed, as short as 21 days.
Does barium expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsWhat people report to the FDA about barium
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 347 reports naming barium, and the FDA flagged 78% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- diarrhoea22 reports
- pyrexia20 reports
- urticaria20 reports
- renal failure18 reports
- acute kidney injury17 reports
- dyspnoea17 reports
- abdominal pain16 reports
- chronic kidney disease16 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean barium caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved July 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is E-Z-Cat Dry?
VARIBAR THIN LIQUID is indicated for modified barium swallow examinations to evaluate the oral and pharyngeal function and morphology in adult and pediatric patients. VARIBAR THIN LIQUID is a radiopaque contrast agent indicated for use in modified barium swallow examinations to evaluate the oral and pharyngeal function and morphology in adult and pediatric patients ( 1 )
What kind of drug is barium?
The FDA classifies barium as a radiographic contrast agent. Radiographic contrast agents are imaging dyes, not treatments. They contain dense elements like iodine that absorb X-rays strongly, so the blood vessels or organs they fill show up bright and clearly outlined on an X-ray or CT scan. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take barium with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run barium against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is barium sold under?
We track 14 barium-containing products in the U.S.: E-Z-Cat Dry, E-Z-Disk, E-Z-Hd, E-Z-Paque, Entero Vu 24%, Liquid E-Z-Paque, Readi-Cat 2 and Readi-Cat 2 Smoothie, and 6 more. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does barium come in?
Across the brands we track, barium is currently marketed as powder, tablet, suspension and topical, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic barium?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled barium product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Barium: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/barium
- MLA
- “Barium: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/barium.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for barium on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.