Carboprost Tromethamine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Carboprost Tromethamine is a prostaglandin analog sold in the U.S. under 2 brand and generic names, for incomplete abortion, cystitis and fetal death. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Prostaglandin Analog
- Treats (across its forms)
- Incomplete Abortion, Cystitis and Fetal Death
- Available as
- Injectable · Solution
- Sold as
- 2 products — Carboprost Tromethamine and Hemabate
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- Boxed warning
- Boxed warning
How Hemabate is dosed
From the FDA label for Hemabate (application NDA017989). Other carboprost tromethamine products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
1. Abortion and Indications 1–4 An initial dose of 1 mL of HEMABATE Sterile Solution (containing the equivalent of 250 micrograms of carboprost) is to be administered deep in the muscle with a tuberculin syringe. Subsequent doses of 250 micrograms should be administered at 1½ to 3½ hour intervals depending on uterine response. An optional test dose of 100 micrograms (0.4 mL) may be administered initially. The dose may be increased to 500 micrograms (2 mL) if uterine contractility is judged to be inadequate after several doses of 250 micrograms (1 mL). The total dose administered of carboprost tromethamine should not exceed 12 milligrams and continuous administration of the drug for more than two days is not recommended. 2. For Refractory Postpartum Uterine Bleeding An initial dose of 250 micrograms of HEMABATE Sterile Solution (1 mL of HEMABATE) is to be given deep, intramuscularly. In clinical trials it was found that the majority of successful cases (73%) responded to single injections. In some selected cases, however, multiple dosing at intervals of 15 to 90 minutes was carried out with successful outcome. The need for additional injections and the interval at which these should be given can be determined only by the attending physicians as dictated by the course of clinical events. The total dose of HEMABATE should not exceed 2 milligrams (8 doses). Parenteral drug…
Everything below is the FDA label for Hemabate (injectable). Carboprost Tromethamine is also sold as solution, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Hemabate side effects
The adverse effects of HEMABATE Sterile Solution are generally transient and reversible when therapy ends. The most frequent adverse reactions observed are related to its contractile effect on smooth muscle. In patients studied, approximately two-thirds experienced vomiting and diarrhea, approximately one-third had nausea, one-eighth had a temperature increase greater than 2° F, and one-fourteenth experienced flushing. The pretreatment or concurrent administration of antiemetic and antidiarrheal drugs decreases considerably the very high incidence of gastrointestinal effects common with all prostaglandins used for abortion. Their use should be considered an integral part of the management of patients undergoing abortion with HEMABATE. Of those patients experiencing a temperature elevation, approximately one-sixteenth had a clinical diagnosis of endometritis. The remaining temperature elevations returned to normal within several hours after the last injection. Adverse effects observed during the use of HEMABATE for abortion and for hemorrhage, not all of which are clearly drug related, in decreasing order of frequency include: Vomiting Nervousness Diarrhea Nosebleed Nausea Sleep disorders Flushing or hot flashes Dyspnea Chills or shivering Tightness in chest Coughing Wheezing Headaches Posterior cervical perforation Endometritis Weakness Hiccough Diaphoresis Dysmenorrhea-like…
Who shouldn’t take Hemabate
1. Hypersensitivity (including anaphylaxis and angioedema) to HEMABATE Sterile Solution [ see ADVERSE REACTIONS, Post-marketing Experience ] 2. Acute pelvic inflammatory disease 3. Patients with active cardiac, pulmonary, renal or hepatic disease
Hemabate drug interactions
HEMABATE may augment the activity of other oxytocic agents. Concomitant use with other oxytocic agents is not recommended.
Every carboprost tromethamine product we track (2)
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 | 70/100 | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → | |
| 2 | 64/100 | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → |
How long carboprost tromethamine keeps
No carboprost tromethamine label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.
Does carboprost tromethamine expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsWhat people report to the FDA about carboprost tromethamine
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 312 reports naming carboprost tromethamine, and the FDA flagged 96% 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:
- vomiting110 reports
- nausea87 reports
- diarrhoea78 reports
- abdominal pain upper46 reports
- chest discomfort37 reports
- abdominal pain36 reports
- abdominal discomfort28 reports
- hyperhidrosis22 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean carboprost tromethamine 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 August 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is Hemabate?
Sterile Solution, an oxytocic, contains the tromethamine salt of the (15S)-15 methyl analogue of naturally occurring prostaglandin F2α in a solution suitable for intramuscular injection. Carboprost tromethamine is the established name for the active ingredient in HEMABATE.
What kind of drug is carboprost tromethamine?
The FDA classifies carboprost tromethamine as a prostaglandin analog. Prostaglandin analogs (used as eye drops for glaucoma) activate FP receptors that relax the eye's drainage tissues, helping fluid flow out more easily. This lowers the pressure inside the eye and protects the optic nerve. 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 carboprost tromethamine 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 carboprost tromethamine 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 carboprost tromethamine sold under?
We track 2 carboprost tromethamine-containing products in the U.S.: Carboprost Tromethamine and Hemabate. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does carboprost tromethamine come in?
Across the brands we track, carboprost tromethamine is currently marketed as injectable and solution, 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 carboprost tromethamine?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic carboprost tromethamine product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Carboprost Tromethamine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/carboprost-tromethamine
- MLA
- “Carboprost Tromethamine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/carboprost-tromethamine.
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 carboprost tromethamine on DailyMed (NIH) ↗ — including its boxed warning in full.