Copper: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Copper is a copper-containing intrauterine device sold in the U.S. under 3 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
- Copper-Containing Intrauterine Device
- Available as
- IUD · Injectable
- Sold as
- 3 products — Cu-7, Copper and Tatum-T
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
How Copper is dosed
From the FDA label for Copper. Other copper products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Copper (Cupric Chloride Injection) contains 0.4 mg of copper per mL and is administered intravenously only after dilution. The additive should be diluted in a volume of fluid not less than 100 mL. • For the adult receiving TPN, the suggested additive dosage of copper is 0.3 to 0.5 mg/day. • For pediatric patients, the suggested additive dosage of copper is 20 mcg/kg/day (0.05 mL/kg/day) up to a maximum of 500 mcg/day. • This product is not appropriate for patients weighing less than 4 kg due to the inability to measure the appropriate amount of the product. • Do not administer Copper (Cupric Chloride Injection) intramuscularly because the acidic pH of the solution may cause considerable tissue irritation. Copper (Cupric Chloride Injection) should only be used in conjunction with a pharmacy directed admixture program using aseptic technique in a laminar flow environment; it should be used promptly and in a single operation without any repeated penetrations. The solution contains no preservatives; discard the unused portion immediately after the admixture procedure is completed. Copper (Cupric Chloride Injection) should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration. Do not use unless the solution is clear, and the seal is intact. Cupric ion may degrade ascorbic acid in TPN solutions. In order to avoid this loss of ascorbate, multivitamin…
Everything below is the FDA label for Copper (injectable). Copper is also sold as iud, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Copper side effects
None known.
Who shouldn’t take Copper
Copper (Cupric Chloride Injection) is contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to copper (see WARNINGS: Hypersensitivity Reactions ).
Can you take copper with…?
Source-cited answers for the combinations people actually ask about — each with a verdict and what to watch for.
Every copper product we track (3)
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 | IUD | No data | — | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Supplement | Injectable | No data | — | View → | |
| 3 | Not yet rated | Prescription | IUD | No data | — | View → |
Copper recalls
From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.
Can you crush or split copper?
At least one copperproduct 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 copper label says about crushing, splitting and chewingHow long copper keeps
No copper 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 copper expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsWhat people report to the FDA about copper
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 2,278 reports naming copper, and the FDA flagged 71% 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:
- fatigue191 reports
- nausea159 reports
- diarrhoea150 reports
- headache144 reports
- abdominal pain132 reports
- malaise109 reports
- iucd complication106 reports
- dizziness103 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean copper 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 Copper?
Copper is a dietary supplement.
What kind of drug is copper?
The FDA classifies copper as a copper-containing intrauterine device. 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 copper 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 copper 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 copper sold under?
We track 3 copper-containing products in the U.S.: Cu-7, Copper and Tatum-T. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does copper come in?
Across the brands we track, copper is currently marketed as iud and injectable, 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 copper?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic copper 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.
Has copper been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement database lists 1 recall record whose product description mentions copper. The most recent: GHK-Cu (Copper Peptide) for Injection (Jul 30, 2025). A recall applies to specific lots, not to the drug as a whole — check the record for the affected lot numbers.
What should I avoid while taking copper?
Other medicines: we hold source-cited interaction answers for Can you take zinc and copper together?. This is what the FDA label and our cited sources say — it is not a complete list. Your pharmacist can check your own combination.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Copper: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/copper
- MLA
- “Copper: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/copper.
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 copper on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.