Dimethyl Sulfoxide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Dimethyl Sulfoxide is a medicine sold in the U.S. under one brand. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Available as
- Irrigant
- Sold as
- Rimso-50
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
How dimethyl sulfoxide is dosed
From the FDA label for Rimso-50 (application NDA017788). Other dimethyl sulfoxide products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Instillation of 50 mL of RIMSO-50 ® (dimethyl sulfoxide) directly into the bladder may be accomplished by catheter or asepto syringe and allow to remain for 15 minutes. Application of an analgesic lubricant gel such as lidocaine jelly to the urethra is suggested prior to insertion of the catheter to avoid spasm. The medication is expelled by spontaneous voiding. It is recommended that the treatment be repeated every two weeks until maximum symptomatic relief is obtained. Thereafter, time intervals between therapy may be increased appropriately. Administration of oral analgesic medication or suppositories containing belladonna and opium prior to the instillation of RIMSO-50 ® can reduce bladder spasm. In patients with severe interstitial cystitis with very sensitive bladders, the initial treatment, and possibly the second and third (depending on patient response) should be done under anesthesia. (Saddle block has been suggested).
Dimethyl Sulfoxide side effects
A garlic-like taste may be noted by the patient within a few minutes after instillation of RIMSO-50 ® (dimethyl sulfoxide). This taste may last several hours and because of the presence of metabolites, an odor on the breath and skin may remain for 72 hours. Transient chemical cystitis has been noted following instillation of dimethyl sulfoxide. The patient may experience moderately severe discomfort on administration. Usually this becomes less prominent with repeated administration.
Who shouldn’t take dimethyl sulfoxide
None known.
Every dimethyl sulfoxide product we track (1)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
Only one: Rimso-50.
What people report to the FDA about dimethyl sulfoxide
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 339 reports naming dimethyl sulfoxide, and the FDA flagged 90% 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:
- pyrexia64 reports
- headache59 reports
- nausea57 reports
- abdominal pain48 reports
- weight decreased39 reports
- fatigue36 reports
- malaise36 reports
- macular degeneration35 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean dimethyl sulfoxide 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 dimethyl sulfoxide?
RIMSO-50 ® (dimethyl sulfoxide) (DMSO) 50% w/w Aqueous Solution for intravesical instillation. Each mL contains 0.54 gm dimethyl sulfoxide STERILE AND NON-PYROGENIC. Intravesical instillation for the treatment of interstitial cystitis. NOT FOR INTRAMUSCULAR OR INTRAVENOUS INJECTION.
Can you take dimethyl sulfoxide 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 dimethyl sulfoxide against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What forms does dimethyl sulfoxide come in?
Across the brands we track, dimethyl sulfoxide is currently marketed as irrigant, 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 dimethyl sulfoxide?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled dimethyl sulfoxide 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). Dimethyl Sulfoxide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/dimethyl-sulfoxide
- MLA
- “Dimethyl Sulfoxide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/dimethyl-sulfoxide.
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 dimethyl sulfoxide on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.