Glucagon: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Glucagon is an antihypoglycemic agent sold in the U.S. under 5 brand and generic names, for anaphylaxis, bradycardia and hypoglycemia. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Antihypoglycemic Agent
- Treats (across its forms)
- Anaphylaxis, Bradycardia and Hypoglycemia
- Available as
- Powder · Injectable
- Sold as
- 5 products — Baqsimi, Gvoke Hypopen and Gvoke Kit, and others
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $5931 for a 30-count supply — not your price
How Baqsimi is dosed
From the FDA label for Baqsimi (application NDA210134). Other glucagon products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
BAQSIMI is for intranasal use only. ( 2.1 ) The recommended dose of BAQSIMI is 3 mg administered as one actuation of the intranasal device into one nostril. ( 2.2 ) Administer BAQSIMI according to the printed instructions on the shrink-wrapped tube label and the Instructions for Use. ( 2.1 ) Administer the dose by inserting the tip into one nostril and pressing the device plunger all the way in until the green line is no longer showing. The dose does not need to be inhaled. ( 2.1 ) Call for emergency assistance immediately after administering the dose. ( 2.1 ) When the patient responds to treatment, give oral carbohydrates. ( 2.1 ) Do not attempt to reuse BAQSIMI. Each BAQSIMI device contains one dose of glucagon and cannot be reused. Discard any unused portion. ( 2.1 ) If there has been no response after 15 minutes, an additional 3 mg dose may be administered while waiting for emergency assistance. ( 2.2 ) 2.1 Important Administration Instructions BAQSIMI is for intranasal use only. Instruct patients and their caregivers on the signs and symptoms of severe hypoglycemia. Because severe hypoglycemia requires help of others to recover, instruct the patient to inform those around them about BAQSIMI and its Instructions for Use. Administer BAQSIMI as soon as possible when severe hypoglycemia is recognized. Instruct the patient or caregiver to read the Instructions for Use at the…
Everything below is the FDA label for Baqsimi (powder). Glucagon is also sold as injectable, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Baqsimi side effects
The following clinically significant adverse reactions are described elsewhere in labeling: Substantial Increase in Blood Pressure in Patients with Pheochromocytoma [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] . Hypoglycemia in Patients with Insulinoma [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 )] . Serious Hypersensitivity Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 )] . Lack of Efficacy in Patients with Decreased Hepatic Glycogen [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )] . Most common (≥10%) adverse reactions associated with BAQSIMI are nausea, vomiting, headache, upper respiratory tract irritation (i.e., rhinorrhea, nasal discomfort, nasal congestion, cough, and epistaxis), watery eyes, redness of eyes, itchy nose, throat and eyes. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. at 1-800-423-4136 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of BAQSIMI cannot be directly compared with rates in clinical trials of other drugs and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Adverse Reactions in Adult Patients Two similarly designed comparator-controlled trials, Study 1 and Study 2, evaluated the safety of a single intranasal dose of BAQSIMI compared to a 1 mg dose of intra-muscular glucagon…
Who shouldn’t take Baqsimi
BAQSIMI is contraindicated in patients with: Pheochromocytoma because of the risk of substantial increase in blood pressure [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] Insulinoma because of the risk of hypoglycemia [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 )] Prior hypersensitivity reaction to glucagon or to any of the excipients in BAQSIMI. Allergic reactions have been reported with glucagon and include anaphylactic shock with breathing difficulties and hypotension [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 )] Pheochromocytoma ( 4 ) Insulinoma ( 4 ) Known hypersensitivity to glucagon or to any of the excipients ( 4 )
Baqsimi drug interactions
Beta-blockers : Patients taking beta-blockers may have a transient increase in pulse and blood pressure. ( 7.1 ) Indomethacin : In patients taking indomethacin BAQSIMI may lose its ability to raise glucose or may produce hypoglycemia. ( 7.2 ) Warfarin : BAQSIMI may increase the anticoagulant effect of warfarin. ( 7.3 ) 7.1 Beta-blockers Patients taking beta-blockers may have a transient increase in pulse and blood pressure when given BAQSIMI. 7.2 Indomethacin In patients taking indomethacin, BAQSIMI may lose its ability to raise blood glucose or may even produce hypoglycemia. 7.3 Warfarin BAQSIMI may increase the anticoagulant effect of warfarin.
Every glucagon product we track (5)
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 | Powder | Generic | $5931 | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | Generic | $5931 | View → | |
| 3 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | Generic | $5931 | View → | |
| 4 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | Generic | $5931 | View → | |
| 5 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | Generic | $5931 | View → |
Glucagon recalls
From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.
How long glucagon keeps
No glucagon 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 glucagon expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsWhat people report to the FDA about glucagon
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 3,878 reports naming glucagon, and the FDA flagged 83% 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:
- dyspnoea377 reports
- acute kidney injury328 reports
- hypotension312 reports
- haemoptysis233 reports
- hypoglycaemia223 reports
- anxiety218 reports
- pain in extremity218 reports
- nausea217 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean glucagon 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 Baqsimi?
Baqsimi (Glucagon) is an antihypoglycemic agent used to treat Anaphylaxis, Bradycardia, Hypoglycemia, Hypotension.
What kind of drug is glucagon?
The FDA classifies glucagon as an antihypoglycemic agent. 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 glucagon 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 glucagon 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 glucagon sold under?
We track 5 glucagon-containing products in the U.S.: Baqsimi, Gvoke Hypopen, Gvoke Kit, Gvoke Pfs and Gvoke Vialdx. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does glucagon come in?
Across the brands we track, glucagon is currently marketed as powder 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 glucagon?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled glucagon 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.
Has glucagon been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement database lists 1 recall record whose product description mentions glucagon. The most recent: Glucagon Emergency Kit for Low Blood Sugar (Jun 23, 2026). A recall applies to specific lots, not to the drug as a whole — check the record for the affected lot numbers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Glucagon: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/glucagon
- MLA
- “Glucagon: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/glucagon.
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 glucagon on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.