Glycine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Glycine is a medicine sold in the U.S. under 2 brand and generic names, for nutritional and metabolic diseases and peptic ulcer. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Treats (across its forms)
- Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases and Peptic Ulcer
- Available as
- Solution · Irrigant
- Sold as
- 2 products — Aminoacetic Acid 1.5% in Plastic Container and Glycine
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
How Aminoacetic Acid 1.5% in Plastic Container is dosed
From the FDA label for Aminoacetic Acid 1.5% in Plastic Container (application NDA017865). Other glycine products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
The volume of solution needed will vary with the nature and duration of the urologic procedure. If desired, warm in overwrap to near body temperature in a water bath or oven heated to not more than 45°C. Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration whenever solution and container permit.
Everything below is the FDA label for Aminoacetic Acid 1.5% in Plastic Container (solution). Glycine is also sold as irrigant, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Aminoacetic Acid 1.5% in Plastic Container side effects
Adverse reactions may result from intravascular absorption of glycine. Large intravenous doses of glycine are known to cause salivation, nausea and lightheadedness. Other consequences of absorption of urologic irrigating solutions include fluid and electrolyte disturbances such as acidosis, electrolyte loss, marked diuresis, urinary retention, edema, dryness of mouth, thirst, dehydration, coma from hyponatremia, secondary hyponatremia due to fluid overload, and hyperammonemia with resultant coma and/or encephalopathy; cardiovascular disorders such as hypotension, tachycardia, angina-like pains; pulmonary disorders such as pulmonary congestion; and other general reactions such as blurred vision, convulsions, nausea, vomiting, rhinitis, chills, vertigo, backache, transient blindness and urticaria. Allergic reactions from glycine are unknown or exceedingly rare. Should adverse reactions occur, discontinue the irrigation and re-evaluate the clinical status of the patient. Post-Marketing Experience Following off-label use of 1.5% Glycine Irrigation, USP for hysteroscopic procedures in women, life-threatening adverse events related to fluid overload have been reported.
Who shouldn’t take Aminoacetic Acid 1.5% in Plastic Container
Anuria.
Every glycine 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 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Solution | No data | — | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Supplement | Irrigant | No data | — | View → |
Glycine recalls
From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.
What people report to the FDA about glycine
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 2,391 reports naming glycine, and the FDA flagged 79% 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:
- nausea160 reports
- diarrhoea129 reports
- fatigue129 reports
- dyspnoea122 reports
- headache122 reports
- dizziness109 reports
- pneumonia99 reports
- pyrexia86 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean glycine 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 Aminoacetic Acid 1.5% in Plastic Container?
Aminoacetic Acid 1.5% in Plastic Container (Glycine) is a medication used to treat Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases, Peptic Ulcer.
Can you take glycine 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 glycine 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 glycine sold under?
We track 2 glycine-containing products in the U.S.: Aminoacetic Acid 1.5% in Plastic Container and Glycine. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does glycine come in?
Across the brands we track, glycine is currently marketed as solution and 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 glycine?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic glycine 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 glycine been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement database lists 2 recall records whose product description mentions glycine. The most recent: Semaglutide-Glycine-Cyanocobalamin Injectable (Mar 6, 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). Glycine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/glycine
- MLA
- “Glycine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/glycine.
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 glycine on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.