Sterile Water for Injection: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Sterile Water for Injection is a medicine sold in the U.S. under 2 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
- Available as
- Injectable
- Sold as
- 2 products — Sterile Water for Injection and Bacteriostatic Water for Injection in Plastic Container
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
How sterile water for injection is dosed
From the FDA label for Sterile Water for Injection (application ANDA206369). Other sterile water for injection products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
The volume of the preparation to be used for diluting or dissolving any drug for injection is dependent on the vehicle concentration, dose and route of administration as recommended by the manufacturer. This parenteral should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration, whenever solution and container permit.
Sterile Water for Injection side effects
Reactions which may occur because of this solution, added drugs or the technique of reconstitution or administration include febrile response, local tenderness, abscess, tissue necrosis or infection at the site of injection, venous thrombosis or phlebitis extending from the site of injection and extravasation. If an adverse reaction does occur, discontinue the infusion, evaluate the patient, institute appropriate countermeasures, and if possible, retrieve and save the remainder of the unused vehicle for examination.
Who shouldn’t take sterile water for injection
Sterile Water for Injection, USP must be made approximately isotonic prior to use.
Every sterile water for injection 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 | 72/100 | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → | |
| 2 | 56/100 | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → |
Combination products containing sterile water for injection
A combination is a different drug — different dosing, different warnings. It is listed here so you can find it, not so you can substitute it.
Sterile Water for Injection recalls
From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.
Sterile Water for Injection USP
Lack of Assurance of Sterility; potential for leakage from the diaphragm port once the foil is removed.
B BRAUN MEDICAL INC · Apr 2, 2026
STERILE WATER FOR INJECTION USP
Lack of Assurance of Sterility- Potential for fluid leakage from the port due to port misalignment.
B BRAUN MEDICAL INC · Aug 26, 2025
What people report to the FDA about sterile water for injection
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 822 reports naming sterile water for injection, and the FDA flagged 54% 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:
- myelosuppression62 reports
- product compounding quality issue49 reports
- nausea44 reports
- pyrexia38 reports
- abdominal pain34 reports
- vomiting33 reports
- abdominal distension32 reports
- fatigue31 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean sterile water for injection 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 26, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is sterile water for injection?
Sterile Water for Injection is a medication supplied as an injection, solution.
Can you take sterile water for injection 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 sterile water for injection 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 sterile water for injection sold under?
We track 2 sterile water for injection-containing products in the U.S.: Sterile Water for Injection and Bacteriostatic Water for Injection in Plastic Container. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does sterile water for injection come in?
Across the brands we track, sterile water for injection is currently marketed as 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 sterile water for injection?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic sterile water for injection 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 sterile water for injection been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement database lists 2 recall records whose product description mentions sterile water for injection. The most recent: Sterile Water for Injection USP (Apr 2, 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). Sterile Water for Injection: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/sterile-water-for-injection
- MLA
- “Sterile Water for Injection: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/sterile-water-for-injection.
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 sterile water for injection on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.