Fluorescein sodium is a drug used intravenously to diagnose vascular problems. Fluorescein, like any drug, can have side effects ranging from localized skin reactions and allergic reactions to reactions specific to this drug. Fluorescein is fluorescent and lights up the blood vessels as it travels through them so that abnormalities can be seen.
Skin Side Effects
Fluorescein gives the skin a yellowish or orange tint for up to 24 hours after the injection. This will be more noticeable in fair-skinned people. Urine will also be tinted orange or yellowish green for the same 12- to 24-hour time period.
Localized Reactions
If the dye is injected under the skin rather than into a vein (extravasation), a severe burning sensation and dull ache in the arm that lasts up to several hours is felt; the skin around the site may turn yellow or orange. Sloughing of the skin around the extravasation site may occur. Granulomas, small nodules of inflamed tissue in the may form in the subcutaneous tissue. Toxic neuritis, inflammation along a nerve, may also occur. As with any intravenous injection, infection, chemical irritation or phlebitis , inflammation within the vein, can develop at the injection site. Because the antecubital vein is large and usually easily accessed, it's a preferable site for injection. Smaller veins in the hand are more likely to extravasate or develop phlebitis.
Hypersensitivity or Allergic Reactions
Fluorescein injection can cause severe allergic reaction, with shortness of breath, hives, severe itching or circulatory collapse. Anaphylaxis, a life threatening allergic reaction, occurs in approximately one in 25,000 people, according to the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. In rare cases, death has occurred after injection.
Gastrointestinal Side effects
Transient nausea is noted in about three percent of patients, according to a 1991 article published in "Ophthalmology" by the Retinal Vascular Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital. In a small number of patients this progresses to vomiting. A metallic taste in the mouth or burping are common.
Other Side Effects
Fainting, low blood pressure, shock, headache, and convulsions have all been reported after fluorescein injection. Some people feel flushed or dizzy right after the injection. According to the North Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals, fluorescein injection can give false high results on urine and blood tests.
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