sodium selenite at a glance
Medicine class
Mineral and trace-element supplement
Usual role
Preventing selenium deficiency during parenteral nutrition and treating confirmed deficiency when nutrition is insufficient
Administration
Given intravenously by healthcare professionals after dilution; it must not be injected undiluted
What is sodium selenite used for?
The selected product is licensed for:
Preventing selenium deficiency in people receiving parenteral nutrition
Treating proven selenium deficiency that cannot be corrected by nutrition alone
How does sodium selenite work?
Selenium from sodium selenite is incorporated into selenoproteins. These include enzymes that help control oxidative damage and enzymes involved in converting thyroid hormone T4 into active T3.
sodium selenite preparations and strengths
Solution for infusion
Route: Intravenous
Strengths: 10 micrograms/mL
How to take sodium selenite
This concentrate is prepared and given into a vein by healthcare professionals. It is diluted in a compatible infusion fluid or validated parenteral-nutrition mixture and infused slowly; it must not be injected directly.
Do not attempt to prepare or administer this product yourself.
Food instructions do not apply because this formulation is intravenous.
sodium selenite side effects
Get urgent medical advice
- Possible acute excess: garlic-like breath, pronounced tiredness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or abdominal pain
- Possible prolonged excess: changes in hair or nail growth and symptoms of peripheral nerve damage
sodium selenite in pregnancy
Human pregnancy data are limited. Harm is not expected when sodium selenite is used for proven deficiency, but the need for intravenous treatment should be assessed by the prescriber or specialist team.
sodium selenite while breastfeeding
Selenium passes into breast milk, but effects on a breastfed infant are not anticipated with therapeutic use. The product information permits use while breastfeeding; the clinical team should still confirm that treatment is needed.
sodium selenite interactions
Formal interaction studies have not been performed. Important preparation incompatibilities include:
High-concentration ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
It can reduce selenite to insoluble elemental selenium, making it unavailable as a nutritional selenium source.
Other medicines in the same infusion
Do not mix unless compatibility has been established; only certain infusion and parenteral-nutrition solutions are specified as compatible.
Common questions about sodium selenite
Answers are fully visible for fast scanning and source review.
Is sodium selenite the same as selenium?
Sodium selenite is a selenium-containing compound used by this product to provide the essential trace element selenium.
Why is sodium selenite added to parenteral nutrition?
People relying on intravenous nutrition may not receive enough selenium through the gut, so sodium selenite can prevent deficiency.
Sources
These sources were used to prepare and review this medicine page.
Prepared and reviewed by the iatroX editorial team.