You may need frequent medical tests. Even if you have no symptoms, tests can help your doctor determine if this medicine is effective. Some tablets are made with a shell that is not absorbed or melted in the body. Part of this shell may appear in your stool. This is normal and will not make the medicine less effective. Store at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light. Keep the medication in a closed container. Take the medicine as soon as you can, but skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next dose.
Do not take two doses at one time. Overdose symptoms may include stomach pain, vomiting, irregular heartbeats, chest pain, muscle weakness, loss of movement, numbness or tingling, or feeling light-headed. Health Topics. Health Tools. Reviewed: May 28, Hypokalemia Prevention of Hypokalemia. You should not use potassium chloride if you are allergic to it, or if: you have high levels of potassium in your blood hyperkalemia ; or you take a "potassium-sparing" diuretic water pill such as amiloride, spironolactone, or triamterene.
Tell your doctor if you have ever had: heart problems; high blood pressure; liver or kidney disease; a large tissue injury such as a severe burn; an electrolyte imbalance such as low levels of calcium or magnesium in your blood ; trouble swallowing; slow digestion; stomach bleeding, an ulcer, or a blockage in your stomach or intestines; an adrenal gland disorder; diabetes; or severe dehydration. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Stop using potassium chloride and call your doctor at once if you have: severe throat irritation; chest pain, trouble breathing; pain, burning, bruising, swelling, irritation, or skin changes where the medicine was injected; stomach bloating, severe vomiting, severe stomach pain; high potassium level --nausea, weakness, tingly feeling, chest pain, irregular heartbeats, loss of movement; or signs of stomach bleeding --bloody or tarry stools, coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds.
The intracellular concentration of potassium is approximately to mEq per liter. The normal adult plasma concentration is 3. An active ion transport system maintains this gradient across the plasma membrane. Potassium is a normal dietary constituent and under steady-state conditions the amount of potassium absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract is equal to the amount excreted in the urine. The usual dietary intake of potassium is 50 to mEq per day. Such depletion usually develops as a consequence of therapy with diuretics, primary or secondary hyperaldosteronism, diabetic ketoacidosis or inadequate replacement of potassium in patients on prolonged parenteral nutrition.
Depletion can develop rapidly with severe diarrhea, especially if associated with vomiting. Potassium depletion due to these causes is usually accompanied by a concomitant loss of chloride and is manifested by hypokalemia and metabolic alkalosis. If potassium depletion associated with metabolic alkalosis cannot be managed by correcting the fundamental cause of the deficiency, e.
In rare circumstances e. In such patients potassium replacement should be accomplished with potassium salts other than the chloride, such as potassium bicarbonate, potassium citrate, potassium acetate, or potassium gluconate. The use of potassium salts in patients receiving diuretics for uncomplicated essential hypertension is often unnecessary when such patients have a normal dietary pattern and when low doses of the diuretic are used.
Serum potassium should be checked periodically, however, and if hypokalemia occurs, dietary supplementation with potassium-containing foods may be adequate to control milder cases. In more severe cases, and if dose adjustment of the diuretic is ineffective or unwarranted, supplementation with potassium salts may be indicated. Potassium supplements are contraindicated in patients with hyperkalemia since a further increase in serum potassium concentration in such patients can produce cardiac arrest.
Hyperkalemia may complicate any of the following conditions: chronic renal failure, systemic acidosis, such as diabetic acidosis, acute dehydration, extensive tissue breakdown as in severe burns, adrenal insufficiency, or the administration of a potassium-sparing diuretic e. Extended-release formulations of potassium chloride have produced esophageal ulceration in certain cardiac patients with esophageal compression due to enlarged left atrium.
All solid oral dosage forms of potassium chloride are contraindicated in any patient in whom there is structural, pathological e.
This occurs most commonly in patients given potassium by the intravenous route but may also occur in patients given potassium orally. Potentially fatal hyperkalemia can develop rapidly and be asymptomatic. The use of potassium salts in patients with chronic renal disease, or any other condition which impairs potassium excretion, requires particularly careful monitoring of the serum potassium concentration and appropriate dosage adjustment.
Interaction with Potassium—Sparing Diuretics —Hypokalemia should not be treated by the concomitant administration of potassium salts and a potassium-sparing diuretic e. Potassium supplements should be given to patients receiving ACE inhibitors only with close monitoring. Based on spontaneous adverse reaction reports, enteric-coated preparations of potassium chloride are associated with an increased frequency of small bowel lesions per , patient years compared to extended-release wax matrix formulations less than one per , patient years.
Because of the lack of extensive marketing experience with microencapsulated products, a comparison between such products and wax matrix or enteric-coated products is not available. Prospective trials have been conducted in normal human volunteers in which the upper gastrointestinal tract was evaluated by endoscopic inspection before and after one week of solid oral potassium chloride therapy. The ability of this model to predict events occurring in usual clinical practice is unknown.
Trials which approximated usual clinical practice did not reveal any clear differences between the wax matrix and microencapsulated dosage forms. In contrast, there was a higher incidence of gastric and duodenal lesions in subjects receiving a high dose of a wax matrix extended-release formulation under conditions which did not resemble usual or recommended clinical practice i.
The upper gastrointestinal lesions observed by endoscopy were asymptomatic and were not accompanied by evidence of bleeding Hemoccult testing. The relevance of these findings to the usual conditions i. Metabolic Acidosis— Hypokalemia in patients with metabolic acidosis should be treated with an alkalinizing potassium salt such as potassium bicarbonate, potassium citrate, potassium acetate or potassium gluconate.
General: The diagnosis of potassium depletion is ordinarily made by demonstrating hypokalemia in a patient with a clinical history suggesting some cause for potassium depletion. In interpreting the serum potassium level, the physician should bear in mind that acute alkalosis per se can produce hypokalemia in the absence of a deficit in total body potassium while acute acidosis per se can increase the serum potassium concentration into the normal range even in the presence of a reduced total body potassium.
The treatment of potassium depletion, particularly in the presence of cardiac disease, renal disease, or acidosis requires careful attention to acid-base balance and appropriate monitoring of serum electrolytes, the electrocardiogram, and the clinical status of the patient. Information for Patients: Physicians should consider reminding the patient of the following:. Pronunciation poe-TAS-ee-um. This medication is a mineral supplement used to treat or prevent low amounts of potassium in the blood.
A normal level of potassium in the blood is important. Potassium helps your cells, kidneys, heart, muscles, and nerves work properly. Most people get enough potassium by eating a well-balanced diet. Take this medication by mouth as directed by your doctor.
Do not lie down for at least 10 minutes after taking this medication. Do not crush, chew, or suck on the tablets. Doing so can release all of the drug at once, increasing the risk of side effects. If you have trouble swallowing the tablets, you may break the tablet in half and take one half with a glass of water; then take the other half tablet with another glass of water. After the tablet dissolves about 2 minutes , stir the mixture for 30 seconds then drink all the liquid.
Add one more ounce 30 milliliters of water to the glass, swirl, and drink. Repeat one more time to make sure you are getting all of the drug. Use only water for mixing, and do not prepare the mixture ahead of time. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions. Take this medication regularly to get the most benefit from it. To help you remember, take it at the same time s each day.
The dosage is based on your medical condition and response to treatment. Do not increase your dose or take it more often than prescribed. Do not take more than 20 milliequivalents per dose. Upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, gas, or diarrhea may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly. Remember that this medication has been prescribed because your doctor has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects.
Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects. A very serious allergic reaction to this drug is rare. However, get medical help right away if you notice any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including:. This is not a complete list of possible side effects. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.
0コメント