-5%
Indications:
This medication is used for the following purposes:
- Treating urinary tract infections
- Preventing kidney stones
- Preventing gout
- Treating acidosis
Adult Dose:
- For urinary citrate levels less than 150 mg/day: Take 60 mEq/day orally (20 mEq with each meal).
- For urinary citrate levels greater than 150 mg/day: Take 30 mEq/day orally (10 mEq with each meal).
- Maintenance: Adjust the dose to achieve urinary citrate levels between 320-640 mg/day and maintain urinary pH between 6.0-7.0. The maximum dose is 100 mEq/day.
Child Dose:
Safety and efficacy in children have not been established.
Contraindications:
Do not use this medication if you have:
- Hypersensitivity to the drug
- Hyperkalemia (high potassium levels)
- Addison’s disease
- Anuria (lack of urine production)
- Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus
- Acute dehydration
- Adrenal insufficiency
- Renal insufficiency (glomerular filtration rate [GFR] <0.7 ml/kg/min)
- Delayed gastric emptying
- Esophageal compression
- Gastrointestinal obstruction
- Concurrent use of anticholinergic medications
- Peptic ulcer disease
- Active urinary tract infection
- Concurrent use of potassium-sparing agents (e.g., triamterene, spironolactone, amiloride)
Mode of Action:
This medication alkalinizes urine by binding with urinary calcium.
Precautions:
Before using this medication, inform your doctor or pharmacist of your medical history, especially if you have a history of:
- Low calcium levels
- Severe diarrhea
- Heart problems (e.g., irregular heartbeat, heart failure)
- Kidney disease
- Stomach/gut problems (e.g., irritable bowel)
- Severe tissue damage (e.g., severe burns)
Before undergoing surgery, inform your healthcare provider that you are taking this medication.
Side Effects:
Common side effects may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain. Taking this medication after meals can help prevent these side effects. It’s possible that an empty tablet shell may appear in your stool; this is harmless as your body has already absorbed the medication. However, this drug may cause serious stomach or intestinal problems such as bleeding, blockage, or puncture. High potassium levels in the blood (hyperkalemia) may also occur, though it is rare. Allergic reactions to this drug are very rare but can be serious.
Interactions:
This medication may interact with potassium-sparing diuretics, anticholinergic drugs, and other medications that delay gastrointestinal transit time.