Generic name: potassium chloride [poe-TASS-ee-um]
Drug Class: Minerals and fluids are a type of drug.
K-Dur is what?
Potassium chloride is a chemical that is found in many foods and is needed by your body for many things, especially for your heart to beat. It is found in K-Dur tablets.
K-Dur is used to avoid or treat hypokalemia, which is a low level of potassium in the blood. Potassium levels can be low if you have a disease, take certain medications, or have been sick for a long time with diarrhoea or vomiting.
K-Dur can also be used for other things that aren’t in this book.
Warnings
If your blood has too much potassium (hyperkalemia) or if you also take a “potassium-sparing” diuretic, you shouldn’t use K-Dur.
Your blood may need to be checked often to make sure that K-Dur is helping your situation. An electrocardiograph, or ECG, which measures the electrical activity of the heart, can also be used to check your heart rate. This test will tell your doctor how long they should give you K-dur. Don’t miss any planned meetings.
Potassium can cause serious side effects, such as an irregular heartbeat, weak or limp muscles, severe stomach pain, and tingly or numbness in your hands, feet, or mouth.
Don’t stop taking this medicine without first talking to your doctor. Your situation could get worse if you stop taking K-Dur all of a sudden.
Don’t crush, chew, break, or suck on a K-Dur tablet with a slow release. If you chew on a K=Dur pill, it can make your mouth or throat feel sore. K-Dur should be taken with food or right after a meal.
Before you take this drug
If you are allergic to potassium chloride or if you have high potassium levels in your blood (hyperkalemia) or if you take a “potassium-sparing” diuretic (water pill) like amiloride, spironolactone, or triamterene, you should not use K-Dur.
To make sure you can take K-Dur safely, tell your doctor if you have ever:
- Kidney disease;
- Cirrhosis or other liver disease;
- An adrenal gland disorder;
- A large tissue injury, like a severe burn;
- Severe dehydration;
- Diabetes;
- Heart disease or high blood pressure;
- Bleeding in your stomach or intestines;
- A blockage in your stomach or intestines; or
- Chronic diarrhoea, like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
We don’t know if K-Dur will hurt a baby in the womb. During pregnancy, your amount needs may be different. If you are pregnant or want to get pregnant, you should tell your doctor.
No one knows if potassium chloride gets into breast milk or if it could hurt a baby who is being fed by a nursing mother. If you are breastfeeding, you should let your doctor know. While you are nursing, you may need a different amount.
What do I do with K-Dur?
Take K-Dur exactly as your doctor has told you to. Follow all of the rules on the label of your prescription, and read any guides or instruction sheets that come with it. Your doctor may change your dose from time to time.
Take a full glass of water with K-Dur. The medicine should be taken with food or right after a meal.
Do not break, chew, or spit out a K-Dur pill. If you chew on the pill, your mouth or throat will get sore.
If you can’t get the K-Dur pill down your throat, you can dissolve it in water.
- Put the tablet in about half a glass (4 fluid ounces) of water.
- Give the tablet about two minutes to break apart.
- Stir for about 30 seconds after the tablet breaks up.
- Swirl the suspension and drink or drink through a straw all of the liquid in the glass right away.
- Pour in another ounce of water, stir, and drink right away.
- Then, add another 1 fluid ounce of water, stir it around, and drink it right away.
If you want to know if K-Dur is helping your situation, you may need to have your blood checked often. Even if your symptoms don’t change, your blood work will help your doctor figure out how long to treat you with K-Dur. An electrocardiograph or ECG (sometimes called an EKG) may need to be used to check how well your heart is working. Even if you don’t feel sick, tests can tell your doctor if this medicine is working.
A special diet may be part of your care. Follow the food plan that your doctor or nutritionist has made for you. Learn the list of foods you should eat and the ones you should avoid to help your health.
Potassium-rich foods include squash, baked potatoes with the skin on, spinach, lentils, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, kidney or navy beans, raisins, watermelon, orange juice, bananas, pineapple and low-fat milk or yoghurt. Eat only the daily amounts that your doctor or nutritionist tells you to.
Keep at room temperature and away from heat and moisture. Keep the medicine in a jar with a lid.
What will happen if I don’t take a dose?
As soon as you remember, take the dose you forgot. If it’s almost time for your next dose, don’t take the one you missed. Do not take more medicine than usual to make up for the dose you missed.
What happens if I overdose?
Get help from a doctor right away or call 1-800-222-1222 to reach the Poison Help line.
Some signs of an overdose are an irregular heartbeat, lung pain, or weak muscles.
What not to do
Unless your doctor tells you to, don’t take potassium supplements or use other items that contain potassium. Potassium is often found in foods that replace salt or have less salt. Check the package to see if a food or medicine has potassium.
K-Dur side effects
If you are allergic to K-Dur and have hives, trouble breathing, or swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat, call 911 right away.
Stop taking K-Dur and call your doctor right away if you have:
- severe throat irritation;
- stomach bloating, severe vomiting, or severe stomach pain;
- high potassium levels, such as nausea, weakness, tingling, chest pain, irregular heartbeats, or inability to move; or
- signs of stomach bleeding, such as bloody or tarry stools, coughing up blood, or vomit that looks like coffee grounds.
Common side effects of K-Dur include feeling sick, throwing up, or having diarrhoea. You might also have gas or stomach pain, or you might see a K-Dur tablet in your stool.
This isn’t a full list of all possible side effects, and there may be others. You should talk to your doctor about any side effects. You can call 1-800-FDA-1088 to tell the FDA about side affects.
Information dosage
Usual Adult Dose for Hypokalemia:
Oral: 40–100 mEq per day, taken by mouth in 2–5 doses
Maximum single dose: 20 mEq per dose
Maximum daily dose: 200 mEq
The average amount of potassium that an adult gets from food is 50 to 100 mEq per day.
-Most of the time, you have to lose 200 mEq or more of your body’s overall potassium stores for hypokalemia to happen.
Normal dose for adults to avoid hypokalemia:
Oral:
Normal dose: 20 mEq, taken by mouth, every day
-Adjust dose based on blood potassium levels. -Divide dose if more than 20 mEq per day is used.
-An average adult needs between 50 and 100 mEq of potassium per day.
What effects will other drugs have on K-Dur?
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you’re taking, as well as any new ones or ones you stop taking. This is especially important if you’re taking a diuretic or “water pill” or a heart or blood pressure medicine.
This list doesn’t have everything. Potassium chloride may combine with other medicines, such as prescription and nonprescription drugs, vitamins, and herbal products. This medicine guide does not list all of the possible drug interactions.
For more details
Remember to keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, to never give your medicines to other people, and to only use K-Dur for what it was meant for.
Talk to your doctor or other healthcare source to make sure that the information on this page applies to your situation.
Disclaimer About Health Care Copyright 1996–2023 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 11.01.
