The U.S. FDA approved Potassium Chloride as a potassium supplement in 1948. Potassium Chloride belongs to the medication class known as an electrolyte replacement solution. Electrolytes are a collection of chemicals and salts found in bodily fluids. 

Potassium Chloride is used to treat and prevent low levels of potassium in the blood, known as hypokalemia

Potassium Chloride Tablet

Take the Potassium Chloride as your physician advises. Do not crush, chew, or open the medicine. Your physician will decide the correct dosage and duration based on age, body weight, and disease condition. Only stop taking the tablet if your doctor advises you to stop.

Potassium Chloride Injection

Potassium Chloride will be administered to you by a healthcare professional in a hospital setting. It is usually administered in a vein (intravenous). Your doctor will decide the dose, route of administration, and frequency based on your disease condition and other factors.

The most common side effects of Potassium Chloride aretingling or odd sensations, muscle weakness or loss of movement, irregular heartbeats or heart attack, high potassium levels in the blood, low blood pressure causing dizziness, pain at the injection site, and inflammation of the injected vein.

Potassium Chloride should not be consumed if you are allergic to Potassium Chloride or any of its ingredients in the medication. Do not use this medicine if you have hyperkalemia (high blood potassium levels), impaired kidney function, Addison's disease, severe dehydration, heat cramps, hyperchloraemia, or allergies to its ingredients. Also, avoid this medicine if you have kidney failure, severe or prolonged diarrhea, untreated Addison's Syndrome, hypo-aldosteronism, narrowing in the food pipe, stomach, or gut (stricture), conditions like trauma, burns, muscle cramps, or metabolic complications after cancer treatment. Additionally, if you have metabolic acidosis, difficulty eliminating potassium, high blood potassium level, or hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, refrain from taking this medicine. Avoid taking this medicine if you are on potassium-sparing diuretics (e.g., spironolactone, triamterene, or amiloride) or have trouble tolerating sugars, as they contain sucrose. If any of these conditions apply to you, avoid using this medicine.

Notify your doctor if you are pregnant, planning to get pregnant, or think you may be pregnant or breastfeeding. Notify your doctor if you have you have heart disease or have recently experienced a severe injury involving a large area of skin, such as a burn. During administering this medicine, it is essential to continuously monitor your ECG (electrocardiogram) to assess your heart's activity.  Before starting the treatment, inform your doctor, if you have any digestive systems issues like constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, bowel obstruction, cancer of the bowel, reflux, diverticular disease, ulcers, or hemorrhoids.

Patients with kidney conditions should consume this medicine cautiously. Notify your doctor if you experience any serious side effects to avoid the risk of certain conditions. Before starting the treatment, inform your doctor about all the underlying medical conditions. Do not stop the medicine until your doctor advises. Do not double-dose the medicine to make up for a forgotten dose. Contact your doctor for more information. 

1. Mercury Pharmaceuticals Limited; Electronic medicines compendium (emc); [Revised on April 2020] [ Accessed on 27th July 2023], https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/files/pil.2797.pdf
2. Baxter Healthcare Corporation; US Food and Drug Administration; [Revised on June 2019] [Accessed on 27th July 2023], label (fda.gov)
3. Drugs.com; [Revised on March 2023] [ Accessed on 27th July 2023], Potassium Chloride Injection: Package Insert - Drugs.com
4. Essential Pharma (M) Limited; Electronic medicines compendium (emc); [Revised on March 2020] [ Accessed on 29th July 2023], https://www.hpra.ie/img/uploaded/swedocuments/dcde5c7d-36b4-4742-a4d1-dc46047af543.pdf
5. Drugs.com; [Revised on 21st June 2023] [ Accessed on 29th July 2023], https://www.drugs.com/potassium_chloride.html
6. Satyanarayana U, Chakrapani U, Biochemistry, Mineral metabolism, 4th edition, 2013, 404.

The drug information on this page is not a substitute for medical advice. It is meant for educational purposes only. For further details, consult your doctor about your medical condition to know if you are eligible to receive this treatment.