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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Is Continued Intake Of Potassium Chloride Instead Of Potassium Citrate Concerning?

Hi. My husband suffered from 100% uric acid kidney stones. Twelve years ago he was prescribed potassium citrate for the acid in his urine and allopurinol for the acid in the blood (prevent gout). Since on potassium citrate, he hasn t had another episode of kidney stones. Five months ago, he was mistakenly given a prescription for potassium chloride instead of potassium citrate. Unfortunately, my husband did not realize he has been taking the wrong medication. When I went to get his refill prescription medication from the drugstore, I realized it was the wrong one. I am very angry and upset. Angry at the doctor for writing the wrong prescription and angry at my husband for not checking the label before taking it. My biggest concern is: his potassium levels were always normal. What effect did this overdose of potassium have on him and what effect happened by not taking potassium citrate for prevention of the kidney stones. I know that potassium citrate is used for kidney stones and potassium chloride (klor-con) is used when you have low potassium levels. My husband also takes atenolol (50 mg) 2x day and enalapril (5 mg) 2x day for high blood pressure. Do I have reason to be concerned? He s been having high blood pressure readings after taking his meds, complaining of a constant ringing in his ear and feeling out of breath while playing racquetball (never did before) and very tired. Please help. Thank you.
Mon, 27 Apr 2015
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Internal Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
He probably did not have much change in the potassium part of the dose of the citrate compared to the potassium part of the hydrochloride, so it's unlikely he had an overdose of potassium. To be sure, you would want to see how much actual potassium, either in milligrams or milliequivalents, was in the 2 medicines. The citrate part of the potassium citrate was the part used for kidney stones, so he was not getting any treatment for that. However, if he was still taking the allopurinol, that may have been enough to control the uric acid so stones wouldn't occur. So no concern about that, but his recent symptoms are concerning and should be evaluated. The blood pressure staying high despite meds and particularly the shortness of breath with activity could indicate another problem such as a heart problem. This should be promptly evaluated. Hope this helps.
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Is Continued Intake Of Potassium Chloride Instead Of Potassium Citrate Concerning?

He probably did not have much change in the potassium part of the dose of the citrate compared to the potassium part of the hydrochloride, so it s unlikely he had an overdose of potassium. To be sure, you would want to see how much actual potassium, either in milligrams or milliequivalents, was in the 2 medicines. The citrate part of the potassium citrate was the part used for kidney stones, so he was not getting any treatment for that. However, if he was still taking the allopurinol, that may have been enough to control the uric acid so stones wouldn t occur. So no concern about that, but his recent symptoms are concerning and should be evaluated. The blood pressure staying high despite meds and particularly the shortness of breath with activity could indicate another problem such as a heart problem. This should be promptly evaluated. Hope this helps.