Potassium Chloride

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Harshi Dhingra, M.D.

Last Reviewed: Apr 27, 2023

Warnings

Potassium Chloride Risks, Warnings, and Complications

Potassium chloride may not be safe for everyone. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the risks versus benefits of taking potassium supplementation. Some of the risks of taking potassium chloride include:

DANGEROUSLY HIGH LEVELS OF POTASSIUM: Taking potassium chloride can lead to dangerously high levels of potassium, which can be life-threatening. Too much potassium can cause nausea, vomiting, chest pain, irregular heartbeats, and muscle weakness. The risk of this happening is higher in people who receive potassium chloride injections, but it can also happen with oral potassium chloride. The risk is also greater if you have kidney disease, take a water pill (diuretic) that raises potassium levels in the body, take blood pressure medications called ACE inhibitors or ARBs, or take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen. It can be hard to know that your potassium level is too high based on symptoms alone. Keep all your follow-up appointments for lab work, as your provider may want to get your potassium levels checked on a regular basis. Give your healthcare provider a list of all your other medications.
GASTROINTESTINAL INJURY: Oral potassium supplements can irritate the stomach and intestines, especially the pill forms. Rarely they can cause ulcers, tears, obstructions, and bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. Tell your doctor if you have difficulty swallowing or conditions in which there is slowed movement of the intestines. Your provider may recommend taking the liquid form of potassium chloride. Stop taking potassium chloride and contact your doctor immediately if you develop severe stomach pain, vomiting, bloating, or black stools from stomach bleeding.

Precautions Before Starting Potassium Chloride

Tell your doctor if you have ever had an allergic reaction to potassium chloride or any other medication. Your pharmacy can give you a list of active and inactive ingredients in potassium chloride formulations.

Give your doctor and pharmacist a complete list of your medications, including another potassium salt such as potassium acetate or potassium citrate (used to treat kidney stones and renal tubular acidosis), salt substitutes, other prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, and herbal products. This can help avoid possible drug interactions.

Give your doctor a complete medical history. Potassium chloride may not be right for people with certain medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiac disease, large tissue injury such as severe burn, severe dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, slow digestion and associated conditions, or an adrenal gland disorder.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, could be pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Precautions During Use of Potassium Chloride

Keep all your healthcare appointments while taking potassium chloride. Your doctor may want to check your potassium levels and adjust your dose based on the results.

Take potassium chloride with meals and a full glass of water or other liquids to prevent severe throat irritation and stomach upset. Swallow the tablets whole. Do not chew, crush, or suck on them.

Talk to your provider about what types of foods to avoid. A high-potassium diet may lead to too much potassium in your body. Do not take salt substitutes (which contain potassium ions instead of sodium chloride) without talking to your doctor first.

Tell all your healthcare providers if you become pregnant while taking potassium chloride.

Potassium Chloride Drug Interactions

Certain other drugs can affect how potassium chloride works. Possible interactions with other medicines can increase the risk of severe adverse reactions. Some of the medications that can interact with potassium chloride include:

Potassium-sparing diuretics such as spironolactone, triamterene, and amiloride
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs)
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Birth control pills that contain drospirenone

Give your doctor or pharmacist a complete list of your medications, including prescription drugs, OTC medications, dietary supplements, and herbal remedies. Also, tell your healthcare professional if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use recreational drugs because some of these substances can cause serious health complications when used with prescription medications.

Find the best discount on Potassium Chloride »