Potassium Chloride VS. Potassium Citrate

Ok, my surgeon put me on potassium when I was in the hospital.

He gave me these HUGE and I mean HUGE Potassium Chloride 20MEQ ER  Tablets. I was told to crush them up and no matter what I put them in they made me gag and nearly throw up.

Then I got a prescription for LIQUID Potassium Chloride 20MEQ and not only is it gross and I tried it in cranberry juice but when I drink that, it makes my stomach hurt with a bad stomachache.

So, I am now swallowing my other small pills and I really want and need to get my potassium in.

When I was looking on the Vitamin Shoppe site they have MOSTLY Potassium Citrate and like one Potassium Chloride.

Does anyone know the difference? Is one of them one we can't absorb well?

I need to know what the smallest pill is and even if I have to take a few of them a day it will be worth it to be able to swallow them and not gag just looking at the bottle.

Thank you for any help!
Wynter

I don't know and I tried some quick googling and didn't find the answer.  Maybe you could call your pharmacist and see if he knows the difference?  Specifically ask if one requires more stomach acid to break down and absorb than the other.

Ok, hadn't even thought of calling the Pharmacist, duh on my part! lol

Ok, what I found out is that if you are prescribed the Potassium Choride you cannot substitute the Potassium Citrate for it.

The Potassium Chloride is to increase your potassium levels (which is what I need) while the Potassium Citrate increases your PH.

So, they have a round 10 MEQ yellow coated ER tablet. It's not small but smaller than the 20MEQ horse pill. Still afraid though as I don't know if I can swallow something that big?

So far I've done fine with swallowing smaller tablets. just afraid of something getting stuck! lol

Thank you Kelly!
Wynter

If it's a round tablet, it's probably not too big to swallow.  It seems like the really big pills are usually those oblong things.

Try having a cup of warm water or tea nearby when you take it and if it seems like it gets stuck, drink a little of that and it will probably help.

I thought we were not supposed to take extended release meds or vitamins...?

It is the only way that potassium comes - you can't get large doses into your system at one time - you could get a heart attack, so it has to be a little bit at a time.  The pharmacist told me that they just have to monitor our levels more closely and that we might need a higher dose to compensage.

definitely don't use the stuff in vitamin shoppes, not only is it different stuff but the dosage is so much weaker.  With your potassium problems you need to take the prescibed stuff.  You might want to ask for capsules - that is what I got  They are so much easier to swallow even though they are large.  You can ask if they can be opened and put into applesauce, it depends on how the mechanism of the ER works.  Sometimes by opening a capsule, you get too much medicine at once which you cant do with potassium, so you would have to talk to the pharmacist.
You also have to get your levels checked often since you don't absorb it well and they are extended release making them less absorbable for any of us but that is the only way tht potassium is made.

Another option for you would be to periodically get IV potassium to get your levels up when they are down.  I don't know if this is an option - sometimes you can get home nursing services to come and give IV infusions - I know potassium is very painful but I have heard they can numb your arm first.

Good luck

when I was on potassium I just broke the horse pills in half..