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Potassium chloride
Pronounced po-TASS-i-um KLOR-ide
Brand names: Klor-Con, K-Dur
Type: Potassium supplement (electrolyte) · All Other Medicines
What Potassium chloride is used for
- Treating low blood potassium
- Preventing low potassium in patients on water pills
◆ Kidney note
Use with great caution, if at all, in kidney impairment — potassium excretion is exactly what failing kidneys cannot do, and levels are checked closely.
Common side effects
- Nausea
- Stomach irritation
- Diarrhea
- Gas
Important cautions
- Too much potassium is dangerous to the heart — blood levels guide all use, and risk is high with kidney disease or potassium-raising medicines such as ACE inhibitors and spironolactone
- Solid forms can ulcerate the gut — they are taken with food and a full glass of water while upright
How it comes
Tablets, extended-release tablets and capsules, powder, liquid, injection (hospital). This guide lists forms only — it never lists strengths or doses.
Related medicines — Other Medicines
Please note: This page is a patient-education summary, not medical advice, and it deliberately contains no doses. Medicines affect everyone differently — always follow your own prescription and talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.