What is Potassium Chloride?
Potassium is a mineral that is found in many foods and is needed for several functions of your body, especially the beating of your heart. Potassium chloride is used to prevent or to treat low blood levels of potassium (hypokalemia). Potassium levels can be low as a result of a disease or from taking certain medicines, or after a prolonged illness with diarrhea or vomiting. Potassium chloride may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide. Back to Top What are the possible side effects of potassium chloride? Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Stop using this medication and call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects: • confusion, anxiety, feeling like you might pass out; • uneven heartbeat; • extreme thirst, increased urination; • leg discomfort; • muscle weakness or limp feeling; • numbness or tingly feeling in
Potassium chloride (KCI) is a chemical compound containing both potassium and chlorine. It is considered a halide salt, which means that it contains a halogen atom and is crystalline in nature like other salts. In its pure state it is white and odorless. Impure potassium chloride varies in color from white to pink to red. Potassium chloride is mined from a naturally occurring mineral known as sylvite. It can also be extracted from salt water and is also a byproduct when nitric acid is made from potassium nitrate and hydrochloric acid. It’s a good thing that potassium chloride is so readily available because it has many uses, not only in science and medicine but in everyday life. Perhaps most importantly, potassium chloride is the main positive ion inside the body’s cells. Potassium is needed for normal bodily functions, including those affecting the heart, nerve conduction, muscle contraction and normal kidney functions. It is found in electrolyte compounds along with sodium, calcium,
Potassium is a mineral that is found in many foods and is needed for several functions of your body, especially the beating of your heart. Potassium chloride is used to prevent or to treat low blood levels of potassium (hypokalemia). Potassium levels can be low as a result of a disease or from taking certain medicines, or after a prolonged illness with diarrhea or vomiting. Potassium chloride may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.
