Warning

 

Close

Confirm Action

Are you sure you wish to do this?

Confirm Cancel
BCM
User Panel

Posted: 1/6/2018 6:54:43 PM EDT
I have had a few kidney stones, and anyone who has, knows they are very painful. One option is a prescription over potassium citrate pill called Urocit-K. This is pretty expensive to use.
My question is for anyone who knows, is Urocit-K the same as OTC potassium citrate you can buy for cheap? I have not found anything that mentions a difference.
The mg of the pill may be different, and might need to be adjusted, just not sure if it is the same type potassium citrate.
Link Posted: 1/7/2018 4:53:05 AM EDT
[Last Edit: twrdo] [#1]
Prescription potassium citrate is extended release, which will be a factor in how it gets used in the body.

The highest dose OTC potassium is usually 99 mg elemental potassium, and contains who-knows-what-else for fillers.

Prescription potassium is always dosed in mEq, not mg, which makes it even trickier. 99 mg elemental seems to work out to about 2.5 mEq, so depending on your dose you might end up taking way more pills of OTC to get the dose you need, which could end up being more expensive, and certainly more hassle, then just taking the prescription.

Because of the inconsistencies in the OTC formulations, I recommend sticking with the prescription. There should be a generic for Urocit-K, which should help with cost. It's not the cheapest generic out there but way less than brand name.

Also, it can pay to shop around at different pharmacies. Often there are big differences in price between different ones.
Link Posted: 1/7/2018 8:41:01 PM EDT
[#2]
Thanks for the reply, you have info I could not find anywhere. I talked to my Dr and he said that drinking real lemonade was an option, but I don't see where that would give near the amount of citric acid that I would need.
Link Posted: 1/10/2018 12:03:15 AM EDT
[#3]
No prob.

I wouldn't mind having to drink lemonade all the time, but who knows how much you'd have to actually drink to get enough citrate (citric acid). Plus all the sugar you'd have to put in it to make it drinkable, even if you like it as sour as I do, would eventually turn you into a diabetic
Close Join Our Mail List to Stay Up To Date! Win a FREE Membership!

Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!

You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.


By signing up you agree to our User Agreement. *Must have a registered ARFCOM account to win.
Top Top