Tag Archives: potassium
Trimethoprim and Hyperkalemia
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 4th July 2010Trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole is an antibiotic combination (Bactrim®) commonly used to treat a variety of infections. In general, such therapy is well tolerated. But trimethoprim has a property which can cause trouble. Structurally and pharmacologically it resembles amiloride. The latter is a potassium sparing diuretic that exerts its effect by blocking the Na channel along…
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Is Kayexalate Safe and Effective?
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 25th May 2010Ion-Exchange Resins for the Treatment of Hyperkalemia: Are They Safe and Effective? is the title of a Clinical Commentary in this month’s Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Kayexalate is the brand name of the commonly prescribed cation exchange resin sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS) used to treat hyperkalemia (high blood potassium). The drug was…
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Licorice and Hypokalemia
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 23rd May 2009I’ve been asked about licorice and hypokalemia. So here’s the short answer. The adrenal cortex make two classes of steroids – glucocorticoids (cortisol) and mineralocorticoids (aldosterone). Steroid hormones initiate their effect by activating an intracellular receptor. I’ll limit my discussion to the effect of aldosterone on the principal cell of the cortical collecting tubule. There…
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Cola and Hypokalemia
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 20th May 2009Belonging in the same category as “Repeatedly Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall Can Cause Headaches” is the report “Excess cola can cause super-sized muscle trouble“. Briefly, the article describes a paper soon to be published from Greece which reports two patients who developed hypokalemia associated with drinking huge amounts of cola soft drinks….
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