How do you make potassium tolerable?

[EMSnut45]

It seems that lately our orders for potassium repleation have been more PO and less IV. Almost every patient that I have attempted to give PO potassium has either spit it back out on me or refused. K Dur is just too big, and K Elixir is just NASTY. Are there any tricks to making PO potassium tolerable?

[rita359]

A manufacturer also makes a 10meq capsule that is easy to swallow and no bigger than most capsules. So a patient has to take 2 capsules to make 20meq but have no problem swallowing. Pharmacist can dispense without new order if your pharmacy has that dosing available. Can also suggest to patients being discharged on potassium which may make them more compliant with treatment.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

I get the liquid version ordered and missed with juice. Seems to go okay. We almost always give IV, though, but central access abounds in oncology.

[AirforceRN, RN]

As stated above, K-dur can be (quite easily) dissolved in water. The pill is made from compressed capsules, crushing the pill will destroy the capsules and in doing so stop the long acting effect. Dissolving in water doesn't destroy the capsules and makes the horse pill much easier to swallow.

[silentRN]

We have potassium powder where you can mix with water.

[Zookeeper3]

I take a prefilled cup of OJ, dump half of it out so there is less to swallow as they may not want to drink the full thing and then you're left with a half dose.

I crush it up, put it in 10 mls of h20, put it in the microwave to dissolve 20 secs... then mix it with a half prefilled OJ, with a chasher of OJ to get more KCL in. I personally don't give a choice on fluids, if your K is low, you need OJ and that's what you'll get. The ordered dose, especially in the case of diuretics is too low... obviously assuming no renal dysfunction. All my cardiac patients only get OJ... as far as they know, no other juices exist.... We keep our K levels high in our acute hearts. OJ is an easy way to do that on med pass... water is useless.