Electral Oral Powder

Effect

Electral oral powder contains potassium, and Spironolactone is a water tablet that makes your body hold on to potassium instead of passing it out in urine. Together they can push the potassium in your blood high enough to upset the electrical signals that keep your heart beating steadily.

Effect

Amiloride is a water tablet that stops your kidneys passing potassium out in your urine, while every sachet of Electral oral powder adds more potassium in. With one way out blocked and more going in, potassium can build up in your blood to a level that is dangerous for your heart.

Effect

Electral oral powder is deliberately high in salt, and your kidneys handle salt and Lithium by the same route, so a big salt intake makes them flush Lithium out faster. Your Lithium level can drop below the point where it controls your symptoms, and stopping the sachets suddenly can swing it back up again.

Effect

Ibuprofen makes it harder for your kidneys to pass potassium out in your urine, while Electral oral powder is putting more potassium in. If you are also dehydrated from diarrhoea, potassium can build up faster than your body is able to clear it.

Effect

Prednisolone is a steroid that makes your body hold on to salt and water, and Electral oral powder adds a large amount of salt on top of that. Together they can cause puffy ankles, sudden weight gain and a rise in your blood pressure.

Effect

Losartan lowers your blood pressure but also makes your kidneys hold on to potassium rather than passing it out, and every sachet of Electral oral powder supplies more. Potassium can slowly build up in your blood to an unsafe level without you feeling anything at first.

Effect

Ramipril, a blood pressure medicine, already makes your body hold on to more potassium than usual, and Electral oral powder adds a further dose of it. Your potassium can rise higher than expected, particularly if illness has left your kidneys working less well than normal.

Effect

Digoxin is very sensitive to how much potassium is in your blood, and Electral oral powder changes that level with every sachet you take. If your potassium drops during a bout of diarrhoea, a normal Digoxin dose can start acting like an overdose on your heart.