... and the prescription form?
I see potassium citrate offered as a vitamin supplement (99mg). What is the difference between it?
Question posted by Mtngirl on 10 Sep 2010
Last updated on 15 March 2020 by Rnrn55
Added 11 Sep 2010:
So the doctor has prescribed it for me 30 meq, 3x per day ref kidney stones. Is this just a more concentrated amount than the kind available over the counter? HUGE price difference...
Answers
Rnrn55
15 March 2020
Just out of curiosity have they checked your parathyroid? People who have a lot of kidney stones can have high calcium levels in their blood due to a benign tumor on the parathyroid. There’s a website by some doctors in Florida which is incredibly interesting. We’ve had three members in our family have had this prob. All of them were treated locally by general surgeons. Just look up hyperparathyroidism. Typical signs are stones groans moans psychiatric overtones.
It’s one of those diagnosis is a lot of doctors miss
Sacosam
10 Sep 2010
Hey there "Mountain Girl" ! I Love your handle! There really isn't any such thing as a vitamin supplement for potassium. As far as i know, all 5 types of Potassium are just plain ol' Mineral supplements with differen't strengths (ie 99mg elemental potassium) They can advertise 'em any way they want to make a few extra bucks, but it's all just different types and strengths of potassium. Sacosam I AM!
Mtngirl
11 Sep 2010
So what's the difference in the OTC and the prescription kind? Prescription is kinda expensive... I'm taking 10 MEQ 3x daily ref kidney stones. Just a more concentrated form?
Sacosam
11 Sep 2010
Hi mtngrl; just thought i'd "fess up" and tell you... I screwed up ! I checked up on that with some reading and some people I know , and although I was basically right... Potassium citrate is cheap stuff. Pot. Aspartate & Phosphate, work to support water balance & energy, blood pressure , & heartrate , all at 99mg. of elemental. P. Citrate is ok. it's not bad for you.It just contains less of what you really need. Buy Aspartate & phosphate if you can. I can give you a couple catalogue addresses if you need 'em. Hope I helped. Sacosam.
Sacosam
11 Sep 2010
Hi , If I could delete ALL my answers and start over , I would, but I don't know how , so I won't . Your Dr. is right on.Go with him! What I can do, is give you the e-mail address , phone # and appx. price of Potassium citrate @ 99mg. elemental... ok... 200 tabs= $5.99... 500 tabs= $11.98... 400 tabs=$11.49... & 1000 tabs=$22.98... e-mail= www.Puritan.com... phone
= 1-800-645-1030... Always ask about prices as they change, but not by much. Call & ask for catalogue first. They'll mail you one free. Sacosam
paintedsranch
10 Jan 2011
I'm also curious about whether or not the potassium citrate offered by health/vitamin websites is the same thing as the prescription type. There is a HUGE difference in price. Min prescrip. is for extended release, but I could easily just take the other type several more times a day if I would get the same results, because the prescrip is going to be a hardship financially. Thanks everyone for any advice you can give me. I would also be happy to have additional websites to search for information on the topic. Thanks a bunch!!! :)
carriem
1 July 2011
hello.. where can i get potassium citrate 20 meq er from other than Doctor? walgreens pharmacy just told me only Doctor and the pottasium over the counter is not the same.. my potassium dropped to level1 due to kindney stones i still have kidney stones in kidney that wont pass and i might end up with no more insurance soon.. any info can really help me.. t
carriem
1 July 2011
i just called the purtain number to get a cat.. only issue they could not tell me how to take the 99 mil verse the 20 me im taking now.. im so cunfussed :(
Kittemlover
6 March 2017
Wrong!!! There is a difference between OTC potassium and prescription. The mag citrate 99 is the highest it can be sold without aprescription. It also is not regulated like the prescription strength etc. there are a lot of fillers etc in OTC and they can't be counted on as being reliable. The doc has prescribed your dose for a specific medical reason, i.e. A low potassium that could adversely affect you, i.e. Your heart. Or at least that is the main reason. The otc is a " supplement". , for like diets etc... prescription is for a specific medical condition.
kidneystoner
13 Sep 2017
My doctor is totally fine with me taking OTC potassium citrate. I have seen a HUGE decrease in the number of stones I make and have stayed out of the hospital since I began taking it about a year ago. This is a big deal for me as I can't even count how many procedures I've had to get rid of the suckers and one summer I visited the hospital monthly. The prescription potassium citrate is ridiculously priced but time released. I take two OTC a day, which seems to be right for me. I picked that dose based on some conversion I got from an internet search (sorry, don't know which one). While I would not buy these from a guy in a van at the local strip mall, I am totally happy with saving a ton of money and staying healthy by ordering them online from a vendor I trust.
Steve PA
12 June 2018
First of all, I am a Physician Assistant in Urology and have worked at prevention of kidney stones with medicine for the last 8 years. Please disregard all the comments about using other forms of potassium, like aspartate or phosphate. IT IS THE CITRATE! That is the active ingredient in the prevention of stones. That's why calcium citrate is a great calcium supplement for kidney stone formers in many cases.
The main difference between the prescription potassium citrate pills are that they are extended-release tablets. The over-the-counter supplements dissolve quickly in the gut and probably don't cover as well. However, this hasn't been well tested. Interestingly, they have tested just lemon juice, usually about 3-4 oz a day, and there has been significant improvement on that dose alone.
So, yes, I think that the supplements can probably help just as well as the juice or the prescription meds. The trick is checking your citrate levels to see if they are low (as well as the other chemistry of the urine with a 24 hour urine collection) and then get it higher with whatever form you prefer.
Cheers!
Related topics
vitamins, nephrolithiasis, dietary supplementation, potassium citrate
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