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Potassium Chloride Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of potassium chloride include diarrhoea, nausea, and fatigue, based on 131,288 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 3.2% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Potassium Chloride side effects

Percentages show how often each reaction appears relative to total reports for potassium chloride.

1
Diarrhoea5.7%7,435
2
Nausea5.6%7,367
3
Fatigue5.3%7,016
4
Dyspnoea4.9%6,478
5
Vomiting4.2%5,479
6
Death4.0%5,295
7
Off Label Use3.7%4,826
8
Pneumonia3.6%4,683
9
Headache3.4%4,456
10
Drug Ineffective3.2%4,237
11
Asthenia3.1%4,028
12
Dizziness3.0%3,993
13
Pain3.0%3,966
14
Fall2.9%3,803
15
Acute Kidney Injury2.7%3,592

These are voluntary reports and do not establish that potassium chloride caused these reactions.

Report severity

73.4%Serious96,407 reports
43.0%Hospitalizations56,434 reports
14.0%Fatal18,402 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Potassium Chloride drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside potassium chloride. Drugs flagged as a suspected cause appear in the first column. Drugs taken at the same time but not suspected appear in the second.

Also suspected

1
Lenalidomide7.8%10,258
2
Sodium-chloride5.4%7,053
3
Treprostinil4.6%5,990
4
Furosemide2.9%3,829
5
Sodium-sulfate2.9%3,779
6
Polyethylene-glycol-33502.6%3,470
7
Adalimumab2.4%3,148
8
Ascorbic-acid2.2%2,875
9
Calcium-chloride2.2%2,859
10
Omeprazole2.1%2,756
11
Prednisone2.1%2,746
12
Ambrisentan2.0%2,674
13
Magnesium-sulfate2.0%2,634
14
Pomalidomide2.0%2,601
15
Pantoprazole-sodium1.9%2,532

Taken alongside

1
Furosemide37.0%48,566
2
Acetaminophen24.2%31,773
3
Aspirin22.4%29,386
4
Ergocalciferol17.7%23,273
5
Levothyroxine-sodium17.1%22,459
6
Metoprolol16.5%21,600
7
Omeprazole16.4%21,498
8
Albuterol15.4%20,154
9
Atorvastatin-calcium15.0%19,679
10
Pantoprazole-sodium13.6%17,823
11
Amlodipine13.2%17,305
12
Gabapentin12.9%16,941
13
Ondansetron12.5%16,430
14
Prednisone10.8%14,192
15
Fluticasone10.5%13,791

Co-occurrence in adverse event reports does not establish a drug interaction. Patients often take multiple medications, and these lists reflect prescribing patterns rather than causal relationships. Consult a healthcare provider about potential drug interactions.

Who reports potassium chloride side effects

59.1% of potassium chloride adverse event reports involve female patients and 35.1% involve male patients. The largest age group is elderly at 57%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female59.1%
Male35.1%
Unknown5.8%

Age group

< 20.7%
2–110.8%
12–170.6%
18–6441.2%
65+56.7%

What is potassium chloride used for

Conditions and purposes for which patients were taking potassium chloride when the adverse event was reported.

Abdominal DiscomfortAbdominal DistensionAbdominal PainAbdominal Pain UpperAbnormal FaecesAbortion InducedAccidental ExposureAccidental Exposure To ProductAcid Base BalanceAcidosisAcneAcute Coronary SyndromeAcute Kidney InjuryAcute Lymphocytic LeukaemiaAcute Myeloid Leukaemia

Showing 15 of 1,352 indications

Potassium Chloride brand names and reporting trend

Potassium Chloride is sold under the brand name Potassium Chloride 40meq In Dextrose 5% In Plastic Container.

Brand names

Potassium Chloride 40meq In Dextrose 5% In Plastic Container104,362

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

An upward trend reflects increased FAERS reporting overall, not necessarily increased risk.

Taking potassium chloride with another medication?

Ask OpenClaim about your specific drug combination. Get a sourced report using FDA data, drug labels, and medical literature.