AdverseEvent.ai
This page presents data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) and the FDA-approved drug label. A report submitted to FAERS does not prove a drug caused the reported event. Always consult a healthcare provider about medications.

Potassium Chloride

Last updated: June 20, 2026
Preview tracking

Potassium Chloride is a medication. According to the FDA-approved label, Potassium Chloride Extended-Release Tablets are indicated for the treatment and prophylaxis of hypokalemia with or without metabolic alkalosis, in patients for whom dietary management with potassium-rich foods or diuretic dose reduction is insufficient. FAERS contains 111,181 submissions naming this drug from 1999 through 2026; the top three reactions cited are diarrhoea, dyspnoea, and fatigue.

Most-Reported Reactions

Counts of the reactions most often cited in FAERS submissions that named Potassium Chloride. Inclusion here does not establish causation - submitters describe what was observed, not what was confirmed. One submission can list several reactions, so the totals exceed the report count.

DIARRHOEA 8,039 (7.2%) DYSPNOEA 7,936 (7.1%) FATIGUE 7,729 (7.0%) NAUSEA 7,719 (6.9%) DEATH 5,591 (5.0%) PNEUMONIA 5,356 (4.8%) ASTHENIA 5,000 (4.5%) HEADACHE 4,884 (4.4%) DIZZINESS 4,820 (4.3%) VOMITING 4,780 (4.3%) PAIN 4,767 (4.3%) OFF LABEL USE 4,571 (4.1%) FALL 4,527 (4.1%) DRUG INEFFECTIVE 4,388 (3.9%) ANAEMIA 3,648 (3.3%)

Patient Demographics

Patient sex and age across the FAERS submissions that named Potassium Chloride. Percentages here are computed only from submissions where these fields were filled in - many leave them blank.

By Sex

Female Male Unknown

By Age Group

0-17 18-44 45-64 65+

Severity Outcomes

Severity flags recorded across the 111,181 FAERS submissions that named Potassium Chloride. Each bar shows the count of those reports carrying that flag. A single case can carry more than one (a hospitalization that became life-threatening, for example), so these bars are independent rates - they don't sum to 100%. Inclusion of a case under any flag does not establish that the drug caused the outcome.

DEATH 15,753 (14.2%) HOSPITALIZATION 49,162 (44.2%) LIFE-THREATENING 6,079 (5.5%) DISABLING 2,529 (2.3%)

Submissions Per Quarter

Quarterly count of FAERS submissions that named Potassium Chloride. Ups and downs on this chart can track prescribing volume, news cycles, or shifts in how reports get filed, rather than the drug becoming safer or more dangerous.

1999 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

From the FDA-Approved Label

Excerpts from the official FDA-approved prescribing information for Potassium Chloride. This is the authoritative source on indications, warnings, and known adverse reactions.

Indications

1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE Potassium Chloride Extended-Release Tablets are indicated for the treatment and prophylaxis of hypokalemia with or without metabolic alkalosis, in patients for whom dietary management with potassium-rich foods or diuretic dose reduction is insufficient. Potassium Chloride Extended-Release Tablets are a potassium salt, indicated for the treatment and prophylaxis of hypokalemia with or without metabolic alkalosis in patients for whom dietary management with potassium-rich foods or diuretic dose reduction is insufficient. (1)

Adverse Reactions (from label)

6 ADVERSE REACTIONS The most common adverse reactions are nausea, vomiting, flatulence, abdominal pain/discomfort and diarrhea. (6) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Epic Pharma, LLC at 1-888-374-2791 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch The following adverse reactions have been identified with use of oral potassium salts. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. The most common adverse reactions to oral potassium salts are nausea, vomiting, flatulence, abdominal pain/discomfort, and diarrhea. There have been reports hyperkalemia and of upper and lower gastrointestinal condition including obstruction, bleeding, ulceration, perforation. Skin rash has been reported rarely.

FDA label effective date: 2025-09-23

Disclaimer

AdverseEvent.ai is not affiliated with the FDA. Adverse-event counts come from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Drug labels come from the FDA drug label dataset. A report submitted to FAERS does not prove a drug caused the reported event — always consult a healthcare provider about medications. This site is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice.