Patient was educated on precautions to be exercised while using potassium-sparing diuretics as below:
- Potassium-sparing diuretics cause loss of sodium from the body and result in hyponatremia. Patients can present with nausea and vomiting, extreme lethargy, muscle cramps, weakness, and fatigue secondary to very low sodium levels in the body. Be aware of these symptoms and report them to the physician without delay.
- Observe compliance with regular lab work ordered. Since the drug can lead to reduced sodium and elevated potassium levels in the body, the levels of these salts in the blood are to be closely monitored. Also, as kidneys are the main source of elimination of potassium-sparing diuretics, renal function should be periodically monitored.
- Take a blood pressure reading always before you take the pill. Maintain a log of every day blood pressure reading. If the blood pressure is too low, you can defer taking the medication for that dose. Notify your doctor, if more of such occurrences are happening, so that, your medication dose could be revised.
- If a dose is missed, it should be taken at the earliest notice of noncompliance. If it is time for the next dose, the missed dose can be skipped. Compensating for the missed dose by taking an extra dose can pose serious risk for an episode of extremely low blood pressure.
