What is sodium biphosphate-sodium phosphate?
Sodium biphosphate and sodium phosphate are forms of phosphorus, which is a naturally occurring substance that is important in every cell in the body.
Sodium biphosphate and sodium phosphate is used to treat constipation and to clean the bowel before surgery, x-rays, endoscopy, or other intestinal procedures. Sodium biphosphate and sodium phosphate enemas are also used for general care after surgery and to help relieve impacted bowels.
Sodium biphosphate and sodium phosphate may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.
Precautions
You should not use this medication if you have used it within the past 7 days, or if you have:
- kidney disease (or if you are on dialysis);
- dehydration; or
- an electrolyte imbalance (such as high or low levels of potassium, sodium, phosphorous, or magnesium in your blood).
If you have any these conditions, you could have dangerous or life-threatening side effects on your kidneys from taking sodium biphosphate and sodium phosphate.
People with eating disorders (such as anorexia or bulimia) should not use this medication without the advice of a doctor.
If you have certain conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely use this medication. Before using sodium biphosphate and sodium phosphate, tell your doctor if you have:
- congestive heart failure;
- liver problems such as cirrhosis, or ascites (fluid around your liver);
- unstable angina (chest pain);
- a heart rhythm disorder (such as "Long-QT syndrome");
- a history of recent heart attack, heart surgery, or bypass surgery;
- a history of gastric bypass surgery or stomach stapling;
- a bowel obstruction or severe constipation;
- trouble swallowing;
- a perforated bowel;
- inflammatory bowel disease, colitis or toxic megacolon;
- epilepsy or other seizure disorder;
- a recent history of drug or alcohol addiction withdrawal.
- if you have ongoing vomiting or diarrhea, or if you are sweating more than usual;
- if you are older than 56 years; or
- if you are on a low-salt diet.
FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether this medication is harmful to an unborn baby. Before using sodium biphosphate and sodium phosphate, tell your doctor if you are pregnant.
It is not known whether sodium biphosphate and sodium phosphate passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
Do not use other laxatives while using sodium biphosphate and sodium phosphate unless your doctor has told you to.
Instructions
Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.
Overdose may cause dry mouth, increased thirst, drowsiness, restless feeling, confusion, nausea, vomiting, increased urination, muscle pain or weakness, fast heart rate, feeling light-headed, or fainting.
Call your doctor for instructions if you miss a dose or do not finish all doses required before your colonoscopy.
Do not use more than the recommended dose of this medication in any 24-hour period.
Side-effects
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Stop using this medication and call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:
- rectal bleeding;
- no bowel movement after use;
- sores or ulcers around your rectum;
- seizure (black-out or convulsions);
- fast, slow, or uneven heart rate;
- urinating less than usual or not at all;
- drowsiness, confusion, mood changes, increased thirst, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting; or
- swelling, weight gain, feeling short of breath.
Less serious side effects may include:
- bloating, stomach pain;
- nausea, vomiting, tightness in your throat;
- dizziness; or
- headache.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Interactions
Tell your doctor about all other medications you use, especially:
- arsenic trioxide (Trisenox);
- a diuretic (water pill);
- droperidol (Inapsine);
- narcotic medication such as fentanyl (Actiq, Duragesic, Ionsys), hydrocodone (Vicodin), hydromorphone (Dilaudid), levomethadyl (Orlaam), methadone (Dolophine, Methadose) methadone (Methadose), morphine (Kadian, MS Contin), oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet), propoxyphene (Darvocet, Darvon), and others;
- an antibiotic such as clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (E.E.S., EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin), levofloxacin (Levaquin), moxifloxacin (Avelox), or pentamidine (NebuPent, Pentam);
- an antidepressant such as amitriptylline (Elavil, Vanatrip), clomipramine (Anafranil), or desipramine (Norpramin);
- anti-malaria medications such as chloroquine (Arelan), mefloquine (Lariam), or halofantrine (Halfan);
- an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren), etodolac (Lodine), indomethacin (Indocin), ketoprofen (Orudis), and others;
- medicines to treat psychiatric disorders, such as chlorpromazine (Thorazine), clozapine (FazaClo, Clozaril), haloperidol (Haldol), pimozide (Orap), thioridazine (Mellaril), or ziprasidone (Geodon);
- medicine to prevent or treat nausea and vomiting, such as dolasetron (Anzemet) or ondansetron (Zofran);
- migraine headache medicine such as sumatriptan (Imitrex) or zolmitriptan (Zomig);
- heart or blood pressure medication such as benazepril (Lotensin), candesartan (Atacand), captopril (Capoten), eprosartan (Teveten), fosinopril (Monopril), enalapril (Vasotec), irbesartan (Avapro, Avalide), lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril), losartan (Cozaar, Hyzaar), olmesartan (Benicar); quinapril (Accupril), telmisartan (Micardis), valsartan (Diovan), and others; or
- heart rhythm medicine such as amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone), dofetilide (Tikosyn), disopyramide (Norpace), procainamide (Procan, Pronestyl), quinidine (Cardioquin, Quinaglute), or sotalol (Betapace).
This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with sodium biphosphate and sodium phosphate. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.
Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
Copyright 1996-2004 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version 2.05. Revision date 8/23/04