What is sodium bicarbonate?

What is sodium bicarbonate?

• Type of drug: alkali
• Use: metabolic acidosis (e.g. of CKD)
• Dose: 500 mg once a day to 2 g twice a day
• Side-effects:
  • Fluid retention
  • Alkalosis – that you will not normally notice
  • Hypokalaemia (low blood potassium) – that you will not normally notice
• Monitor: venous bicarbonate; potassium.

Note. This is an alkali tablet. Alkalis are the ‘opposite’ of acids.

Other resources

CKD drug side-effects
CKD patient information (CKD Explained’s 30+ core articles about CKD)
Sodium bicarbonate (BNF)
RCT of sodium bicarbonate in CKD3-5: Iorio, 2019. This is an important study that showed that sodium bicarbonate improved kidney and patient survival
Metanalysis of trials of sodium bicarbonate and progression of CKD: Hultin, 2021
Review article: Senewiratne, 2023

Last Reviewed on 5 May 2024