Sodium Bicarbonate (Systemic)

Brand Names : Arm and Hammer, Pure Baking Soda, Bell/ans, Citrocarbonate, Soda Mint

Before Using This Medicine

If you are taking this medicine without a prescription, carefully read and follow any precautions on the label. For sodium bicarbonate, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to sodium bicarbonate. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy - Sodium bicarbonate is absorbed by the body and although it has not been shown to cause problems, the chance always exists. In addition, medicines containing sodium should usually be avoided if you tend to retain (keep) body water.

Breast-feeding - It is not known whether sodium bicarbonate passes into the breast milk. However, this medicine has not been reported to cause problems in nursing babies.

Children - Antacids should not be given to young children (up to 6 years of age) unless prescribed by a physician. This medicine may not help and may even worsen some conditions, so make sure that your child's problem should be treated with this medicine before you use it.

Older adults - Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no specific information comparing use of sodium bicarbonate in the elderly with use in other age groups.

Other medicines - Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking sodium bicarbonate, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Ketoconazole (e.g., Nizoral) or
• Tetracyclines (medicine for infection) taken by mouth - Use with sodium bicarbonate may result in lower blood levels of these medicines, possibly decreasing their effectiveness

• Mecamylamine (e.g., Inversine) - Use with sodium bicarbonate may increase the effects of mecamylamine

• Methenamine (e.g., Mandelamine) - Use with sodium bicarbonate may reduce the effects of methenamine

Other medical problems - The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of sodium bicarbonate. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Appendicitis or
• Intestinal or rectal bleeding - Oral forms of sodium bicarbonate may make these conditions worse

• Edema (swelling of feet or lower legs) or
• Heart disease or
• High blood pressure (hypertension) or
• Kidney disease or
• Liver disease or
• Problems with urination or
• Toxemia of pregnancy - Sodium bicarbonate may cause the body to retain (keep) water, which may make these conditions worse