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Resonium A

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Generic Name: sodium polystyrene sulfonate
Product Name: Resonium A

Indication: What Resonium A is used for

Resonium A is a type of medicine used to help remove excessive amounts of potassium from the blood.

Your doctor, however, may prescribe Resonium A for another purpose.

Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why it has been prescribed for you.

This medicine is only available with a doctor’s prescription.

Action: How Resonium A works

Resonium A contains sodium polystyrene sulfonate which contains sodium atoms. This sodium is swapped for potassium in the body, particularly in the large intestine.

Resonium A does not enter the bloodstream from the intestine. It is passed (with the potassium ions) with the faeces.


Each 100 g contains 99.934 g of the active ingredient sodium polystyrene sulfonate.

It also contains the inactive ingredients vanillin and saccharin.

Resonium A does not contain gluten, sucrose, lactose, tartrazine or any other azo dyes.

Dose advice: How to use Resonium A

Before you take it

When you must not take it

Do not take Resonium A if you have:

  • A bowel obstruction;
  • Low levels of potassium (less than 5 mmol/L).

Do not take Resonium A if you are allergic to it or any of the ingredients listed here.

Some symptoms of an allergic reaction include skin rash, itching, shortness of breath or swelling of the face, lips or tongue, which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing.

Do not give oral Resonium A to newborn babies.


Orally administered Resonium A has caused bowel obstruction in newborns. Resonium A should only be given rectally to newborns.

Do not take it if you are pregnant or intend to become pregnant.

Do not take it if you are breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed.

Do not take it after the expiry date (EXP) printed on the pack.

If you take it after the expiry date has passed, it may not work as well.

Do not take it if the packaging is damaged or shows signs of tampering.

Before you start to take it

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have allergies to:


  • Any of the ingredients listed here;
  • Any other medicines which contain polystyrene sulfonate resins;
  • Any other substances, such as foods, preservatives or dyes.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are pregnant or intend to become pregnant.

Like most medicines of this kind, Resonium A is not recommended to be used during pregnancy.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed.

It is not known whether Resonium A passes into breast milk.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have or have had any medical conditions, especially the following:

  • Any heart conditions;
  • High blood pressure;
  • Problems with your bowel or constipation;
  • Kidney problems;
  • Oedema (swelling with fluid).

Tell your doctor if you plan to have surgery.

If you have not told your doctor or pharmacist about any of the above, tell them before you take Resonium A.

Taking other medicines

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any other medicines, including any that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food store.

Some medicines may interfere with Resonium A. These include:

  • Sorbitol;
  • Digoxin, a medicine used for heart problems;
  • Laxatives;
  • Thyroxine, a medicine for hypothyroidism;
  • Lithium, a medicine which can be used to treat bipolar disorder;
  • Antacids containing aluminum or magnesium.

These medicines may be affected by Resonium A or may affect how well it works. You may need to use different amounts of your medicine, or take different medicines.

Your doctor or pharmacist will advise you. Your doctor or pharmacist has more information on medicines to be careful with or to avoid while taking Resonium A.

How to take it

How it is given

Resonium A can be given by mouth or rectally (via the back passage).

How much to take

The amount of Resonium A you need to take will depend upon the amount of potassium in your blood.

Your doctor will decide exactly how much Resonium A you need to take.

The usual doses are:
Oral

Adults:

15 g three to four times daily.

Children:

1 g/kg of body weight in divided doses.

Resonium A powder is usually given by mouth as a suspension in a small amount of water (3-4 mL per gram of powder), or it may be mixed with some sweetened liquid (but not fruit juices, which contain potassium). For children it is preferably given with a drink (not a fruit juice because of the high potassium content) or a little jam or honey.

Do not mix Resonium A with fruit juices or sorbitol.

Once the mixture has been prepared it should be used straight away. If it needs to be stored, it should be stored for no longer than 24 hours. Once reconstituted, Resonium A is a cream to light brown coloured suspension in which small white particles may be visible.

Rectal (via the back passage)

Adults:

30 – 50 g in 150 mL of water or 10% dextrose in water, as a retention enema. Your pharmacist will make this up.

Infants & children:

Lower dosages are usually used.

You will usually be given the enema by a doctor or nurse.

If you forget to take it

Do not try to make up for missed doses by taking more than one dose at a time.

This may increase the chance of getting an unwanted side effect.

If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the dose you missed and take the next dose when you are meant to.

Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose you have missed.

If you are not sure what to do, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

If you take too much (overdose)

Immediately telephone your doctor, or the Poisons Information Centre (telephone Australia 13 11 26 or New Zealand 0800 POISON or 0800 764766), or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital, if you think you or anyone else may have taken too much Resonium A. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.

You may need urgent medical attention.

Large doses of Resonium A may cause serious potassium ion deficiency. If you take too much you may feel irritable, confused, have muscle weakness, have diminished reflexes or paralysis.

While you are taking it

Things you must do

Take Resonium A exactly as prescribed.

Be sure to keep all of your appointments with your doctor so that your progress can be checked.

Your doctor will regularly check the potassium, calcium and magnesium levels in your blood. The doctor may change the dose or stop the Resonium A depending on what the results of these blood tests are.

Tell all the doctors, dentists and pharmacists who are treating you that you are taking Resonium A.

If you are about to be started on any new medicine, tell your doctor or pharmacist that you are taking Resonium A.

If you plan to have surgery that needs a general anaesthetic, tell your doctor or dentist that you are taking this medicine.

If you become pregnant while you are taking this medicine, stop taking it and tell your doctor or pharmacist immediately.

Things you must not do

Do not take more than the recommended dose unless your doctor tells you to.

Do not give this medicine to anyone else, even if they have the same condition as you.

Do not use this medicine to treat any other complaints unless your doctor tells you to.

Do not stop taking Resonium A, or lower the dosage, without checking with your doctor.

After taking it

If you have any queries about any aspect of your medicine or any questions regarding the information here, discuss them with your doctor or pharmacist.

Storage

Keep Resonium A in a cool, dry place where the temperature stays below 30°C.

Do not store it or any other medicine in the bathroom, near a sink, or on a windowsill.

Do not leave it in the car.

Heat and damp can destroy some medicines.

Keep it where children cannot reach it.

A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.

Disposal

If your doctor or pharmacist tells you to stop taking Resonium A, or the medicine has passed its expiry date, ask your pharmacist what to do with any that are left over.

Schedule of Resonium A

Resonium A is a Schedule 4 (Prescription Only Medicine).

Side effects of Resonium A

All medicines have some unwanted side effects. Sometimes they are serious, but most of the time they are not. Your doctor or pharmacist has weighed the risks of using this medicine against the benefits they expect it will have for you.

Do not be alarmed by this list of possible side effects.

You may not experience any of them.

Tell your doctor as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking Resonium A.

It helps most people, but it may have unwanted side effects in a few people.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice any of the following and they worry you:

These are mild side effects of this medicine and are usually short-lived.

If any of the following happen, stop taking this medicine and tell your doctor immediately, or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital:

  • Swelling of the face, lips, mouth or throat, which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing;
  • Hives;
  • Fainting.

These are very serious side effects. If you have them, you may have had a serious allergic reaction to Resonium A. You may need urgent medical attention or hospitalisation.

These side effects are very rare.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice anything else that is making you feel unwell.

Other side effects not listed above may occur in some consumers.

Do not be alarmed by this list of possible side effects.

You may not experience any of them.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.

For further information talk to your doctor.

References

  1. Resonium A Consumer Medicine Information (CMI).  Macquarie Park, NSW: Sanofi-Aventis Australia Pty Ltd. January 2014 . [PDF]
  2. Resonium A Product Information (PI).  Macquarie Park, NSW: Sanofi-Aventis Australia Pty Ltd. January 2014. [PDF]

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Dates

Posted On: 22 July, 2003
Modified On: 30 October, 2017
Reviewed On: 14 October, 2017

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