Bicarbonate Uses and instructions for use

The article was professionally consulted with Doctor Vo Ha Bang Suong - General Internal Medicine - Department of Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital.

Sodium bicarbonate can interact with food or alcohol and change how medications work or increase the risk of serious side effects.

Sodium bicarbonate or baking soda is a chemical compound with the chemical formula NaHCO3, the chemical name of this compound is Sodiumhydrocarbonate. This is essentially a salt consisting of sodium ions and bicarbonate ions. It is a white crystalline solid, usually presented as a fine powder.
Sodium Bicarbonate is widely known as an additive and has good effects for food processing, baking, meat tenderizing... or local cleaning effects. In medicine, the drug plays the role of anti-acidity, anti-gastric acid, alkalinization of urine. The use of bicarbonate solution to prevent acidosis must be tested in advance and indicated with caution. Indication before test results are only given when in a serious life-threatening situation.
You may have used foods and cakes containing baking soda, however, with a very low content so you may not see any unusual symptoms for the body (except for one number of cases of allergy to this substance). In the case of Bicarbonate being used as a medicine, a doctor's prescription and instructions must be obtained. Please discuss all your health problems, including medications you are using to avoid maximum unwanted effects, possible drug interactions when using Bicarbonate.

Solution for injection: 1.4%; 4.2%; 7.5%; 8.4% Glass vials 10 ml, 50 ml, 100 ml.
Glass bottles of 250 ml, 500 ml.
Sodium bicarbonate solution also contains disodium edetate, distilled water for injection and some electrolytes.
1 ml of 8.4% solution = 1 mEq = 1 mmol.
Oral antacid Tablets: 325 mg, 500 mg, 650 mg, 1000 mg (1 mEq = 84 mg) Package: 5 g, 10 g, 20 g, 50 g, 100 g powder. Combination tablets: Contains sodium bicarbonate and other antacids such as aluminum hydroxide, magnesium carbonate, magnesium trisilicate, bismuth subnitrate. Oral form (or through a nasogastric tube) used to prepare for testing: The preparation usually combines sodium bicarbonate and some other electrolytes such as sodium sulfate, sodium chloride, potassium chloride.
Buffer excipients for other drugs; for example sodium bicarbonate is a buffering excipient of salicylates.

Drugs to alkalize, indicated for use in metabolic acidosis, alkalinization of urine or used as an antacid (stomach). If chronic metabolic acidosis (uremic acidosis or renal tubular acidosis): Oral administration is recommended. Intravenous sodium bicarbonate is currently only given to patients with severe acidosis (blood pH < 7.0) with the aim of raising blood pH to 7.1. Metabolic acidosis with hypoxia-tissue, especially lactic acidosis, is controversial.

- Infusion solutions: Contraindicated intravenous infusion of sodium bicarbonate in cases of respiratory alkalosis and metabolic alkalosis, hypoventilation, hypernatremia; and in situations where the addition of sodium is contraindicated, such as heart failure, edema, hypertension, eclampsia, kidney damage.
- Oral antacids: Ulcerative colitis, rectum, Crohn's disease, obstructive syndrome, semi-obstruction, abdominal pain syndrome of unknown etiology.

Excessive use of sodium bicarbonate can cause metabolic alkalosis, edema.
Special attention should be paid to the potential for hypokalemia and hypernatremia.
When taken orally, the adverse effects are mainly in the gastrointestinal tract. Mild diarrhea has been reported, but very rarely.

Sodium bicarbonate alkalinizes the urine, which may reduce the elimination of quinidine, amphetamine, pseudoephedrine, other sympathomimetic drugs; thus increasing the toxicity of these drugs. Sodium bicarbonate may interact with lithium, increasing the elimination of lithium. Avoid taking sodium bicarbonate with alcohol. When sodium bicarbonate is used in combination with sucralfate, it should be noted that sucralfate is most effective in acidic media. Therefore, the effectiveness will be reduced if taken with antacids. Absorption of a large number of drugs is reduced or slowed down when combined with oral antacids. Some drugs can be listed as follows: digoxin, tetracyclines, ciprofloxacin, rifampicin, clopromazine, diflunisal, penicilamine, warfarin, quinidine and anticholinergic drugs.
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