Sodium Phosphate

Conditions Treated

Sodium phosphate is used to completely empty the colon (large intestine, bowel) before a colonoscopy (examination of the inside of the colon to check for colon cancer and other abnormalities) so that the doctor will have a clear view of the walls of the colon. Sodium phosphate is in a class of medications called saline laxatives. It works by causing diarrhea so that all the stool can be emptied from the colon.

Possible Side Effects

What Side Effects Can This Cause?

Sodium phosphate may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

• nausea
• stomach pain
• bloating

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of these symptoms or those listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section, call your doctor immediately:

• irregular heartbeat
• fainting
• seizures
• rash
• hives
• itching
• swelling of the eyes, face, lips, tongue, mouth or throat
• throat tightness
• difficulty breathing or swallowing

Sodium phosphate may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while you are taking this medication.If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online [at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch] or by phone [1-800-332-1088].

Usage Instructions

How Should This Medication Be Used

Sodium phosphate comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken as one dose the night before a colonoscopy is scheduled and one dose about 12 hours later on the morning of the procedure. For each dose, your doctor will tell you to take a certain number of tablets with 8 ounces of clear liquid, wait 15 minutes, and then take more tablets with 8 ounces of clear liquid. You will repeat this several more times until you have taken all the tablets that your doctor prescribed for that dose. It is very important that you drink the full amount of clear liquid with each dose of sodium phosphate, and that you drink plenty of clear liquid at other times before, during, and after your treatment with sodium phosphate. Clear liquids are liquids that can be seen through such as water, flavored water, lemonade without pulp, apple juice, and ginger ale. Do not drink any liquids that are colored purple or red. Tell your doctor if you have trouble drinking clear liquids. You will have many bowel movements while you are taking sodium phosphate and for some time after you finish taking the medication. Be sure to stay close to a toilet during this time. There may be 2 small paper packets inside your bottle of sodium phosphate tablets. These are placed in the bottle to keep the medication from becoming too moist and are not to be swallowed.

What Dietary Instructions Should I Follow

Your doctor will tell you what you may eat and drink before, during, and after your treatment with sodium phosphate. Follow these directions carefully.

Are There Any Special Instructions

Before taking sodium phosphate, tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to sodium phosphate or any other medications. tell your doctor if you have already taken sodium phosphate within the past 7 days. You should not take sodium phosphate more than once in 7 days. tell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention the medications listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section and any of the following: amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone), ,antidepressants, cisapride (Propulsid), disopyramide (Norpace), dofetilide (Tikosyn), erythromycin (E.E.S., E-Mycin, Erythrocin), medications for anxiety or seizures,. moxifloxacin (Avelox), pimozide (Orap), procainamide (Procanbid, Pronestyl), quinidine (Quinidex),sotalol (Betapace, Betapace AF), sparfloxacin (Zagam), or thioridazine (Mellaril).Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects. do not take any other laxatives or enemas, especially other products that contain sodium phosphate, while you are taking this medication. if you are taking any other medications, talk to your doctor about when you should take them during your treatment with sodium phosphate. Medications that you take shortly before or after you take sodium phosphate may be washed out of your body before you can benefit from them. If this happens, you may see the undigested tablets in your stool. tell your doctor if you follow a low salt diet, if you had been drinking large amounts of alcohol or taking medications for anxiety or seizures and are now gradually decreasing your use of these substances, and if you have had stomach or heart surgery. Also tell your doctor if you have or have ever had a prolonged QT interval (a rare heart problem that may cause irregular heartbeat, fainting, or sudden death), an irregular heartbeat, a heart attack, chest pain, seizures, build-up of fluid around your organs, irritable bowel disease (IBD; a group of conditions in which all or part of the lining of the intestine is swollen, irritated, or has sores) bulimia (an eating disorder), difficulty swallowing, or narrowing of your esophagus (tube that brings food from the mouth to the stomach).