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Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate is in a class of medications called potassium-removing agents.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate works by removing excess potassium from the body.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate is used to treat hyperkalemia (increased amounts of potassium in the body).
CAS Number: 9080-79-9
Molecular Formula: (C8H8O3S)x.xNa
EINECS Number: 635-475-9
Synonyms: Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate, 9003-59-2, Amberlite irp69, Benzenesulfonic acid, ethenyl-, sodium salt, homopolymer, DTXSID201036054, Kalexate, Kayexalate, RefChem:887832, Resonium A, Sodium Polystyrene, Sodium polistirex, Sodium polystyrene sulphonate, 1699G8679Z, Kionex, Polystyrene sulphonate, versatl400;versatl500;versatl71;Poly(styrene sulfonic acid sodium salt) (High M.Wt.) ca. 1.000.000;POLY(STYRENESULFONIC ACID SODIUM SALT)ST ANDARD 17000;POLY(STYRENESULFONIC ACID SODIUM SALT)ST ANDARD 77000;POLY(STYRENESULFONIC ACID SODIUM SALT)ST ANDARD 6800;POLY(STYRENESULFONIC ACID SODIUM SALT)ST ANDARD 2600000
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate, commonly abbreviated as SPS and also known under trade names such as Kayexalate, Kalexate, Resonium A, or Amberlite IRP69, is a water-insoluble, high-molecular-weight polymer composed of polystyrene chains functionalized with sulfonic acid groups in the sodium salt form, which gives it the ability to exchange sodium ions with other cations in aqueous solutions.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate consists of a backbone of aromatic polystyrene units that are covalently bonded to sulfonate (-SO₃⁻) functional groups, with sodium ions acting as counterions, allowing the polymer to act as a cation-exchange resin that selectively binds positively charged ions such as potassium, calcium, and ammonium while releasing sodium ions into the surrounding solution.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonates are a group of medications used to treat high blood potassium.
Therapeutic effects generally appear hours to days after commencement of therapy.
Common side effects include loss of appetite, gastrointestinal upset, constipation, and low blood calcium.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonates are given by mouth with a meal, or rectally by retention enema.
Oral formulations often also contain the laxative sorbitol in order to lessen the risk of constipation which can be severe.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonates are derived from polystyrene by the addition of sulfonate functional groups.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate was approved for medical use in the United States in 1958.
A polystyrene sulfonate was developed in the 2000s to treat Clostridioides difficile associated diarrhea under the name Tolevamer, but it was never marketed.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonates are also used in technical applications to remove potassium, calcium, and sodium from solutions.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate comes as a suspension and as an oral powder for suspension to take by mouth.
The suspension may also be given rectally as an enema. Sodium polystyrene sulfonate is usually taken or used one to four times a day.
Take or use sodium polystyrene sulfonate at around the same time(s) every day.
Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand.
Take or use sodium polystyrene sulfonate exactly as directed. Do not take or use more or less of it or take or use it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate is a medication used to treat abnormally high potassium levels.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate may be taken orally or by rectum, as an enema, and functions as a potassium-binding resin in the intestines.
It is also an effective topical microbicide and spermicide, inhibiting the genital transfection of, among others, HIV.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate affects the exchange of sodium and potassium in the body.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate is used to treat high levels of potassium in the blood, also called hyperkalemia.
It is a potassium-binding ion-exchange resin that can be administered orally (25 grams in 20% sorbitol) or rectally (50 grams in 20% sorbitol).
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate is widely used in medical and pharmaceutical applications, particularly in the treatment of hyperkalemia, a condition characterized by elevated potassium levels in the blood, where the polymer works by exchanging its sodium ions for potassium ions in the gastrointestinal tract, thereby facilitating the elimination of excess potassium via feces and helping to restore normal electrolyte balance.
Beyond clinical uses, sodium polystyrene sulfonate is also employed in water treatment and chemical engineering processes as a cation-exchange resin to remove or recover specific ions from aqueous solutions, taking advantage of its chemical stability, high ion-exchange capacity, and physical durability.
storage temp.: 2-8°C
form: Powder
Viscosity: 170cp (10% solution)
Stability: Stable. Incompatible with strong oxidizing agents.
Indirect Additives used in Food Contact Substances: SODIUM POLYSTYRENE SULFONATE
EPA Substance Registry System: Sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate mixt. with polyethylene glycol nonylphenyl ether (9080-79-9)
UNSPSC Code: 41116107
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate is available as brand name Kayexalate and as generic brands Kalexate, Kionex, and SPS, as well as non-branded generics.
Sodium polystyrene sulfonate can be administered as an oral suspension or in an enema.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate can bind to various drugs within the digestive tract and thus lower their absorption and effectiveness.
Common examples include lithium, thyroxine, and digitalis.
In September 2017, the FDA recommended separating the dosing of polystyrene sulfonate from any other oral medications by at least three hours to avoid any potential interactions.
Polystyrene sulfonates release sodium or calcium ions in the stomach in exchange for hydrogen ions.
When the resin reaches the large intestine the hydrogen ions are exchanged for free potassium ions, and the resin is then eliminated in the feces.
The net effect is lowering the amount of potassium available for absorption into the blood and increasing the amount that is excreted via the feces.
The effect is a reduction of potassium levels in the body, at a capacity of 1 mEq of potassium exchanged per 1 g of resin.
The fact that the medication's site of action is the large intestine explains the delayed and prolonged effects seen with oral administration.
Intestinal disturbances are common, including loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and constipation.
Constipation can be severe, culminating in life-threatening fecal impaction.
In rare cases, use been associated with colonic necrosis.
Severe gastrointestinal complications are relatively rare, however, use of this medication is widespread (e.g., about 5 million doses prescribed per year in the U.S.) in spite of poor evidence for its efficacy and availability of alternative treatments, so a large population of patients is subject to potentially unnecessarily risk of GI injury.
No statistically rigorous evidence regarding the actual incidence of severe GI adverse effects with this medication is available.
GI injury occurs both with polystyrene sulfonate alone or in formulations containing sorbitol.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate can occur with oral or rectal administration.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate may be directly toxic to the intestinal mucosa, inducing a local inflammatory response that causes vascular injury.
Co-administration of sorbitol is thought to compound the risk of GI injury by independently promoting vascular injury by causing vasospasm and prostaglandin-mediated pro-inflammatory effects.
Mortality in cases with severe GI injury is high (possibly due to co-morbidities in affected patients).
The large intestine is most commonly affected, however, with oral administration, more proximal GI segments (including the stomach and oesophagus) are affected in about 30% of cases (usually with concurrent large intestine involvement).
Milder and less clearly attributable cases of GI injury may go unnoted.
Numerous comorbidities and risk factors may predispose individuals to severe GI complications (notably kidney disease, solid organ transplantation with immunosuppressive medication use, and post-operative state) possibly by promoting GI vasoconstriction or impairing intestinal regeneration or causing impaired GI mobility.
Uses Of Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate:
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate is used as an analytical size standard in the following:
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate chain ordering between two solid interfaces and in bulk using colloidal probe atomic force microscopy (CP-AFM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS).
The synthesis of biohybrid materials of a stimulus-responsive hydrogel based on such a ligand-responsive DNA-protein interaction.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate can be used in the manufacture of low-humidity sensors, made by layer-by-layer self-assembly of poly(styrenesulfonic acid sodium salt) and poly(allyamine hydrochloride) into multilayer thin films on a gold electrode of quartz crystal microbalance.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate is a film former.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate holds the actives on site and gives the feeling of skin tightening.
It is synthetically manufactured.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate was approved for medical use in the United States in 1958.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate is used to treat hyperkalemia (increased amounts of potassium in the body).
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate is in a class of medications called potassium-removing agents.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate works by removing excess potassium from the body.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate is typically supplied in the form of either a sodium or a calcium salt.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate is used medically as a potassium binder in hyperkalemia (high blood potassium) occurring in the context of acute and chronic kidney disease.
The medication has a delayed onset of action and is effective in sequestering potassium over the longer-term, however, its effectiveness in acute management of hyperkalemia is tenuous.
The primary use of sodium polystyrene sulfonate is in medicine as a therapeutic agent for treating hyperkalemia, a condition characterized by dangerously elevated levels of potassium in the blood, where SPS acts as a cation-exchange resin that binds potassium ions in the gastrointestinal tract and exchanges them for sodium ions, allowing excess potassium to be excreted in the feces and thereby reducing the risk of cardiac arrhythmias or other complications associated with hyperkalemia.
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate is commonly formulated as oral suspensions or rectal enemas and administered under medical supervision, often in hospital or clinical settings, because its ion-exchange mechanism requires careful monitoring of electrolyte balance, fluid status, and sodium intake to avoid adverse effects.
Beyond direct clinical use, sodium polystyrene sulfonate is also employed in pharmaceutical research and formulation as a model cation-exchange polymer, where its ability to selectively bind and release specific ions makes it valuable in the study of drug delivery systems, controlled-release formulations, and gastrointestinal ion-binding interactions.
Researchers may use SPS to simulate ion-exchange processes in vitro or to design novel polymeric carriers that leverage similar chemical principles for therapeutic applications beyond hyperkalemia management.
Outside the medical field, sodium polystyrene sulfonate finds application in industrial and environmental contexts, particularly in water treatment and chemical purification processes, where it functions as a cation-exchange resin capable of removing or recovering positively charged ions such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, or heavy metals from aqueous solutions.
Its polymeric structure, chemical stability, and ion-binding capacity allow it to be used in water softening, purification of process water, or selective removal of undesirable metal ions in chemical engineering operations, thereby improving the quality of industrial water or recycled solutions.
In laboratory settings, Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate is sometimes utilized in analytical chemistry and material science as a standard ion-exchange resin, where its reproducible ion-exchange properties are employed to study cation binding equilibria, polymer interactions, or resin kinetics.
Its well-characterized behavior, insolubility in water, and resistance to chemical degradation make it a reliable tool for experiments requiring controlled and selective ion exchange under aqueous conditions.
Safety Profile Of Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate:
Sodium polystyrene sulfonate is generally considered low in systemic toxicity when used appropriately, especially in medical applications under professional supervision; however, because it is a cation-exchange resin that actively binds ions in the gastrointestinal tract, improper or excessive use can lead to significant electrolyte imbalances, including hypokalemia, hypernatremia, or hypocalcemia, which can result in dizziness, muscle weakness, or in severe cases, cardiac arrhythmias and other life-threatening complications.
The most significant hazards associated with SPS arise from its gastrointestinal effects, as oral or rectal administration can cause constipation, fecal impaction, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, or intestinal obstruction, particularly in vulnerable populations such as elderly patients, individuals with compromised bowel motility, or those concurrently taking other medications that slow gastrointestinal transit.
In rare but serious cases, intestinal necrosis or colonic perforation has been reported, especially when SPS is administered with sorbitol or in high doses over prolonged periods, emphasizing the need for careful medical monitoring.
