Veltassa, made simple.
Veltassa is a powder you mix with water to lower high potassium in your blood. It works well, and it has one rule that matters more than any other: keep it well away in time from your other medicines. This guide explains how it works, how to take it, and that timing rule. A Mississippi pharmacist wrote it for you.
This guide is here to teach you. It is not medical advice, and it does not replace your doctor or pharmacist. Always do what your doctor tells you, and ask a pharmacist before you change how you take any medicine.
Print this guide for your fridgeWhat Veltassa is and why your doctor gave it to you
Veltassa is a medicine that lowers high potassium in your blood. Its other name is patiromer. It comes as a powder you mix with water and drink.
Potassium is a mineral your body needs, but too much of it is hard on the heart. High potassium is called hyperkalemia, and it is common in people with kidney disease, heart failure, or on certain blood pressure medicines.
Veltassa lowers potassium gently and steadily. One thing to know: it is not a fast emergency treatment. It works over hours, not minutes. If your potassium is ever dangerously high, that needs emergency care, not Veltassa.
The simple version: Veltassa is a daily powder that pulls extra potassium out of your body through your bowel, keeping your potassium in a safer range for your heart.
How Veltassa works
Veltassa stays in your gut. It is not absorbed into your blood at all. That is by design.
As food and fluids move through your intestine, Veltassa acts like a sponge for potassium. It grabs extra potassium and holds onto it.
The potassium it captures then leaves your body in your bowel movements, instead of building up in your blood. Less potassium in the blood means less strain on your heart.
Your dose, and how to mix it
Veltassa comes in single-use packets. Your doctor decides your dose and your pharmacist checks it. This page will not tell you what dose to take.
How you prepare it matters. Empty the packet into a glass with about a third of a cup of water. Stir it, then drink it right away. There will be powder left in the glass, so add a little more water, stir, and drink again, repeating until you have taken all of it. Never take Veltassa as a dry powder.
Two rules about temperature and food. Never mix Veltassa with hot food or hot liquid, and never heat it, because heat damages the medicine. Room temperature water is right, or you can mix it with a cold soft food like applesauce. You can take Veltassa with or without a meal.
The timing rule, and what to do if you miss a dose
This is the most important part of taking Veltassa. Because Veltassa acts like a sponge in your gut, it can grab your other medicines too, and stop them from being absorbed.
The rule: take all your other medicines at least 3 hours before, or at least 3 hours after, Veltassa. This matters for common ones like thyroid medicine and certain antibiotics. A few medicines have been tested and do not need the gap, but when in doubt, keep the 3 hour space, and ask your pharmacist to map out your day.
If you miss a dose:
- If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember, as long as it is still the same day.
- If it is already the next day, skip the missed dose. Just take your normal dose.
- Never take two doses on the same day to catch up.
- If you are not sure, call your pharmacist.
Side effects, what is normal and what is not
Common, and usually mild.
- Constipation. This is the most common one.
- Loose stools, or some gas.
- Mild nausea or stomach discomfort.
Call your doctor if you notice:
- Muscle weakness, tiredness, cramps, or a fluttering heartbeat. These can mean your potassium has dropped too low.
- Constipation that is getting worse or will not ease.
- Muscle weakness or tremor that could point to low magnesium.
Seek urgent care if:
- You have symptoms of very high potassium, such as a slow or irregular heartbeat, severe muscle weakness, or numbness. Remember, Veltassa is not an emergency treatment. Dangerously high potassium needs care right away.
What to be careful with
The main thing to be careful with on Veltassa is the 3 hour timing rule above. It is the single most important habit, so it is worth repeating: all your other oral medicines go at least 3 hours before or after Veltassa.
Veltassa can lower potassium too far, and it can lower another mineral, magnesium. That is why blood tests matter, and they are covered in the next section.
Do not take potassium supplements, or salt substitutes that contain potassium, unless your doctor specifically tells you to. They work against what Veltassa is doing.
The simple rule: before you start or stop any medicine or supplement, tell your pharmacist you take Veltassa. Every single time. At Fairview, we will sit down and map your medicine times so the 3 hour rule is easy to follow.
What it costs
The cost is different for every person, because every insurance plan is different.
Here is the honest way to find your price. If you pay cash, call Fairview and we will give you a price for your situation. If you have private insurance, there may be a coupon or a savings program from the maker of the drug that helps lower your cost, and we will check if one is available for you. The best step is to let a pharmacist look at your plan. We do this for every patient.
Do not let cost make you skip doses. Call us first. There is almost always something we can do.
There is also a generic version of many medicines. The generic is the same medicine. Ask your pharmacist if a generic is a good fit for you.
What should be checked
Veltassa works best alongside regular blood tests. They make sure your potassium lands in the right range, not too high and not too low.
Your doctor should check, now and then:
- Your potassium level, to confirm it is in the target range.
- Your magnesium level, since Veltassa can lower it.
- How your bowels are doing, since constipation is the common side effect.
Your pharmacist should:
- Help you build a daily schedule that keeps the 3 hour rule simple.
- Check every new medicine for the timing separation.
- Make sure you know how to mix and store Veltassa correctly.
- Help with cost and assistance programs.
At Fairview, we keep an eye on our Veltassa patients. If a refill is running late, we call you, and if a new medicine is added, we check the timing for you.
Special situations
Storing Veltassa.
Keep Veltassa in the refrigerator. If you need to, you can keep it at room temperature, but only for up to 3 months, and then any leftover packets must be thrown away. Keeping it cool protects the medicine.
If you also take Lokelma.
Lokelma is another potassium-lowering medicine, and some people switch between the two. They are not the same. One important difference: Veltassa needs a 3 hour separation from other medicines, while Lokelma needs only 2 hours. If you have ever taken both, do not assume the rule is the same. Ask your pharmacist to be sure which window applies.
It is not for emergencies.
Veltassa works gradually, over hours. If your potassium is ever dangerously high, that is a medical emergency and needs treatment right away, not Veltassa. Know the difference, and when in doubt, get care.
Kidney disease.
Veltassa works in the gut, not through the kidneys, so it can be used no matter how well your kidneys work. In fact, kidney disease is one of the most common reasons people need it.
Cost should never be the reason you stop.
Veltassa is brand only and can be expensive at full price, but there is help. There is a manufacturer savings program, and an assistance program for people with limited income. If cost is a worry, call Fairview before you ever skip a dose.
How Fairview helps Veltassa patients
When you fill Veltassa at Fairview, here is what you get. This is normal care for us, not something extra.
At your first fill:
- We map out your daily medicine schedule so the 3 hour rule is easy.
- We show you exactly how to mix Veltassa and how to store it.
- We check all your medicines for the timing separation.
- We talk through cost and help you find any program you qualify for.
At every refill:
- We check your file for any new medicines.
- We check that you are refilling on time.
- We answer any new questions before you leave.
On our own, without being asked:
- If a refill is late, we call you.
- If a new medicine needs the timing separation, we tell you.
- We check your cost at every fill to keep it as low as possible.
Questions people ask about Veltassa
Veltassa lowers high potassium in your blood, a condition called hyperkalemia. Too much potassium is hard on the heart. Veltassa removes the extra through your bowel movements.
Related guides
Have a question about your Veltassa? Ask a pharmacist who knows it well.
Veltassa is simple once the 3 hour timing rule becomes a habit, and that is exactly the kind of thing a good pharmacist makes easy. If something made you wonder, ask us. Moving your prescription to Fairview takes one phone call.