Acidifiers

1. ACIDIFIERS
PREPARED BY:
USHA RANI KANDULA,
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR,
DEPARTMENT OF ADULT HEALTH NURSING
ARSI UNIVERSITY,ASELLA,ETHIOPIA,
SOUTH EAST AFRICA.

2. DEFINITION
Acidifiers are the drugs or agents,
which are used to treat acid-base
imbalance in the body or for the
treatment of metabolic alkalosis.

3.  Acidifiers are the agents, which are used to
neutralize the PH which has been
increased due to certain causes like excess
alkali intake.
 Normal urinary – PH-7

4. CLASSIFICATION
-Ammonium chloride
-Ascorbic acid
-Calcium chloride
Phenezopyridine

5. AMMONIUM CHLORIDE MOA
Ammonium chloride is used as a
systemic and urinary acidifier to treat
metabolic alkalosis, to correct chloride
depletion and to assist in urinary
excretion of certain basic drugs.

6. DOSES
Expectorants – adults : 200-400mg
every 4hourly
Children : 50-75 mg/kg in divided
doses
Urinary acidification – 3-12 g a day in
devided doses at 4-6 hours intervals.

7. INDICATIONS
 Metabolic alkalosis
 CONTRAINDICATIONS
 -Renal
 -Hepatic
 -Pulmonary diseases

8. SIDE EFFECTS
 Metabolic acidosis
 Headache
 Hyperglycemia
 Hypokalemia
 Too rapid IV administration can result in
arrhythmias,
convulsions and coma.

9. ASCORBIC ACID
Vitamin-C or ascorbic acid is an
essential dietary substance that plays
a major role in many metabolic
reactions as the formation and
maintenance of collagen and
intracellular ground substances.

10. MOA
Ascorbic acid acts as an acidifier,
which helps to neutralize the alkali
excess, thus helps to reduce the PH
toward its normal values.

11. DOSE
Oral
Treatment of deficiency state : 100-
500 mg/day as needed.
Prophylaxis : 50-100 mg/day
Urinary acidification 4-12 g/day of
ascorbic acid in divided doses every 4
hours.

12. IM,SC,IV
-up to 2g/day as needed for severe
deficiency states,
Maintenance dose is 100-250 mg
once or twice a day.

13. NURSING RESPONSIBILITIES

14. NURSING RESPONSIBILITIES
Use cautiously in patients with glucose
6-phosphate dehydrogenase
deficiency, hyperuricemia, or renal
impairment and pregnant women.
Inject slowly IV .
 Avoid dizziness or fainting.

15. THANKING YOU