Tascit Mechanism of Action

Pharmacology: Pharmacodynamics: Metabolism of absorbed potassium citrate produces an alkaline load, raising urinary pH and increasing urinary citrate by augmenting citrate clearance. Thus, potassium citrate therapy appears to increase urinary citrate mainly by changing the renal handling of citrate, and, to a smaller extent, by increasing the filterable load of citrate. Increased urinary citrate and pH decrease calcium ion activity by increasing calcium complexation to dissociated anions and thus decreasing the saturation of calcium oxalate.
Potassium citrate also inhibits the crystallization and spontaneous nucleation of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate in hypocitraturic calcium nephrolithiasis. However, potassium citrate does not alter the urinary saturation of calcium phosphate, because the effect of increased citrate complexation of calcium is antagonized by the rise in pH-dependent dissociation of phosphate. Calcium phosphate stones are more stable in alkaline urine.
Pharmacokinetics: Potassium citrate is oxidized in the body to form potassium bicarbonate. Oxidation is virtually complete. Less than 5% of the citrate is excreted unchanged in the urine.