Alkalising agents in urinary tract infections: theoretical contraindications, interactions and synergy.

Alkalising agents (e.g., sodium and potassium citrate) can be purchased in many locations without the supervision of a healthcare professional.Although they are thought as innocuous agents, alkalisers can greatly influence the way some antibiotics behave in the body and this can potentially cause patient harm.This work illustrates these risks and synergies by modelling drug solubility and supersaturation against pharmacokinetic data for commonly used antibiotic agents.Manufacturers and patients should be aware that the use of alkalising agents with these drugs (and potentially many others) may cause unintended consequences.