NAPLEX (North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination) Practice Exam

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Study for the NAPLEX exam with a comprehensive quiz featuring multiple-choice questions and in-depth explanations. Build your pharmacological knowledge and increase your chances of passing the pharmacist licensure examination!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

What is the primary action of Sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS, Kayexalate) in relation to potassium?

Raises potassium levels
Has no effect on potassium
Binds potassium in the gut
Supplements potassium

The correct answer is: Binds potassium in the gut

Sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS, Kayexalate) is a medication used to treat hyperkalemia, which is high potassium levels in the blood. The primary action of SPS is to bind potassium in the gut. By binding to potassium, SPS helps remove excess potassium from the body through the gastrointestinal tract, thus lowering the overall potassium levels in the blood. Options A, B, and D are incorrect: A. Raises potassium levels: This is incorrect because SPS does not raise potassium levels; rather, it helps lower potassium levels by binding to potassium in the gut. B. Has no effect on potassium: This is incorrect because as mentioned earlier, SPS specifically targets and binds to potassium in the gut to reduce its levels in the bloodstream. D. Supplements potassium: This is incorrect as well as SPS does not provide or supplement potassium; instead, it helps in the removal of excess potassium from the body.