Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate
Magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride and sodium sulfate (sold as Sutab tablets) is an osmotic laxative used to clean out the colon before a colonoscopy in adults.
🧬 Where this information comes from Click to expand
The clinical label records used on this page are FDA-filed Structured Product Labeling (SPL) retrieved through openFDA. We identified 2 clinical label sets within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, strengths, and NDC product-record counts are built separately from matching FDA National Drug Code Directory records. The linked DailyMed document is a representative official source for verification, not the page’s only clinical source. View the linked label on DailyMed →
Sutab is a tablet bowel prep for adults having a colonoscopy, an alternative to liquid preps on the U.S. market since about 2020, whose sodium sulfate and magnesium sulfate, both osmotic laxatives, pull water into the colon to flush it. Most people manage it, though nausea, bloating, cramping and sometimes vomiting are common. The real risk is losing too much fluid and salt, which can cause abnormal heart rhythms, seizures or kidney injury, so drink all the required water with both doses. Check with your prescriber first if you have kidney, heart or seizure concerns or take water pills, NSAID pain relievers or blood pressure medicines such as ACE inhibitors.
Clinical pearls
- Take your other oral medicines at least 1 hour before each Sutab dose so they absorb before the flush starts.
- Take tetracycline or fluoroquinolone antibiotics, iron or digoxin at least 2 hours before and 6 hours after each dose.
- Skip other laxatives, especially stimulants like bisacodyl, which raise the risk of colon ulcers or reduced blood flow to the colon.
- Throw away the drying packet (desiccant) in the bottle before you start, and drink no alcohol during the prep.
Patient information guide A plain-language walkthrough of Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate, written from its FDA label.
What Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate is used for
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This combination is used for one purpose across the supported product.
- Sutab (oral tablet) is used to cleanse the colon before a colonoscopy in adults.
How Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate works
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Sodium sulfate and magnesium sulfate are osmotic agents. They keep water in the colon, which leads to loose stools. This clears the bowel so your doctor can see it well during the colonoscopy.
Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate dosage
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Sutab is taken by mouth in a split-dose plan over two days. You take one dose the evening before your colonoscopy and a second dose the morning of the procedure.
- Each dose is 12 tablets, swallowed one at a time with water.
- Extra water is required after each dose.
- Eat a low residue breakfast the day before, then only clear liquids.
- Avoid milk, alcohol, and anything colored red or purple.
- If you feel nauseated, bloated or crampy, slow down or pause the extra water until you feel better.
Follow your prescriber and the product label for the exact timing.
Dosing details from the FDA-approved label
From the Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate prescribing information (“Dosage and Administration”). Doses are set by your prescriber for your product, condition, kidney function and age — never change a dose on your own.
- Adults: Recommended Split-Dose (2-Day) Dosage Regimen for colonoscopy preparation
- Two doses of SUTAB (24 tablets
- 12 tablets per dose)
- Day 1, Dose 1 (evening prior to colonoscopy): fill the provided container with 16 ounces of water, swallow one tablet at a time with a sip of water, finish the 12 tablets and the entire amount of water within 15 to 20 minutes
- Approximately one hour after the last tablet, drink a second 16 ounces of water
- Must consume water with each dose and an additional 32 ounces of water after each dose; complete all tablets and water at least two hours prior to colonoscopy; if symptoms such as nausea, bloating, cramping occur, pause or slow the rate of drinking the additional water until symptoms diminish
Read the label’s full dosing text
2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION For complete information on preparation before colonoscopy and administration of the dosage regimen, see full prescribing information. ( 2.1 , 2.2 ) Preparation and Administration ( 2.1 ) Administration of two doses (24 tablets) are required for a complete preparation for colonoscopy. SUTAB is supplied as two bottles each containing 12 tablets. Twelve (12) tablets are equivalent to one dose. Each SUTAB bottle contains a desiccant. Remove and discard the desiccant from both bottles the evening prior to the colonoscopy. Must consume water with each dose and an additional 32 ounces of water after each dose. Do not take other laxatives. Administer oral medications at least 1 hour before starting each dose of SUTAB. If taking tetracycline or fluoroquinolone antibiotics, iron, digoxin, chlorpromazine, or penicillamine, take these medications at least 2 hours before and not less than 6 hours after administration of each dose. Recommended Split Dose (2-Day) Dosage Regimen ( 2.2 ) Day 1, Dose 1: On the Evening Prior to Colonoscopy: Open 1 bottle of 12 tablets. Remove and discard the desiccant. Remove and discard the desiccant from the second bottle and close the bottle. Use the second bottle for the second dose on the morning of the colonoscopy. Fill the provided container with 16 ounces of water (up to the fill line). Swallow each tablet with a sip of water and drink the entire amount over 15 to 20 minutes. Approximately one hour after the last tablet is ingested, fill the provided container a second time with 16 ounces of water (up to the fill line) and drink the entire amount over 30 minutes. Approximately 30 minutes after finishing the second container of water, fill the provided container with 16 ounces of water (up to the fill line) and drink the entire amount over 30 minutes. Day 2, Dose 2: Morning of the Colonoscopy (5 to 8 hours prior to the colonoscopy and no sooner than 4 hours from starting Dose 1): Continue to consume only clear liquids until after the colonoscopy. Repeat Step 2 to Step 4 from Day 1, Dose 1. If patients experience preparation-related symptoms (e.g., nausea, bloating, cramping), pause or slow the rate of drinking the additional water until symptoms diminish. Complete all SUTAB tablets and water at least two hours prior to colonoscopy.
Excerpted — the section continues on the label. Read the full Dosage and Administration section on DailyMed →
Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate side effects
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The most common side effects affect the stomach and gut.
Common side effects
- Nausea
- Bloating or abdominal distension
- Vomiting
- Upper abdominal pain or cramping
When to get medical help
- Seek immediate medical care for signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as trouble breathing, swelling, rash, itching or hives.
- Call your doctor if you have significant vomiting or signs of dehydration after taking it.
- Get help right away if you have a seizure or lose consciousness.
- Tell your doctor about a racing, pounding or irregular heartbeat.
- Call your doctor if you have severe stomach pain or bloody diarrhea, which may signal colon irritation or ulcers.
- Seek help if you swallow the desiccant packet from the bottle or have trouble with choking.
Serious reactions include severe dehydration, heart rhythm problems, seizures, kidney injury, allergic reactions and colon irritation. Get medical help if these occur.
Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate warnings and precautions
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- Fluid and electrolyte problems: these can cause abnormal heart rhythms, seizures and kidney injury. Stay well hydrated.
- Heart rhythm: use caution if you are at higher risk of arrhythmias. Your doctor may order ECGs.
- Seizures: seizures have been reported even in people with no history of them.
- Kidney injury: higher risk if you have kidney disease or take certain medicines. Your doctor may order blood tests.
- Colon ulcers and ischemic colitis: may happen with osmotic laxatives, especially with stimulant laxatives.
- Allergic reactions: including anaphylaxis and angioedema (swelling).
- Desiccant: do not swallow it. It can cause stomach problems or choking.
Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate interactions
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Sutab can affect how other medicines work, and some medicines add to its risks.
- Stimulant laxatives (bisacodyl, sodium picosulfate): avoid, because of higher risk of ulcers or ischemic colitis.
- Other oral medicines: take at least 1 hour before each Sutab dose, since Sutab can reduce their absorption.
- Tetracycline and fluoroquinolone antibiotics, iron, digoxin, chlorpromazine, penicillamine: take at least 2 hours before and not less than 6 hours after each dose, because magnesium can bind to them.
- Diuretics, ACE inhibitors, ARBs and NSAIDs: may raise kidney risk.
- Tricyclic antidepressants and other medicines that lower the seizure threshold: may raise seizure risk.
Interactions listed in the FDA-approved label
From the Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate prescribing information (“Drug Interactions”): what the manufacturer studied or reported to the FDA.
- Drugs that increase risk of fluid and electrolyte abnormalities (or of seizure, arrhythmias, and prolonged QT in the setting of fluid and electrolyte abnormalities): Medications that increase the risk of fluid and electrolyte disturbances may increase risks of fluid and electrolyte abnormalities, and adverse events of seizure, arrhythmias, and prolonged QT. Use caution when prescribing SUTAB to patients taking these medications.
- Other oral medications: SUTAB can reduce the absorption of other co-administered drugs. Administer oral medications at least one hour before starting each dose of SUTAB.
- Tetracycline and fluoroquinolone antibiotics, iron, digoxin, chlorpromazine, and penicillamine: SUTAB can reduce their absorption through chelation with magnesium. Administer at least 2 hours before and not less than 6 hours after administration of each dose of SUTAB.
- Stimulant laxatives (e.g., bisacodyl, sodium picosulfate): Concurrent use may increase the risk of mucosal ulceration or ischemic colitis. Avoid use of stimulant laxatives while taking SUTAB.
Read the label’s full interactions text
7 DRUG INTERACTIONS Drugs that increase risk of fluid and electrolyte imbalance. ( 7.1 ) 7.1 Drugs That May Increase Risks of Fluid and Electrolyte Abnormalities Use caution when prescribing SUTAB to patients taking medications that increase the risk of fluid and electrolyte disturbances or may increase the risk of adverse events of seizure, arrhythmias, and prolonged QT in the setting of fluid and electrolyte abnormalities [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 , 5.2 , 5.3 , 5.4 )] . 7.2 Potential for Reduced Drug Absorption SUTAB can reduce the absorption of other co-administered drugs [see Dosage and Administration ( 2.1 )] : Administer oral medications at least one hour before starting each dose of SUTAB. Administer tetracycline and fluoroquinolone antibiotics, iron, digoxin, chlorpromazine, and penicillamine at least 2 hours before and not less than 6 hours after administration of each dose of SUTAB to avoid chelation with magnesium. 7.3 Stimulant Laxatives Concurrent use of stimulant laxatives and SUTAB may increase the risk of mucosal ulceration or ischemic colitis. Avoid use of stimulant laxatives (e.g., bisacodyl, sodium picosulfate) while taking SUTAB [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.5 )] .
Not a complete list. The label covers the interactions the manufacturer studied or reported, and our own interaction database does not cover every medicine either. Bring your full medication list, including vitamins and herbal products, to your pharmacist.
Before taking Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate
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- Do not use with a blocked bowel, ileus, bowel perforation, toxic colitis or toxic megacolon, or gastric retention.
- Do not use if you are allergic to any ingredient.
- Use caution with kidney problems, heart rhythm problems, a seizure history, or alcohol or benzodiazepine withdrawal.
- Tell your doctor if you have inflammatory bowel disease or severe active ulcerative colitis.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: no data are available, so discuss with your doctor.
- Children: safety and effectiveness have not been established.
- Older adults: no overall differences were seen, but they may be more sensitive to fluid and electrolyte changes.
Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate overdose
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Taking more than the recommended dose can cause severe electrolyte problems, dehydration and low blood volume (hypovolemia). If this happens, medical staff will monitor fluids and electrolytes and treat symptoms.
What Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate does in the body
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The osmotic action of sodium sulfate and magnesium sulfate increases water in the colon. This causes loose stools and a laxative effect.
How your body processes Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate
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After Sutab is taken, blood sulfate levels rise about 2.5-fold at 5 to 8 hours after the second dose. They return to baseline within 24 to 48 hours after the colonoscopy. Most sulfate leaves the body in stool. In studies of similar sulfate products, moderate kidney impairment raised sulfate exposure, but the differences were not considered clinically meaningful. Mild to moderate liver impairment did not change exposure.
How to store Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate
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Store at 20º to 25°C (68º to 77°F).
Written from the FDA-approved label with AI and reviewed by our pharmacy team. How we use AI →
Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate: pharmacist answers to common questions
Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.
What is this medicine for?
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How do I take it?
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What side effects should I expect?
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When should I get help right away?
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Can I take my other medicines?
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What about the little packet in the bottle?
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Is Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate available over the counter?
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When was Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate first available?
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Who makes Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate?
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Answers drafted from the FDA-approved label with AI and reviewed by our pharmacy team. How we use AI →
More about Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate on HelloPharmacist
Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate forms and strengths (how it comes)
Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate is available in 1 form. Different forms and brands can have different approved uses, doses, schedules, and directions. Follow the instructions for your exact product, and do not switch forms without guidance from your prescriber or pharmacist.
Need a version that does not list lactose, a gluten source, a dye or gelatin? Inactive ingredients differ by manufacturer: see Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate inactive ingredients by manufacturer.
Tablet
How this form is used
- Sutab is used to cleanse the colon before a colonoscopy in adults.
- Sutab comes as two bottles of 12 tablets, and both doses are needed for a complete prep.
- Remove and discard the desiccant from both bottles the evening before the colonoscopy.
- Take Sutab tablets one at a time with sips of water, then drink the additional water as directed.
- Finish all Sutab tablets and water at least 2 hours before the colonoscopy.
Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate on the U.S. market: products, makers and brands
How Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate appears in the FDA’s National Drug Code Directory — including its dosage forms, strengths, brand names, manufacturers, and FDA-listed product records. These are directory records, not sales or prescription volume.
2 companies list 2 Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate product records with the FDA, mostly as tablet; the earliest marketing or approval year on record is 2020. Brand names on the directory include Sutab; the rest are generics.
Share of FDA-listed product records by manufacturer — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.
How widely Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate is used (Medicaid data)
A general measure of how commonly Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate is prescribed, based on Medicaid — one of the largest public drug programs. The figure below is prescriptions filled in Q1–Q4 2025, summed across every form and brand of the drug.
Think of this as a proxy for how widely Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate is used, drawn from freely available public data. Medicaid is just one program — these numbers don’t include Medicare, other government coverage, or commercial and cash-pay prescriptions, so real-world use is higher than what’s shown here.
How commonly is Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate prescribed? Of the 1,601 medications we measure, Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate ranks #750 by Medicaid prescriptions — more than 53% of them.
Utilization by Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate product
Pick a product to see its own Medicaid numbers. Each chip is one clinical product — a specific strength & dosage form as defined by RxNorm — with brand-name and generic versions combined.
Other Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate products — combination packs and listings not yet matched to a specific clinical product (kept visible so every prescription is accounted for)
Summed across the 1 of 2 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity.
Shares are of the Medicaid prescriptions shown here. Product grouping follows RxNorm (the National Library of Medicine’s drug terminology), so “one product” means one strength & dosage form regardless of manufacturer. Dollar figures are gross Medicaid reimbursement before mandatory rebates — rebates (often large, especially for brand-name drugs) are confidential, so actual net cost to Medicaid is lower than shown.
Source: Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data (CMS), aggregated by generic ingredient — summed across every NDC (all brands, strengths, salt forms and dosage forms) of Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate, and across all states and both fee-for-service and managed-care claims. A general popularity signal; it excludes Medicare, commercial insurance and cash prescriptions, so it is not total U.S. use. Based on the 1 of 2 listed Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate NDCs with Medicaid activity.
Compare Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate products
A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate — across manufacturers, strengths, and dosage forms, grouped by form with each product’s manufacturer and how the FDA approved it. The same medicine may be made and packaged by different companies, so a single drug can have many directory entries. (It’s also why a refill can look different — a new shape, color, or box — even though it contains the same medication.)
| Strength | Route | Manufacturer / Labeler | Category ⓘ | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💊Tablet | ||||
| SODIUM SULFATE 17.75 g/1; MAGNESIUM SULFATE ANHYDROUS 2.7 g/1; POTASSIUM CHLORIDE 2.25 g | Oral | Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | NDA | View NDC → |
| SODIUM SULFATE 17.75 g/1; MAGNESIUM SULFATE ANHYDROUS 2.7 g/1; POTASSIUM CHLORIDE 2.25 g | Oral | Braintree Laboratories, Inc. | NDA | View NDC → |
Showing 2 of 2 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 2 Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate NDCs →
Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate side effects reported to the FDA (FAERS)
After a medicine reaches the market, patients, doctors and drugmakers can send the FDA reports of problems they think may be linked to it. Here’s what’s been reported for Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate — a signal of what to watch for, not proof the drug caused it.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). These are voluntary reports — they don’t prove the drug caused the effect, and counts reflect how often something was reported, not how often it actually happens. Reports also often name the very problem the medicine is taken for — a common reason to file one is that the drug didn’t help — so for a pain reliever you may see “pain” high on the list; that points to why the report was filed, not to the drug causing the symptom. This counts every report that lists Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate in any role, so the total runs higher than the FDA’s official dashboard, which counts only cases where the drug is the suspect. For the authoritative figures, see the FDA FAERS Public Dashboard. Always talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate FDA approval history
How Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate went from FDA review to the pharmacy shelf — the key milestones in its regulatory journey.
Source: Drugs@FDA.
Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate recall history
A recall is when a specific batch of a medicine is pulled from the market — usually a manufacturing issue, not a problem with the drug itself. Class I is most serious, Class III least.
The FDA’s enforcement reports list no Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate recalls since July 2021.
✅No Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate recalls on record since July 2021Source: FDA enforcement (recall) reports, via openFDA; our copy was last updated Sep 24, 2026.
RxNorm Concept Web — From Ingredient to Every Form and Strength
This page starts with one exact multiple-ingredient concept (MIN). The branches below show its dose-form concepts (SCDF), then the available clinical drug and strength concepts (SCD). A product with a different ingredient combination belongs on a different page.
RxCUI 2465552 1 dose form · 1 strength
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Dose form (SCDF) Oral Tablet RxCUI 2465561In current FDA listingsClinical drug / strength (SCD) magnesium sulfate 225 MG / potassium chloride 188 MG / sodium sulfate 1479 MGRxCUI 2465554
Look up RxCUI 2465552 in the RxCUI Atlas →
RxNorm is the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s normalized drug vocabulary. Its concept hierarchy can include forms that are not currently marketed; the status on each branch compares that concept with current FDA listings. RxCUIs identify vocabulary concepts, not individual packages or manufacturers.
Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate supply and shortage status
Whether Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate is in short supply in the U.S. right now, plus any shortage history the FDA has on record. A shortage usually reflects a manufacturing or demand issue — not a safety problem with the drug.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Drug Shortages database.
💵 What Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate costs pharmacies (NADAC benchmark)
The national average invoice price pharmacies pay for the drug itself, from CMS's NADAC survey (data as of Sep 30, 2026). This is a supply-cost benchmark — not a retail price and not what you'd pay at the counter.
| Form | Strength | Pharmacy acquisition benchmark | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tablet · Oral | SODIUM SULFATE 17.75 g/1; MAGNESIUM SULFATE ANHYDROUS 2.7 g/1; POTASSIUM CHLORIDE 2.25 g | $6.74 per tablet | NDC details & price history |
| Tablet · Oral | 2.7; 2.25; 17.75 g/1; g/1; g | $6.74 per tablet | NDC details & price history |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC), a survey of retail pharmacy invoice prices. Benchmarks shown are the range across package sizes of a representative product for each form and strength — other manufacturers' products may differ.
Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate brand names
Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate is sold under one brand name in the FDA directory — Sutab. A brand and its generic contain the same active ingredient; the brand name belongs to one company's product.
Who makes Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate: manufacturers and labelers
2 companies list Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate products with the FDA. By number of product records, the largest are Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Braintree Laboratories, Inc.. Labelers include manufacturers and repackagers; the product in your bottle depends on which one your pharmacy stocks.
Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate drug class (RxNorm)
Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate belongs to the Osmotically acting laxatives class.
Classified by RxNorm RxClass — the U.S. National Library of Medicine's standardized drug-classification service (Established Pharmacologic Class from the FDA, the ATC drug family from the WHO, and mechanism of action). Reference only, not medical advice.
Sources for this Magnesium Sulfate / Potassium Chloride / Sodium Sulfate page
Core label, product, RxNorm, safety, and utilization data on this page come from the sources identified below. AI-written, editorial, and licensed sections are labeled separately.
How this page is built
HelloPharmacist combines public FDA and NLM records and does not author the underlying clinical facts. The plain-language sections are written with AI from the FDA-approved label text and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Braintree Laboratories, Inc. is the representative DailyMed label linked for verification and dates. This is general education, not medical advice: always talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own medicines. How we build and review drug pages →