Disodium Hydrogen Citrate Syrup: Uses, Dose, Side Effects and Brands (2026)

• Updated 23 October 2026
• Reviewed by Sudhanshu Singhal
• 13 min read
• 23 sources

Prices are as shown on Tata 1mg (Truemeds for Alkasol Sugar Free) on 23 October 2026 for brands in stock that day; prices change by batch, so the MRP printed on the pack governs.

What is disodium hydrogen citrate syrup?

Disodium hydrogen citrate syrup is a urinary alkaliniser — in plain words, a medicine that makes the urine less acidic and helps the body pass a little more urine. The Pfizer India label for Citralka describes the salt as "also known as sodium acid citrate" and as "a urinary alkalinizer" that "renders the urine less acidic and promotes a mild diuresis" (section 5.1).

How it works in the body

After absorption the salt is metabolised to sodium bicarbonate; oxidation is virtually complete and less than 5% of the citrate leaves the body in the urine unchanged (Pfizer Citralka label, section 5.2). The same idea appears in the US class label for sodium citrate and citric acid oral solution (DailyMed, updated 12 June 2026), which calls it a systemic alkaliser. In everyday language, as the Tata 1mg page puts it, it is "a urine alkalizer" that works "by increasing the pH of urine which makes it less acidic" (secondary).

Forms and strengths sold in India

These products are sold as oral syrups or liquids in 100 ml and 200 ml bottles; the Pfizer label lists Citralka in "Amber coloured PET Bottles of 100 ml & 200 ml". The strength per 5 ml is not the same for every brand in India, which is why the pack in your hand governs.

• 1.37 g per 5 ml — Cital, Alkel
• 1.38 g per 5 ml — Oricitral
• 1.4 g per 5 ml — Alkasol, Alkacit, Citraciv, Citralis, Alto's Citrasol
• 1.53 g per 5 ml — Citralka, Alkacip

All the brands listed in this guide contain disodium hydrogen citrate as the active ingredient. No combination pack with another active ingredient is described in the sources we have read, so nothing further can be said here about combination partners.

Sugar-free variants, excipients and sodium

Some Indian syrups are sugar-free — for example Cital Oral Liquid Sugar Free and Alkasol Sugar Free — while others are not. The Pfizer Citralka excipients are sucrose, liquid glucose, sodium benzoate, saccharin sodium, tartrazine (a colour), orange flower flavour and water; excipients differ by brand, so anyone avoiding tartrazine or sucrose should read the pack of the brand they are using.

Because it is a sodium salt, the Pfizer Citralka label states that it must not be used by people on a sodium-restricted diet; for comparison, the US sodium citrate and citric acid solution states that each mL provides 1 mEq of sodium.

What is it used for?

As the Pfizer India label for Citralka (section 4.1) states, it is used "to render the urine alkaline in conditions such as pyelitis, cystitis, urethritis, urolithiasis", during treatment of urinary tract infections with antibiotics whose action is enhanced by an alkaline pH "such as sulphonamides and fluroquinolones", and to overcome the tendency to acute or chronic metabolic acidosis in acute infections and dehydration.

A urinary alkaliniser is used alongside the treatment a doctor prescribes for a urinary infection, not in place of it. Take it only as your doctor advises.

Dose as stated in the labels

The usual adult dose stated in the Pfizer Citralka label (1.53 g per 5 ml, section 4.2, doc code LPDCIT092018 — apparently a September 2018 version, whose current status is uncertain) is 30 ml (two tablespoonfuls) four times daily, and for children aged 6 to 12 years the usual dose stated in that label is 10 or 15 ml (two or three teaspoonfuls) three to four times daily. Always follow the dose your doctor has written for you and the instructions in the pack in your hand.

Timing, food and dilution

The Citralka label says "To be taken in water or milk. Adults may take it without dilution, followed by liquid, if preferred." Section 4.8 adds that large oral citrate doses can cause diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and a laxative effect, and that "Diluting with large amounts of water and administration after meals can minimize these effects." The label text read gives no dose for children under 6 years.

Doses for 1.4 g per 5 ml syrups

For 1.4 g per 5 ml syrups, take the dose and duration your doctor prescribes; pharmacy listings for these brands advise shaking the bottle well before use and taking it after meals with a glass of water or juice.

Regimens differ across products and countries, which is why the pack in your hand and your prescription govern: the US sodium citrate and citric acid solution states 2 to 6 teaspoonfuls for adults diluted in water after meals and at bedtime, while the UK potassium citrate product Cystopurin is one sachet in water three times a day for two days. These are different medicines and different strengths, and their doses must not be transferred to a disodium hydrogen citrate syrup.

Side effects

Several effects listed in the sources are stomach-related: stomach pain, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. The Pfizer label read gives no frequency table, and the Tata 1mg "Common side effects" box for this medicine says only "Limited data available", so no percentages or rankings can be quoted here.

Effects described in the label

• Large oral citrate doses may cause diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and a laxative effect; diluting with plenty of water and taking the dose after meals can reduce these (Pfizer label, section 4.8).
• Excessive bicarbonate-forming doses may cause low blood calcium in acute liver failure, and low potassium with metabolic alkalosis, especially in people with impaired kidneys or on high doses; the label lists mood changes, tiredness, shortness of breath, muscle weakness and irregular heartbeat among the symptoms of these conditions.
• Excessive sodium salts may cause sodium overload and hyperosmolarity.
• The label states "No special precautions required" for driving and using machines (section 4.7).

Overdose effects described in the label

The label (section 4.9) describes serious electrolyte disturbances from sodium salts in overdose, irritation of the stomach lining, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, excess mental activity ("hypernoia"), oedema and convulsions. Please follow your doctor's instructions and the pack leaflet carefully to avoid these effects.

Who should not take it, and interactions

The Pfizer Citralka label (section 4.3) contraindicates severe renal impairment with oliguria, azotaemia or anuria, untreated Addison's disease, acute dehydration, heat cramps, severe myocardial damage, and it states that "sodium salts are contraindicated in patients on sodium restricted diet".

Use with caution

• Oedematous sodium-retaining states, congestive heart failure, hypertension, pulmonary or peripheral oedema, and toxaemia of pregnancy.
• Low urinary output or reduced glomerular filtration; serum electrolytes, particularly bicarbonate, should be monitored in kidney disease.
• Precaution is advised with citrate-containing blood products in acute liver failure.
• Anyone allergic to the product or its ingredients; note that the Pfizer Citralka excipients include tartrazine and sucrose, and excipients differ by brand, so check each product's pack.

Key interactions

• Aluminium antacids: concurrent use with citrate salts "is not recommended", especially in renal insufficiency, because citrate can raise aluminium absorption and the risk of encephalopathy, seizures and coma, particularly in the elderly.
• Drugs cleared faster in alkaline urine: urinary alkalinisers may increase excretion and lower blood levels of chlorpropamide, lithium, methotrexate, methenamine, salicylates and tetracyclines, reducing their effect.
• Drugs cleared more slowly: alkalinisers may decrease excretion and raise levels of mecamylamine, flecainide, quinidine and sympathomimetics.
• Antibiotics: the label names sulphonamides and fluoroquinolones as antibiotics whose action is enhanced by an alkaline pH, but it gives no instruction about the timing of doses together.

Pregnancy, breastfeeding and children

The Citralka label (section 4.6) states that safety in pregnancy and nursing mothers "has not been established" and that the medicine should be used "only when the possible benefits outweigh the potential risks". The label gives a dose only for children aged 6 to 12 years. If you have any kidney disease, discuss it with your doctor before use.

When urinary symptoms need a doctor

Pain or burning when passing urine is a symptom of a urinary tract infection, and the NHS advises seeing a doctor if symptoms do not improve within 48 hours or get worse quickly. Sooner advice is needed if you are a man, pregnant, aged 65 or older, a child, have diabetes or a catheter, or if there is blood in the urine, fever or back pain. UK telephone numbers in those sources do not apply in India; what matters is the symptom advice.

Rules in India

Disodium hydrogen citrate is not named in Schedule G, H, H1 or X of the consolidated Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 (as amended up to 30 September 2020), and it is not listed in the National List of Essential Medicines 2022.

Schedule status

The Rules text (as amended up to 30 September 2020) does not name disodium hydrogen citrate, sodium citrate, potassium citrate or citric acid in those Schedules. Pharmacy pages show "Prescription required" for several brands; use it on a doctor's advice.

NLEM 2022 and price control

A full-text search of NLEM 2022 (Schedule I of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order 2013, Gazette of India, 11 November 2022) found no disodium hydrogen citrate entry, and no NPPA ceiling price was confirmed in the sources checked for this salt; as a product outside NLEM 2022, a ceiling price is not expected, but this was not confirmed on an NPPA price list. Under paragraph 20 of the DPCO 2013 (consolidated text as amended up to 22 March 2016; later amendments were not checked), the Government monitors the MRPs of all drugs, "including the non-scheduled formulations", and ensures that no manufacturer raises the MRP by more than ten per cent over the MRP of the preceding twelve months.

Top brands in India

Several Indian and multinational companies market this syrup, in strengths from 1.37 g to 1.53 g per 5 ml; the table above lists the brands shown on Tata 1mg and Truemeds with their packs and prices as read on 23 October 2026. This is not a sales ranking — no published sales-based ranking of these brands was found. The Tata 1mg generic page also lists Alkadip (Yash Pharma), Adlizer (Adroit Lifescience), Alkanil (Inga Laboratories) and Siocitrate (Albert David), with an overall price range of ₹50 to ₹383 across brands and packs.

The Vibcare range

Vibcare offers disodium hydrogen citrate 1.40 Gm syrup in 100 ml bottles: Alkajem Syrup (Auspin), Alkaver Syrup (Evermed), Vibtral Syrup (Prima), Vibtral Syrup (WOMC) (Prima), and Vibtral Sugar Free (WOMC) (Prima).

The range is available to Vibcare PCD franchise partners with monopoly rights in their district; see our PCD pharma franchise page for details.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

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