8 Individual pouched doses per box
15g USP Urea per pouch
Does not contain any sodium
Mixes with only a few ounces of water or juice
Clinically studied & guideline supported
Safe, effective, and cost-sensitive
ure-Na is pronounced: you-ree-nah
If ure-Na is needed quickly, it can be ordered at most retail pharmacies for overnight delivery. To order ure-Na, the pharmacist will need the following NDC or National Drug Code number to find ure-Na in their ordering system:
Lemon-Lime 62530-0000-11
Apple: 62530-0000-14
Please see the Buy ure-Na section of this web site more information on buying ure-Na.
Ure-Na is a Medical Food and is available to order without a prescription. However, ure-Na is only to be used and dosed under the care of a qualified health care professional. Hyponatremia is a complex disorder and a full clinical picture needs to be understood and analyzed so proper decision-making is used to find an appropriate therapeutic regimen.
ure-Na is can be mixed with 3-4 ounces of water or juice.
ure-Na can also be mixed with cold, cool or luke warm foods such as apple sauce.
ure-Na should not be mixed with anything hot, such as hot coffee or tea.
Hyponatremia or low sodium, is a condition that occurs when the level of sodium in your blood is abnormally low relative to the amount of water in your blood.
Sodium is an electrolyte. One role of sodium in the body is to help regulate the amount of water that is in and around your cells.
In hyponatremia, one or more factors cause you to have too much water relative to sodium in your body. When this happens cells in your body begin to swell.
This swelling can cause many health problems from minor to moderate to life threatening.
Typical symptoms of hyponatremia are:
Confusion or brain fog
Balance issues
Problems walking
Abnormal tiredness
Consequences of severe hyponatremia may include:
Seizures
Death
There are many possible causes of Hyponatremia. For more in depth information, we recommend reviewing the information linked above from the NKF, NIH and UpToDate.
One basic way to explain it, is to consider how humans lived long ago. Before the modern age of easily accessible clean water, our body was programmed to hold water tightly, to avoid dehydration.
In the modern age when water is accessible, our ancestry sometimes kicks in when we are under unusual physical stressors and the body may signal to retain water unnecessarily.
These stressors include:
Lung diseases (COPD, cancer, infection)
Brain diseases (cancer, strokes, scarring, infections)
Pain
Nausea (especially after surgery)
Other potential Hyponatremia causes include thyroid disturbances, medications especially thiazide diuretics, anti-depressive medications and anti-seizure medications, poor diet, as well as adrenal insufficiency.
This said, Hyponatremia often has an unknown cause called an Idiopathic cause.
The hormone that is secreted from your pituitary gland that may be causing hyponatremia is called Anti-Diuretic Hormone (ADH). ADH does just what its name implies; it is anti-diuresis or slows urine output. The urine turns dark and concentrated, and water excretion is dramatically reduced.
The only way to properly diagnose Hyponatremia is with a blood test. Your doctor may also test your urine, specifically urine electrolytes and osmolarity (concentration). These tests together with a thorough history, medication review and physical examination will help your doctor determine the cause of the water imbalance.
Proper treatment means proper diagnosis. Your doctor must be sure there aren’t other reasons for the dilution effect mentioned above. Examples of improper dilution include heart failure and liver disease. Both can cause fluid retention due to different mechanisms. These diseases are often treated with a low sodium diet and diuretics. Hyponatremia may also be caused by excessive water intake relative to solid food intake. This is termed primary polydipsia hyponatremia and may also be referred to as a Tea and Toast diet by your Doctor. These diseases are treated with simple fluid restriction and an increase in food intake.
Let’s think back to the causes of Hyponatremia. Now that we have talked about the other processes, the term SIADH always gets brought up. This is a syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone release. A bit confusing, but if you follow the name, it is an improper release of the hormone that does not allow the kidney to release water. This is what occurs in those examples, as mentioned earlier, the lung disease, brain disease, pain, or nausea scenarios.
SIADH will therefore cause the kidney to hold water inside and not release it, diluting the sodium level in the blood that leads to some of the symptoms of hyponatremia.
To treat this SIADH process, we must start with a fluid restriction as a part of a Hyponatremia diet. Your doctor will advise you on what amount of fluid to drink per day. This does include all liquids and not just water. Often that is not enough, and the you may require therapeutic intervention. Prior to ure-Na being available Doctors may have used diuretics and salt tablets for Hyponatremia.
Ure-Na and urapple work by osmosis. They draw excess water out through the kidney naturally , removing excess water without the need for salt tablets or extreme fluid restrictions. Ure-Na and urapple are medical foods and are allowed to be purchased directly by you without a prescription. Medical foods like ure-Na should be taken only under the supervision of a medical practitioner. The clinical trials with ure-Na have shown that only 2% of patients taking ure-Na experience side effects. The most common side effect reported is dysgeusia.
Dysgeusia is typically defined as a metallic taste sensation that persists after ure-Na is taken..
Hyponatremia or low sodium is a common disorder that may cause multiple vague symptoms or stark noticeable debilitating symptoms. A thorough investigation is necessary to tease out the reason for the water imbalance in your body. There are several ways to treat Hyponatremia. With the example of SIADH, fluid restriction, ure-Na or salt plus water pills may all be options to help rid the body of excess water and get the sodium level back into the normal range. Thus alleviating the symptoms of low sodium and getting back to feeling normal.
We consistently get feedback from patients and caregivers that ure-Na brought them back to being themselves. Improving brain fog and cognition, increasing energy and improving balance are some of the benefits that can be attained when properly treating hyponatremia.
Ure-Na is available in a box with 8 sachets containing 15g USP urea per sachet.
For some, especially people with diabetes the caloric content of ure-Na is important. Each sachet of ure-Na contains less than 15 calories. The calories are derived from the maltodextrin.
Lemon-Lime Ingredients in descending order: synthetically derived urea powder, natural flavors, corn derived maltodextrin, citric acid, calcium silicate, sucralose.
Apple Ingredients in descending order: synthetically derived urea powder, corn derived maltodextrin, citric acid, calcium silicate, natural flavors, sucralose.
ure-Na contains maltodextrin. The maltodextrin used in ure-Na is corn derived not wheat derived.
The published clinical data from hospitalized patients treated with ure-Na show a very low side effect profile. This clinical data show only 2% of patients given ure-Na didn't tolerate it and that was due to dysgeusia.
Dysgeusia is typically defined as a metallic taste sensation that persists.
Ten years of real world use and experience with ure-Na also indicates that roughly 5% of patients taking ure-Na experience nausea when taking it.
To alleviate this, ure-Na can be taken with food or applesauce. ure-Na should not be taken with anything hot.
Another tactic to help wth nausea that may be experienced with ure-Na is to mix in 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda. ure-Na has citric acid in it and baking soda is a base, so there will be an acid:base reaction in the forms of bubbles. Let the bubbles settle before drinking.
Another tool to alleviate any experienced nausea is to take it with 6-8 ounces of water or juice versus the 3-4 ounces that is recommended. Any increase in fluid intake will need to be added to total daily fluid intake for those on fluid restriction.
Please see the Insurance section of this site, found at the top left of the home page for more in-depth information.
ure-Na may be covered by health insurance. Your Health Care Provider will have to request coverage from your insurance through Prior Authorization. If ure-Na is not covered by insurance it may be a tax deduction qualified medical expense.
ure-Na is on the VA National Formulary (VANF). It is listed as: UREA 15GM/PKT/PWDR,ORAL.
If insurance does not approve coverage, and ure-Na has to be paid for out of pocket it can be ordered at most retail pharmacies, but best price is usually found here at www.ure-na.com.
Medical Foods like ure-Na, when recommended by a Health Care Provider are often a qualified tax deductible medical expense.
Medical Foods like ure-Na may also be purchased under a Health Saving Account (HSA). More information can be found by Clicking HERE to read the IRS guidance on this.
The fastest, and lowest cost way to get ure-na quickly is to get it from your local pharmacy. ure-Na can be ordered from most retail pharmacies for weekday overnight delivery. If your pharamcy can't get it quickly, we recommend trying a different pharmacy as the wholesaler your pharmacy pulls from may be out of stock. The pharmacist will need the following NDC number to locate ure-Na in their ordering system: Lemon-Lime: 62530-0000-11. Apple: 62530-0000-14.
Please see the Buy ure-Na section of this site for more information.
ure-Na is flavor masked and stabilized pharmaceutical grade (USP Grade) urea with 15g of urea per single serve pouch. ure-Na is lemon-lime or apple flavor. The pharmaceutical grade urea in ure-Na is not animal derived.
The urea in ure-Na helps remove excess water in your body without removing important electrolytes including sodium. This happens in the form of increased urine output without urinating out excess sodium. Please review the short video found on this page, on how ure-Na treats low sodium.
Urea, the active ingredient in ure-Na, has been used for decades for the treatment of hyponatremia. Ure-Na is pharmaceutical grade, synthetically derived urea with a patented stabilizing formula and a proprietary flavor and taste making formula making it palatable. Urea without the proprietary flavor and taste masking formula is very unpalatable and many people find the taste and flavor is too strong to ingest. The use of urea to treat hyponatremia is supported in multiple domestic and international guidelines that your Health Care Provider uses to guide the treatment of hyponatremia. ure-Na has also been clinically studied. Learn more about the clinical study in the FAQ below.
ure-Na is not a prescription drug. ure-Na is a Medical Food regulated differently than prescriptions drugs by the FDA. While ure-Na is not a prescription drug, it is to only be used while under the care of a health care provider.
Unlike supplements, Medical Foods are regulated under the FDA Orphan Drug Act. They are for the management of specific diseases and are used and dosed under the supervision of a health care provider.
To answer this question, first let's discus what BUN is.
BUN stands for Blood Urea Nitrogen. This test measures the amount of urea in your blood.
In normal physiology your liver produces ammonia, which contains nitrogen and hydrogen. Ammonia comes from the break down of proteins in your body. The nitrogen in ammonia combines with other elements: Carbon, oxygen, hydrogen to form urea. Urea subsequently travels from the liver to the kidney for eventual excretion in the urine. This is how the urea in ure-Na treats low sodium/SIADH, it tells the kidney to remove excess water to help bring sodium by improving the water:sodium ratio.
If you viewed the video on how ure-Na treats low sodium/SIADH, you may remember that ure-Na removes excess water which is diluting the sodium level in your body.
The normal BUN lab value varies, but is typically 6-24 mg/dl (2.1-8.5 mmol/L).
Urea as a treatment for Low sodium can elevate BUN as it is increasing the amount of urea in the blood.
Taken from a clinical perspective the question remains: What is the usual BUN level in a patient treated with ure-Na powder for low sodium?
In a study from the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology from 2012, patients with SIADH were treated for 1 year with oral Urea. The Urea doses were 15-30 grams per day which is 1-2 packets of ure-Na per day. The Average BUN in this study was 61 mg/dl with a range of 35-106 mg/dl. The mean serum sodium came up to 135 +/- 2 meq/L (normal 134-144 meq/L).
In another article published October 2024 in the American Journal of Kidney Disease looking at 6 different studies utilizing oral urea powder for SIADH the BUN was also elevated. In this analysis of studies the average BUN’s ranged from 40-96 mg/dl.
Clinical studies show Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) level of 35-106 mg/dl for a low sodium/SIADH patient treated with standard oral urea dosing is normal and is part of the physiological mechanism to treat low sodium/SIADH.
As you know by now, Hyponatremia is low sodium levels in the blood.
One would understandably think if blood sodium is low, taking more sodium in salty foods, table salt, or salt tablets will raise sodium.
While this may be the case for other electrolyte deficiencies, it often is not the case for low sodium/SIADH.
If potassium is low, doctors will prescribe potassium supplementation and if magnesium is low doctors prescribe magnesium supplementation.
So why in the case of hyponatremia, do doctors not just prescribe more salt?
If you viewed the video on how ure-Na treats low sodium you may recall that hyponatremia due to SIADH is not considered a salt problem, it’s considered a water problem, where too much water in the blood is diluting the level of sodium in the blood. ure-Na is this case helps remove excess water, without removing sodium, therefore raising sodium.
This said, it is a little more complicated than that and there are instances when giving salt or ure-Na with salt is the correct approach.
For more in depth information, there are links on the top of this page from the NKF and NIH that describe hyponatremia/SIADH thoroughly.
SIADH stands for the Syndrome of Inappropriate Anti-Diuretic Hormone.
SIADH is a clinical scenario where your body is secreting an excess level of the hormone ADH or Anti-Diuretic Hormone that causes a concentrated urine.
This concentrated urine will in turn not allow the body to excrete excess water taken in.
When you can't excrete excess water, water accumulates in the body and dilutes the blood sodium level to below normal levels.
How is SIADH diagnosed?
SIADH diagnosis begins with a volume exam, urinalysis, and a blood draw .
Basically, with SIADH you are retaining water, not salt.
if you wish to learn more, there are links at the top of the page from the NKF, NIH and UpToDate that thoroughly review hyponatremia/SIADH.
Idiopathic hyponatremia/SIADH means what is causing the inappropriate secretion of the Anti-Diuretic Hormone (leading to low sodium) is unknown.
The medical word for diseases or conditions of unknown origin is “idiopathic” which is defined as: conditions whose symptoms can be described but that have no known cause.
How common is idiopathic hyponatremia/SIADH?
About 30-50% of hyponatremia case are considered idiopathic.
When you have idiopathic hyponatremia/SIADH your doctor may order tests to try to determine if your hyponatremia is truly idiopathic.
These tests include:
CT and/or MRI of the brain
CT and/or X-ray of the chest
Thyroid and Adrenal tests like TSH/T4 Cortisol
Kidney function tests like BUN and Creatinine
Medication List reviewed
Age appropriate Cancer screenings
Discussion regarding fluid intake and overall diet
After appropriate testing is complete and the cause of the hyponatremia/SIADH is still unknown, then by definition you have idiopathic hyponatremia/SIADH.
Yes, ure-Na has been clinically studied.
ure-Na was studied by leading academic researchers from the University of Pittsburgh. The clinical study was conducted independently of Nephcentric, the developer of ure-Na and Nephcentric didn't know the trial was being conducted or what the results were unitll it was published. The trial and results are 100% independent of any influence from Nephcentric.
The trial is published in the Clinical Journal Of The American Society Of Nephrology (CJASN), which is the most respected American Medical Journal with a focus on Nephrology.
Click Here to link to the trial.
