Potassium

Does anyone take potassium? I had issues with low potassium pre-op and post op and have been taking pot gluconate. But, leatning to read my labels, it looks like I aam only getting 90mg out of a 550mg tablet. Is there a better absorbed form?

 Are you taking potassium on the advice of a doctor and based on your labs?   Potassium is one nutrient that you want to have monitored properly, because you can run into big problems if you overload.   Potassium toxicity can cause irregular heart rhythms and possibly cardiac arrest.   

Ditto what Julie said.  If you are taking potassium under a doctor's supervision, there is Klor-Con or a generic equivalent.  It is a prescription potassium salt that comes in a packet about the size of a sweetener envelope. I take 20 mEq once a day.  I have gotten used to it, but at first it was very hard to drink.  It has a very strong taste.  I had to have it in ice cold flavored water like raspberry Dasani or other flavor.  It barely has any taste to me now in plain water, but believe me it was a long period of adjustment.  Icky taste or cardiac arrest?  Kind of a no brainer, eh?

You can get potassium Rx in the form of a pressed tablet.  I couldn't stomach the klor-con, and asked my dr. to prescribe the tablet and it was effective.  It still tastes awwwwfulllll if you let it dissolve even 2 seconds in your mouth, but it is still way better than klor-con! 

I started out taking 400mg a day of over the counter potassium (under the eye of my surgeon and RD), upped that to 600mg in 2009, and the last visit they said to up it to 800mg. My labs are hovering at the low-med end of the range. I buy the 99mg per tablet potassium gluc from Vitalady. 

--gina
 

Hmmm. . . may have to rethink that. Honestly my current pcp did advise me one of my visits during the last year to take potassium because it was low. And my surgeon recommended it when reviewing my labs around this time last year. Didn't do a rx or anything. Heard that off and on through my life, in fact it was so low when I went to ER for my gallbladder (2002) that they gave me a bag straight via IV. I can tell you. . . THAT was painful.

But, I digress (do that a lot, don't I?) . . .

So I guess it's more in consideration of my history than on current instruction that I thought it wise to include it when getting back on track with my supplements. Not experiencing leg cramps or the other symptoms, at least not that I am noticing. Will discuss in office visit on Tuesday.

One thing to start with: potassium is more controlled than you will find other supplements are.  You will NEVER find more than 99mg of potassium per pill in an OTC tablet, as manufacturers are capped at that amount.  If you look at the amounts in some foods, you'll find this is probably a very low amount in general.

Technically speaking, people with healthy kidneys should excrete excess potassium.  Not to mention you are on blood pressure meds, yes?  Are they diuretics?  Are they potassium-sparing or no?  If no, you are definitely at a higher risk for potassium deficiency.

If you are currently low according to your labs, you may consider an Rx for a couple of weeks to boost you and then try to hold steady with OTC.  Or, I know some doctors prescribe potassium as a method to lower blood pressure.  You may talk to your doc about a different therapy that includes potassium so that you do not become deficient and just keep an eye out to make sure it doesn't go too high.  It can definitely cause weakness in your muscles and I believe you had been previously complaining of that.

Another kinda sneaky way to get some extra potassium in without taking pills is to use a salt substitute.  Instead of sodium chloride, I believe most of them are potassium chloride, so you can actually get a pretty good dose of potassium in just a tiny small smount.  I put some in recipes sometimes and as long as you don't use too much, you probably won't taste it.  Cheap, too!  I've used NuSalt...blue little shaker.  Should cost you less than 2 bucks.  1/6 tsp has about 500 mg potassium.

Okay, yes, one the my HBP pills is a diuretic (HCT) and also my K+ was low (3.1) on my labs.  Currently taking two of the OTC potassium pills that are giving me 90mg each per day.  Labs were drawn only a week into my supplementing.  Would it be sound to stick with that as far as supplementation, but look for other more natural boosts in my regular eating.

You're right, I was experiencing muscle weakness that I associated with low protein.  My protein levels appear to be okay if I'm reading it right (8.1 & 7.4 - taken on 6/8 when they did my original draws and repeated in the Hep panel taken 6/17.  Should I be concerned about the drop in two weeks?)  The muscle weakness was worse the first two days last week and had all but disappeared by last Friday, though I was still dealing with dizziness.  The dizziness or light-headednes**** a peak on Friday.  By that night I was dealing with a lot of sinus-type pressure in my head (had to take three extra strength tylenols but was much gone by the time I picked up the OTC allergy med recommended on Sunday. It might have subsided earlier, but I kept my self on about 2 tylenols every 8 hours until Sunday so I can't be sure.

How do I find out if my diuretic is "potassium sparing?"

You're on a thiazide diuretic...not potassium-sparing.  This is a pretty common issue with diuretics and HBP is one of the most common health problems in the US so tons of people are on meds, there are a lot of different therapies to try.  I would discuss a change with my physician.
I really don't think 2 potassium OTC pills is going to be enough.  I think you should call your doctor to discuss the low potassium.  I mean, just for reference, tomatoes have like 400mg potassium, and as pointed out, tomato juices have over 600 in a cup.   And you're taking 200mg.  Rx forms of potassium will be at least 10meq and that's equivalent to over 700mg...

Im no nurse but I have read on here about people's dr's telling them to just drink 1 v8 low sodium a day.  It has 700 mg potassium for 1 can (5.5 oz).  I'm trying to drink one everyonce in a while starting today lol as my potassium was right on the bottom number.