Potassium-just Prescribed

[mom4cem]

Hi,

My cardio office clld and said he wants me to take some potassium. Blood showed low normal. Wants me to take it for 30 days, 20 mg of K-dur. Of course I worry about having too much potassium too. My last bloods in Feb. were normal. I had just had a episode in the morning yesterday and had the appt. in the late afternoon, wonder if that had anything to do with the potassium showing low normal.

What is the difference between a vitamin store supplement of 99mg to a rx prescribed 20mg? Wondering if anyone has used the supplement instead?

Do you take it in the a.m. or p.m.?

Anyone take potassium only after episodes?

How long have you used potassium?

I would like to think that maybe when I have the episodes it is on the low normal side and that is why the episodes start and if I take more potassium that I will have longer bouts of major tachy/arrhythmia free days.

Just a wee bit nervous about taking it. I am very sensitive to meds, like many of us are.

Any info is appreciated.

[Meliss446]

I have never taken store bought potassium supplements, but I have been on K-Dur for 4 years. I take 20 MEq two times a day, once in the morning, once at night. I have never had any problems with it. If you do have low levels of potassium, that can contribute to problems. Hypokalemia can cause muscle aches, which was a problem for me when my levels were too low. But I don't know about supplements, I have just always taken the K-dur

[Sunfish]

obviously i have no way of knowing for sure, but i'd guess that your prescription from your doc is for 20 mEq rather than 20mg. they are not the same thing and i'm almost certain that K-Dur doesn't come in mg measurements. mEqs is not technically convertable into milligrams as they're different types of measurements (potency versus weight/mass) but any supplements that you can purchase over the counter aren't nearly as strong as the prescription variety.

if you're worried about your levels getting too high you could ask your doc about trying 10mEq/day instead. since your levels were low normal and not low he might agree, but obviously don't make this call on your own. you could also ask to have your blood work repeated in two weeks or so to ease your concern.

more often than not i need continuous potassium supplements b/c my levels like to dip no matter how rich in potassium my diet is. currently i'm getting it via IV but if/when i'm able to scrap the IV nutrition i'll have to also resume my K-Dur pills as well. i've never once had high levels of potassium. i've taken Rx supplements of various strengths for most of the last 8-9 years.

K-Dur (and potassium in general) can be rough on the stomach but many have no problem. i tried a liquid version once as well but it tasted HORRIBLE & didn't make my tummy any happier. i have done better though with 10mEq pills twice a day than with 20mEq once a day but this is likely b/c my motility is SO slow (872 minutes for my tummy to empty these days...on motility meds.)

good luck,

melissa

[Ernie]

Hi,

I had no result with the K bought in the store but the K-dur at the pharmacy really helps me.

[morgan617]

I take 30 meq a day. Never had a problem. Potassium bought in stores is not regulated like it is from the FDA. I know the FDA is not perfect, but I'd go with a script anyday over not being sure how much I was actually getting. morgan

[maggee]

hi!

some facts:

----20 MEQ k-dur/potassium====1500 mg. potassium

----we need estimate of 3000- 4000 mg. potassium/day [so i read on the net ]

---do know all steroid drugs...like prednisone,hydrocortisone,etc...will deplete you of potassium.

----on other hand--ADRENAL INSUFFICIENCY WILL CAUSE BODY TO STORE POTASSIUM IN EXCESS.

so---tis a great, delicate balance to be aware of...and try to keep, as both too little--or too much....can be VERY CRITICAL, as you stated.

***many drugs can deplete....or increase potassium....in our systems.

....and am sure---many drugs have no affect on potassium whatsoever.

i was in a horrible state of hypokalemia when i was on hydrocortisone, and doc neverrrr told me to increase my potassium......after 11 weeks!!

i literally thought i was dying...and am sure i almost did.

perhaps, in view of you having episode...that morn..before blood draw..and now knowing you were in hypokalemic state......>>>>>

>>>>>your episode was lack of potassium orientated?????..or made your episode 3 times as worse as would have been?????

SOMETIMES--cannot see forest for the trees, when dealing with all things to balance....all our symtoms, and surviving/alleviating them....and so many drug sensitivities too.....

WARNING:

medications===DO NOT>>go by the write-up we get from drug store, on whether A MEDICATION affects potassium levels....either way.

***if potassium not mentioned...

>>>>search the net.....check with doctor....whatever you can do...to get correct answer, for everything you are taking!

such a fine line we must try and walk each day......but thank goodness and the dear Lord we have this group, and each other!!!!!

anyways.... i would try a 1/2 or 1/4 tablet at first....[as i do with allll meds.......lol ]

.....and make sure you sit up for 30 minutes after taking....

[on the drug-store write up ]

hope this helps....

best regards,

Maggee

[mom4cem]

Thanks guys,,Sunfish you were right it is 20meq not mg (what was I reading).

Thanks all for your input. Took my first dose this a.m.

How long before you notice any difference, if you did/do at all?

[Ernie]

Hi,

It took me 2 hours to feel the difference.

[OCsunshine]

I have been on K-Dur (now Klor-Con) for over a decade. I take 40meq daily. I have never tried over-the-counter K supplements BUT i do know that one time my pharmacy gave me the generic brand of K-dur instead. The real K-Dur that works for me is a big white pill with some rough texture to it. The cheap stuff they gave me once was a smooth round yellow pill. My body did NOT absorb the substitute/cheap brand at all, I wound up in the ER within a few days. It was awful.

Since that episode, I have learned that K is very hard for the body to absorb. So now I stick with the 'real' brand, and always take it with food. That's how it works best for me.

[Clairefmartin]

My cardio office clld and said he wants me to take some potassium. Blood showed low normal. Wants me to take it for 30 days, 20 mg of K-dur. Of course I worry about having too much potassium too. My last bloods in Feb. were normal. I had just had a episode in the morning yesterday and had the appt. in the late afternoon, wonder if that had anything to do with the potassium showing low normal.

I was wondering what your episode consisted of - I was in the ER a few weeks ago after a bad episode of my own, and my potassium came up low. I had started taking Florinef a few days earlier (which I now know depleats K), and I was SOB, my whole body fell asleep and was tingling, and I couldn't sit up without seeing spots.

Just wanted to compare issues - I was tested this past week for my K levels, but in the mean time have been eating extra bannanas and strwberries.

Thanks!

FYI

http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/nutrition/potassium.asp

[Poohbear]

I have taken potassium on and off for a while now. Florinef definately did a number on my potassium level and even prior to that (and since then as well) I had potassium issues.

Somewhere in one of the research articles it talks about how stress can deplete potassium as well. Keep in mind, "Stress" is not defined as only "emotional" stress but physical stress and what your brain/mind perceive to be a physical stress, which is what we sometimes even think of as "good" stress.

I used to take K-Dur 20 Meq and it was really too much for my stomach. K-Dur was also not coated. I switched to Klor-Con (which someone earlier implied that these brands are one and the same but I'm not sure that's correct simply because I recently tried to go back to the 20 meq K-Dur and it was different mfg and everything and we again went back to the Klor-Con). I can take Klor-Con which is a coated tablet and I can take 8 meq. I do better taking smaller quantities more frequently through the day. I do have to eat food with the med too.

I find that the K does lessen the severity of my autonomic storms and when my levels start dropping low again I start having bad flares so that's one of the first things we check.

I was always told that people who don't have sufficient K or are for some reason depleting it really don't benefit from the supplements because they just don't provide the same amount/chemical structure that the rx does.

Maybe you could supplement your diet with lots of K rich foods and try the 8 Meq but talk to your Dr. I'm allergic to banana and avocado which both have lots of K so I eat baked sweet potato which have a high potassium content (more than white potato). I also drink Juicy-Juice (found in the fruit juice isle of most grocery stores). The cherry flavor (which to me really tastes more like a grape punch mix) I believe has the highest potassium. I also like it because it is preservative fee and all natural. Broccoli is also high in K.

Good luck with this and let us know how it goes for you

[Guest tearose]

I too had low potassium on occasion...including visits to the ER and pcp....

We took a different route!

Since potassium was fine on some occasions, my pcp went to the research and suggested this logic...

High heart rates (like POTS swing rates) will result in lower potassium levels.

Magnesium helps retain/maintain proper potassium levels.

I just use magnesium supplement daily and eat potassium containing foods.

Anyone else do this?

curious, tea

[morgan617]

Tea, I just take the potassium, because of my periodic paralysis. I am really limited on what I can eat. Any type of carbs, even "good" carbs, affect my insulin levels, which in turn dump my potassium. There's a good explanation for it, something about calcium channels ions and stuff. But the point is, even the potassium I take won't help, if I eat carbs, and a lot of the foods high in potassium are also high in carbs.

My first K+ meds were klor-con and were orange coated. Now I take the white ones that dossolve the second you put them in your mouth, so you can get little crystals stuck in your teeth. (Lovely) However both of my scripts are called klor-con, even though the pills are very different. The dose is the same, it's just one is enteric coated and one isn't.

I can usually feel the effects within a couple hours and I can also feel it wearing off. I get very twitchy when it's starting to wear off. And my muscles ache and feel very weak. I take one about every eight hours or so. And my K+ is still never above 3.5 or so. morgan

[Guest tearose]

tnx for the info morgan!

hugs, tea