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low in potassium


Good that you can get overall testing done and that you know vits in food etc. I wanted to know from my Gp If I needed iron liquid or tablets. She said they would cause my stomach more problems so just started reeling off food she knew I could manage... brilliant GP, really grateful for her.

I'm so OTT that I can't take a multivitamin because that would cause my vit C, A and E to be too much each day so have to buy individually.
 

Sad you have so much trouble with your stomach do you know of the acid free kind of vitamin C ? because to take up iron What you might already know you need vitamin C in the same meal . Oh too much I didn't understand that right away
 
Freema, I hope you are feeling better. I just wanted to let you know that my mother had potassium imbalances first low then too high after supplements. You said you are also peeing more frequently-mom had low potassium and more frequent urination with a urinary tract infection which we eventually got diagnosed and corrected with the correct antibiotic. We are all more prone to UTI as we get older.
 
Hi yoyo, How much Spiro do you take? In some males it causes breast development! Hope you are ok. regards Derek
 
Good morning well I Think 2 tablets Yesterday was too much I have had a kind of Hangover This whole Night and also now so won't repeat today . Maybe it is the sodium I am low in mostly because of the extensive training I do 3 days a week like 4 hours at a time . I used to be low in sodium before even under the the lowest in the acceptable range so maybe I have come even lover so today I'll take a little more salt . I actually have a swedish salt called seltin in which there is a small amount of potassium in especially created for heart patients .... But maybe that'll be too much today as well so I'll sin and eat som a very small amount og potato chips like 25grams for breakfast/lunch today . My morning blood glucose is 5.5 mmol today so that'll be alright . No salted peanuts will be better
 
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Yes I'll have excamined if I have an urinary tract infection .
 
Hi Derek @lindisfel I take 250mg per day, plus slow k and MagTab. Yes you are right about the benign breast tissue development in men, luckily I'm a woman so that's ok. However, through my Gitelmans FB group I have encountered quite a few men taking spiro with no problems at all, although these days the doctors prefer to start you off on an alternative such as eplerenone or amiloride. I'm lucky that I have absolutely no side effects on the (fairly high) dose that I take and my potassium is now in the normal range.

If you're taking a potassium sparing diuretic it's also important to keep your sodium intake up as salt is lost in the process. Couple that with the sodium losses from a low carb diet and we are talking a lot of salt. Luckily I like salty food!
 
I too am getting high potassium levels in my last blood letting. My GP wants to sign me up for a kidney biopsy asap. But my retest was lower, and I am only just outside range, so I am hanging fire on the surgery. She also wamts to send me in for a bowel resection and an oesophegal scan because my iron levels dropped slightly. I blame LCHF and my heart meds for that. I am on iron tabs now.
My old GP was less bloodthirsty. He is on indefinite sick leave at the moment, so hope he comes back soon. Not sure I can put up with the stand-in locum
So to recap I have high potassium with high BP.
 
One of the problems I see with LCHF diet is that we cut out most of the fortified food sources, that are mainly grain based (i.e. bread, breakfast cereals etc) so see an immediate(?) drop in iron and folate. Also cutting most fruits also cuts down on vit C, so if you also cut down on meat products, then need to definitely increase leafy greens to compensate. There are other sources of iron and folate, so need to adjust diet to make sure we are ok. Luckily LCHF is generally high in potassium sources such as nuts avacado Greens etc.
 

This is why I wanted to emphasise to @Freema that it is not a good idea to make the assumption that high BP should be treated by potassium supplements. A blood test will show levels. Guessing and adding in a supplement if level is already high can damage kidneys.

Sorry you are having high potassium levels, @Oldvatr . Make sure you have a repeat blood test, as false readings can be obtained if the blood collecting needle damages the blood vessel. I am waiting for results of second blood test. In the meantime, I have reduced coffee consumption, drinking plenty of water, in order to flush out any possible excess of potassium. Unfortunately, some of the food I love, such as cheese, yogurt and nuts will have to be reduced too. I haven't been eating much fruit. I have also read that raw veg should be avoided, and potatoes and white bread are back on the menu. I am holding out for results of recent blood test before following that route though.
Would reiterate, truly elevated potassium levels are not to be ignored. Equally, anyone thinking their levels are low, get a blood test before adding in supplements.

Edit: Sorry @Oldvatr . Just realised you have already had second blood test. As it was lower than first, I think you are wise to hold back on kidney biopsy, but do keep an eye on it, and have frequent blood tests.
 
the supplement of pottasium I have bought is 2 tablet equal to 15% of daily aquired amount.. so they are not really strong suplements and I do not go eating a lot.. I have a nurse that I see every 3 weeks for a while when being on this very low calorie diet of 1000 calories pro day, and of cause there is a risk for getting low in some kinds of nutrients when changing ones diet overnight and going under half of what one usually used to eat calorie-wise

but as I got a hangover this night I think salt /sodium is the main problem...as it is years ago I had a hangover... so only the days I train more than 1000 calories I´ll eat a half teaspoon of sodium when I get home or an Little handfull og salted peanuts..

but still Wonder why my usually ideal blood pressure has changed so much from my diet changes and weight loss as usually people get a better blood pressure while loosing weight I´ve heard...
or am I wrong in that

have you gotten better or worse blood presure from loosing a lot of weight fast ?

in the first 3 month I also ate very much protein , like more than my daily needs of about 85 grams and in protein rich foods there is a lot of phosperous .. so I suddenly got much more phosper than I used to... maybe that too could attribute to raised blood pressure.
Now I only eat about 80-90 grams of proteins a day...

in Denmark there are some standard blood samples done every 3 month and the GP seems to have told the nurse that is all I´ll get... so maybe I can not get all the information that I need to get all my nutrients in place even though it is a rather drastic change in food style...
 
@Freema, I am very concerned that you are making an assumption that your high blood pressure is due to low potassium. It may or may not be. As you are seeing a nurse every three weeks whilst you are on a very low calorie diet, I urge you to discuss your high blood pressure with the nurse before you start taking regular dietary supplements . The nurse will monitor your blood pressure and can check most recent blood results, or request more testing if necessary.
 

well she knows my number has risen but says it is nothing
 
Have you ever been loaned the 24 or 48 hour blood pressure machine to wear.

Just thinking how much my and hubby BP goes up at doctors compared to when at home.....hubby had to wear a machine and it proofed he has white coat syndrome...
 
Since I have Conns and don't lose salt I do not need sodium. That is a lot of Spiro you take Yoyo and it is twice as effective as Eplerenone/mg. regards Derek

 
I have the same problem donnely!

donnellysdogs said:
Have you ever been loaned the 24 or 48 hour blood pressure machine to wear.

Just thinking how much my and hubby BP goes up at doctors compared to when at home.....hubby had to wear a machine and it proofed he has white coat syndrome...
Click to expand...
 
As this is about low potassium and having supplements, what do people here think of using something like a low-sodium salt substitute which has sodium-chloride replaced by potassium-chloride? Would that work?
 
I take Losartan Potassium as I had high blood pressure for some time.

Losartan is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). It is also used to lower the risk of stroke in certain people with heart disease and also.it is sometimes used to slow long-term kidney damage in people with type 2 diabetes who also have high blood pressure.
 
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