Potassium Supplementation

[CR5442]

Wanted to ask what the standard amount of potassium supplementation was for you all daily? I realised I was short a few days ago with a lot of muscle pain, excessive tiredness and strange feelings around my heart and poor water balance. I'm taking a 600mg slow release tablet. What does everyone else take/recommend? Is this a nutrient that we need to keep supplementing?

Also at the moment I am using Fitday to work out my daily nutrients and Potassium is the one lacking as I am on low starch/carbs because of reactions. What exactly is the RDA for potassium?

[kareng]

My boys work outside in the 100 degree heat. Potassium is something they need to make sure they get enough of. They drink more milk and fruit juices ( apple, grape & orange). One will eat bananas. My mom needs a bit more potassium and her doc prefers she drink juice and milk rather than take a supplement. Just another way to get more potassium.

Google potassium foods and you can get a list. You can google the RDA, too.

[frieze]

Wanted to ask what the standard amount of potassium supplementation was for you all daily? I realised I was short a few days ago with a lot of muscle pain, excessive tiredness and strange feelings around my heart and poor water balance. I'm taking a 600mg slow release tablet. What does everyone else take/recommend? Is this a nutrient that we need to keep supplementing?

Also at the moment I am using Fitday to work out my daily nutrients and Potassium is the one lacking as I am on low starch/carbs because of reactions. What exactly is the RDA for potassium?

What country are you in? In the USA there is a limit on how much K+ (potassium) can be in one OTC tab. Which I believe is 99 mg. You can get into dangerous territory, cardiac wise, if you over do it; especially if you have any underlying kidney disease.

Food sources are good, if you can tolerate those foods, citrus and bananas, turkey as far as protein sources go....good luck

[Chad Sines]

The salt substitutes have potassium in them too.

[CR5442]

I do really well with slow release 600mg per day - I am allowed that over the counter because of the crazy food limitations I have. I am only allowed Bananas in the fruit group because of salicylate sensitivity but can only take one a day because of starch/sugar issues and therefore most of the vegetable food group is out too. Supplementation is the only way for me to go.

What other supplements/quantities do you all take?

[mushroom]

I take a prescription slow-release potassium, and have been told to be sure to balance that out with magnesium supplementation also to maintain the electrolyte balance in the body, which is particularly important for proper heart function, along with sodium.. Magnesium can normally be taken "to bowel tolerance" which means that if you start getting diarrhea from it you are taking too much You need to start off in small amounts and work your way up to tolerance with magnesium supplementation.

[CR5442]

I take a prescription slow-release potassium, and have been told to be sure to balance that out with magnesium supplementation also to maintain the electrolyte balance in the body, which is particularly important for proper heart function, along with sodium.. Magnesium can normally be taken "to bowel tolerance" which means that if you start getting diarrhea from it you are taking too much You need to start off in small amounts and work your way up to tolerance with magnesium supplementation.

Mushroom, this is great advice! What amounts of Magnesium do you need to take if say you were taking 600mg Potassium? I was taking 150mg ocassionally but kind of lost faith in whether it was doing me any good or not!

[mushroom]

Mushroom, this is great advice! What amounts of Magnesium do you need to take if say you were taking 600mg Potassium? I was taking 150mg ocassionally but kind of lost faith in whether it was doing me any good or not!

I would choose a chelated form of magnesium like magnesium glycinate and start with 100 or 150 mg. a day. Do not increase the dose for a week, then add another 100. Any time an increase in dose gives you diarrhea back off on the dosage, this is what they mean by bowel tolerance. You can find out a lot of useful information on potassium and magnesium (and sodium - cut out the salt ) on afibbers.org. Just do a search for magnesium.

[frieze]

I do really well with slow release 600mg per day - I am allowed that over the counter because of the crazy food limitations I have. I am only allowed Bananas in the fruit group because of salicylate sensitivity but can only take one a day because of starch/sugar issues and therefore most of the vegetable food group is out too. Supplementation is the only way for me to go.

What other supplements/quantities do you all take?

Could you do the favor of checking you Potassium product and tell me if it says 600 mg of potassium, or 600 mg of poatassium chloride or other compound? thanks

[CR5442]

Could you do the favor of checking you Potassium product and tell me if it says 600 mg of potassium, or 600 mg of poatassium chloride or other compound? thanks

Hi Frieze, yes, it is 600mg of potassium Chloride. Mushroom, for your slow release potassium, what amount are you on and do you know what your reading was before you started supplementing? I was borderline low even though i was supplementing between 600-1200mg per day of the above when I was last checked - had had diarrhoea for over 6 months by that point. NHS docs here refuse to do a repeat panel as they are in procedure lock down unless you are dying because of the cuts.

[frieze]

Hi Frieze, yes, it is 600mg of potassium Chloride. Mushroom, for your slow release potassium, what amount are you on and do you know what your reading was before you started supplementing? I was borderline low even though i was supplementing between 600-1200mg per day of the above when I was last checked - had had diarrhoea for over 6 months by that point. NHS docs here refuse to do a repeat panel as they are in procedure lock down unless you are dying because of the cuts.

Ah! then it makes sense. Mine is K+ gluconate 595 mg=99 mg of K+.

so yours is in that ball park. one possible choice for M++ is magdelay/mag64, sustained release magnesium, but you will need to ask the pharmacist, and shop around, the price varies a lot.

Duh, went and reread, and see that you are in the UK. Don't know what the laws are there.

[CR5442]

Ah! then it makes sense. Mine is K+ gluconate 595 mg=99 mg of K+.

so yours is in that ball park. one possible choice for M++ is magdelay/mag64, sustained release magnesium, but you will need to ask the pharmacist, and shop around, the price varies a lot.

That's a relief to know Frieze! Do you take one or two of your slow release K+ daily? I'm on Solgar magnesium at the moment but it is 200mg and I'm not sure my body likes the bulking agent. I might try the magnesium you suggest above. Are you in the UK - if you are who supplies you?

[LeahBanicki]

Thanks everyone for sharing... Learning from others is such a benefit here.

[CR5442]

To report back on the potassium supplementation I am starting to see a big difference noteably in my muscle strength, and in ability to have a bowel movement. This time of the month (day 22) I would normally be really struggling to go to the loo and feel very weak, tired and also HOT in the mornings. Now I feel a lot stronger, have a really good BM in the morning and no noteable heat/sweating in the mornings. All GOOD!

For the record yesterday I had Magnesium 200mg (Solgar), 2x K+ slow release (spaced with 10 hours in between) and 2x bananas. I might drop this brand of magnesium and look for something lower as Mushroom suggested as I had a bit of a reaction to this dose and will add my multivitamin back in.

Does anyone know any of the supplements that block potassium... i heard that it was calcium and zinc? Anyone know if this is true?