Hey everyone,

I have been wondering if I should try potassium supplements and whether it is safe or not. I am already taking a multivitamin and magnesium and calcium supplements and wonder if this would also help or hurt in my fight against hbp.

Also, I have been having some really bad hot flashes. Could this be due to my magnesium supplementation? I am possibly entering menopause, I just haven't had any tests to prove this. I also read in a post that hormone imbalance could cause my hbp. What do you all think?

My bp was 132/84 when I checked it this morning. It has been running a little higher but has come down since I am watching everything I eat. No salt, lots of veggies, six small meals a day, more water (lots more water), no soda, one cup of coffee per day.

I haven't been able to walk lately due to an injured ankle (pushed myself to hard). When I do walk I tend to get lower numbers.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Liz

Because getting excess amounts of potassium is dangerous, the government limited the amount in over-the-counter pills to 99 mg. Unfortunately, that amount is so low that it is about worthless. That's only about 3% of the daily need for most people. You get about five times as much just by eating one banana. Prescription potassium pills are available in higher doses, but should obviously only be used if testing has shown it is needed.

Realistically, one can get an adequate amount of potassium by eating a proper diet, which includes plenty of fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, many people eat less of these foods than they should, so it is possible that their mineral consumption may be out of proportion, especially if they are big salt eaters.

According to the USDA, a person on a 2000 calorie diet should have about 3500 mg. potassium daily. A banana provides about 467 mg. You may wish to download a .pdf file of the USDA publication "Nutritive Value of Foods" from the following site if you want a complete listing of other sources. Be aware, though, that you'd probably have to print out the pages you want and tape together, as the charts are two pages wide and potassium is on the right side, making it difficult to read on the monitor.

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/HG72/hg72.html

Bananas and baked potatoes are excellent for low potassium.

That is why the Dash Diet is supposed to be so good because it emphasizes eating more fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy for calcium and less red meat. Orange juice also has a lot of potassium...

3500mg??? No wonder I was hypokalemic!!! :eek:

I agree with everyone aboves answer ... also Avacados are high in potassium as is low sodium V-8........

Anyone who goes hypokalemic on any BP med should start taking daily supplemental potassium chloride in prescription strength. The usual dose is 20 Meq (millequivalents) which is equal to 800 mg of potassium. The cheap pill will cover a multitude of dietary sins with almost no risk of getting serum potassium too high.

Lenin, I'll be having that discussion with the doc this Friday.

I went hypo after a series of unfortunate events including heavy sweating from exercise, vomitting and diarrhea after a "bug". But it may be the case that becoming hypo may have actually caused the cramping, vomitting and diarrhea. When the doc looked back on my labs over the last couple of years, I was always one or two points away from hypo.

Since it is clear that I can't tolerate Triam/HCTZ with my Cozaar, I'll have to go back to Hyzaar with pot. supplement. But I will stick with the reduced dose of Hyzaar (he cut it in half). I still think that I'll need to eat a variety of pot. containing food to keep my pot. levels up.

Meanwhile, I grow fat and bloated as a pig, because I can't work out and I can't take the full dose of diuretic that my body desperately needs. Blood pressure is hanging in at about 130/90. I'm just so tired of it all.

Sorry for the thread-jack.

To Tamsin;

I ended up in the hosipital over New Years due to low potassium. I was taking 25mg of HCTZ and 100/25 Hyzaar and was ok for about two years. My potassium was always between 4.0 and 5. Around Christmas I got sick and didn't eat or drink right. At the Drs office I passed out and spent the next 3 days in the hosipital on a Potassium drip. Since I got out the Dr has changed my prescription 5 times and now I'm back on Hyzaar 100/12.5 abd Toprol 50mg with a 10 meg potassium suppliment. I go for a blood test next week along with the cardioligist sending me for a nuclear stress test. My blood pressure is still around 135 to 140 over 75 to 85.

There is one consideration: ARB's and ACEI's are both potassium sparing. To what extent I'm not sure but anyone taking losartan with potassium supplements should be sure to test serum K+ every couple months.
I think the postassium sparing effect is slight but best to play it safe.

Hi ebrown.

I was on Hyzaar 100/25 for about 5 years until a couple of months ago when I landed in the ER with a a pot. level of 2.8 and an irregular heartbeat. It was a delightful experience. They kicked me out after a 20 meg drip and some horse pills of potassium. When I saw the PA for follow up, my level was in the low range of "normal" so she told me I was fine, and sent me on my way. A few more workouts at the gym and I was back to dizzy and feeling faint. Went to my real doc (who finally had an opening) and he tested me and I was about 4.0. Looked back over my labs and found that I was always boderline low (hello???). Put me on Cozaar and Triam/HCTZ, said I was overmedicated. The Triam left me with god-awful fatigue, headache, muscle aches, confusion, etc.--way worse then I ever felt on Hyzaar. Tried everything, eating lots of potassium-rich foods and taking reduced dosage of the Triam. No good. Dizzy again after the gym. For the last two days I have been breaking my old Hyzaar in half and eating about 1500 mg of potassium in yogurt, blackstrap molasses, orange juice and oranges. I don't dare go to the gym. But the gym is a major factor in keeping my BP down.

Had a GYN appointment today--pressure was 144/94, but I do have white coat. Still, I need that whole dose of diuretic, badly. And I need to be able to workout. Still feeling shoulder pain and tired today, hope I can make it through work tonight. Did you try Triam/HCTZ? What else did you try? Seeing my doc tomorrow.

T.

After the hosipital my potassium went back to 4.0. The dr put me on cozaar 50mg and I have been sending bp reading from home every week taken in the morning and evening. The last 8 weeks the meds have changed every week, 100mg cozaar, Norvasc from 5 ot 10mg in two weeks, toprol XL from 12.5 to 50 in 3 weeks and now Hyzaar 100/12.5 plus toprol 50mg . I also take vytorin 10/20. I just got a prescription for 10meg of potassium. I do go to the gym 4 times a week and seem to be ok. I just can't seem to get my blood pressure down below 135/80 on a consistant basis. i was on adalat 60mg for 3 years and used to tell my previous dr about this cough I would get. He said it wasn't the meds so I changed drs and after telling him he tried different meds and found I was right. i was ok and mu bp was 125/80 for about 6 months taking diruetics until I got sick. i just hope i can get my bp down without taking more meds. My dr said some people take 4 or more and doesn't much about it. I just worry about the long term side affects.

ebrown

My BP was a fab 110/80 on Hyzaar 100/25. Then came the crash.

Best of luck to you in finding the right combo.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I just hope my dr finds the right combination.

ebrown