How Much Daily Potassium Do You Recommend?

I thought I would try taking NOW brand potassium gluconate powder. I tried 1.5 grams per day divided into 3 daily doses of 500mg each. That didn't work so well because I had a terrible upset stomach, the sudden urge to hit the bathroom, and boderline diarrhea! The stuff was awful. I tried it for one full week and these side effects never went away until I stopped taking it.

I know potassium is important for us afibbers so I'm wondering how much I should take of this powder. If I can only tolerate 500mg per day let's say, would that even make a difference?

Are there other forms of potassium I can take? I know there are potassium capsules but they only have 99mg per dose. I'd have to take a bottle's worth every day to get adequate doses.

I've tried low sodium V8 but if I have more than one glass (900mg of potassium) I get really bad gas.

I guess I'm looking for a bare minimum dose I could take that would have some benefits to it while not upsetting my stomach and GI tract If you think the one glass of low sodium V8 helps then maybe I'll just stick with that for now.

Travis

Travis - Keep in mind, that the primary electrolyte needed in your body at optimal levels inside cells... first and foremost ...is magnesium. Low magnesium levels contribute to low potassium levels. Are you supplementing with magnesium?

The supplemental form of potassium citrate may not be as reactive with your intestines as that is the form found in food. You can open 5 of the capsules that are 99 mg each and try that rather then the gluconate. Or... take the gluconate form with a meal and see if helps once you get your magnesium optimized.

The LS V8 had potassium chloride added and that's well known to cause gastric distress for some individuals.

Have you tried including avocados in your daily diet as a great natural source of potassium? About 500 mg in a California Avocado (versus lower count for Florida avocado). They are great on salads or mashed with lemon/lime juice. Very healthy fat. Of course, the challenge is to eat potassium containing foods that also have a low glycemic load because you don't want to be causing a glucose handling issue which then depletes even more magnesium and potassium... so relying on bananas, orange juice or baked potatoes for potassium isn't helpful.

It's best to try to get most of your potassium from unprocessed foods. With magnesium, it's very difficult to eat enough foods to reach the required optimal levels, but with potassium, it's quite easy... and then you only need to add minimal supplemental potassium if your daily intake count falls short. Since both are in high in body requirement demand, it's easy to become depleted if you aren't making a continual conscious effort to include high K foods.

Jackie

PS - I should have also commented that I find that being on Eliquis has had a disruptive effect on my otherwise quiet intestinal tract. I have weird pains, often bloating and gas that began when I started Eliquis. It's interesting that I also had that with warfarin.

So... your intestinal problems may also be related to Eliquis ...not that we have a lot of options at the moment... but it could be working behind the scenes.

J.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/2015 02:59PM by Jackie.

Travis,

The standard advice is to get ~4.7 g/day, ideally mostly through food. You might try <[cronometer.com] and put foods in to see what it takes (once you've put a food in, you can click on it to see its nutrient values). My diet is very low carb, primarily plant based (with modest animal protein from eggs, shell & white fish) from non-starchy veggies (avoiding lectins from grains, legumes and nightshades) & I get 2.7 g/day from food.

George



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/2015 02:41PM by GeorgeN.