Potassium supplementation - how much is dangerous?

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PoetKim
Low sodium V8 has approximately 100 mg Potassium Chloride per one ounce V8 juice. So when you drink one of those little 5.25 oz cans, you're getting 530 mg Potassium. I found that actually helped CONVERT me in my last afib episode. So I would say that much potassium is not a problem at all.

And as GeorgeN has pointed out here before, you can just buy straight potassium chloride in the product "No Salt" sold in supermarkets. And 1/4 tsp is 650 mg Potassium chloride. And you can use it to spike whatever beverage you want.

I have not gotten into daily potassium supplementation of this sort. But I will definitely be keeping those little cans of low sodium V8 handy for my next episode!

kim

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Pompon
Can excess of potassium lower my HR at rest?

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Carey
I'm not surprised you got the reaction you did. The entire medical community is convinced that potassium is deadly. And it can be if used improperly. How much is too much depends on kidney function and what drugs you're taking. If you have impaired kidney function I wouldn't take any at all without a doctor's guidance, and if you're taking a potassium sparing drug I wouldn't either (spironolactone, ACE inhibitors, ARBs, a few others).

But the thing about supplements is they're limited to 99 mg per pill in the US, which makes them a complete waste of money. You can get 100 mg of potassium from a few swigs of orange juice, a few nuts, or a hundred other perfectly safe things. The only way to get large doses of potassium from supplements is to go around the safeguards and buy salt substitutes or potassium in bulk (chloride, gluconate, etc). And that's where things can get dangerous if you have no way of measuring your serum potassium levels.

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GeorgeN
Not saying others should do this, but I've supplemented for a long time with 4g/day of potassium as citrate. If you have a kidney issue that doesn't excrete excess potassium then it can be very dangerous, as others have said. On the other hand, if you have healthy kidneys, they will excrete any excess immediately. Hence I put my 2 tsp of potassium citrate (powder) in a liter (ish) of water and drink it over the day. My version of "timed release."

Years ago, I took 8 grams at one sitting without any negative consequences.

The recommended intake of potassium from all sources is around 4.5 g/day.

The issue becomes when you don't excrete excess and your serum level gets too high. My most recent serum test was 3.9 mmol/L after an overnight fast (likely 15 hours). I like to keep my serum potassium above 4.0 and ideally around 4.5. My first (and only) visit to the ER for afib was in 2004 and my serum potassium was 3.2, hence my focus on it.

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MikeN
One thing to note is that after eating a potato, my heart calms down much more than from the potassium chloride. At least that's what it seems like.

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MikeN
One thing to note is that after eating a potato, my heart calms down much more than from the potassium chloride. At least that's what it seems like.

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MikeN
GeorgeN,
I remember you talking about potassium citrate before, I think you bought in bulk? The potassium chloride seems a bit hard on the stomach...I'll give citrate a try.

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Jackie
In our forum ‘early days,’ there was an abundance of helpful reports presented on the function of the potassium and magnesium ‘synergy’ contributed by PC, MD and the effects on the refractory period. These are are archived and definitely worth reviewing for the fundamentals. As you read through, you’ll notice that there are individually-unique variables so no one specific dosing protocol is considered “standard.”

Diurnal Rhythm of Potassium [www.afibbers.org]

Magnesium & Potassium in LAF By Patrick Chambers, MD Session 14A. [www.afibbers.org]

And also see CR Sessions 72 and 74 for other reports as well.
[www.afibbers.org]

Additionally, the importance of potassium: sodium ratio should also be on the “awareness” list. Here’s a clip that includes the archived report: (and also note that some people need to monitor closely potassium intake… one of our afibbers was sensitive to potassium and used a Cardymeter to help him stay out of trouble. Again, covered in the CR Session archives [www.afibbers.org]

And this past post is worth checking for content and reader response including PCs observations…

“Let’s Not Forget About Potassium”
Author: Jackie
Date: 03-09-04
[www.afibbers.org]

There's a lot of material here to read... but do take the time to review and reflect on your particular situation. This applies to more health issues than afib but definitely very important for AF.

Jackie