Managing Potassium Deficiency - Share your experience

[vortex]

A great thread!

I've been taking the methylfolate very slowly so finally am at a full capsule of Douglas Laboratories B-complex with Metafolin (400 mg mfolate) . . . which took the better part of the past year to accomplish, given that I have an extreme reaction to even, as one person put it, just enough to cover the head of a toothpick. My potassium needs have not diminished at all over time (I have to have potassium gluconate powder 6x during the day and also at least once in the middle of the night). I do take magnesium -- another thing that took a long time to sort out and adjust to -- but probably could be taking more, so I'm glad this thread reminded me to consider that.

I too have realized that probably a lot of what I suffered with over the past several years has been due to low potassium.

And yes, one of the most difficult symptoms is the anxiety verging on panic, making me feel insane in the middle of the night. But knowing what it is, I take a 5-HTP and wait it out -- 40 minutes is about how long it takes for K+ to kick in for me, then I totally fall dead asleep and am in a great mood when I wake up (if I've had enough potassium).

I continue to find it fascinating why only some of us need it to this extent. And we don't even know the mechanism. Is it because we excrete it too fast? Are we not able to make use of what we have? Is there a missing link somehow? Multiple mechanisms faulty?

It's also scary to be this dependent on an element this way. Now that you mentioned it, Caledonia, I think the medical alert bracelet would be a really good idea. They seem to cost about $30 to get an engraved one.

What I worry about is traveling -- what if I lost my powder? It's a specialty item I have to order online -- you can't just go out and buy it in a store. I carry a film canister size container of it with me at all times. But if I lost access to it I'd be coming apart in about 4 hours and food potassium is nearly useless for me. I have a trip coming up in November so I'm considering sending some there in advance, in case it were to get lost while I was in transit.

Anyway, the upside is that now, with mB-12, mfolate, magnesium, potassium, etc., I'm doing better than I have at any time in the last several years. And even after a house move this summer, which was an insane amount of stress. The only thing that continues to totally elude me is my digestive issue with bloating. But at a certain point I sort of gave up on figuring it out when I hit a brick wall with even getting the tests done. My insurance will pay, but the doctor wouldn't order them. Then the move happened . . . maybe I'll have to get back to that too at some point.

6 x a day, how much per dose though?? I posted earlier in this thread that potassium from food doesn't seem to do anything for me but I take potassium gluconate 99mg and I feel drugged it is so powerful for me. Anyway, for traveling why don't you get potassium gluc capsules. Powder is a mess and tsa might just take it just because they don't know what it is.

 

[caledonia]

D'you think it's possible to start up dormant methylation with vitamin C? I'm slowing ramping up the dose, and it's pretty much all I can presently tolerate. Now at around a gram, I am feeling these symptoms in spades. I almost feel a little over stimulated, fearful, tired but wide awake, very terse and distressed. Very weird feeling. Might be unrelated!

@Leon Vitamin C is an antioxidant, so it might promote some detox. It also supports the adrenals. I suggest backing off on the dose until you can tolerate it. Try cutting it in half, and if that's not enough, cut it in half again and so on. After you're on it for awhile, you can try increasing again.

I also take things in smaller doses, 3-4 times a day vs. one big dose. My naturopath had me doing this, because they said it helps things absorb better. I just sort of continued the habit.

 

[Freddd]

Great to hear things are working better for you. Could I ask what you use to get your electrolyte balance -- just the pill supplements or do you have any liquid electrolyte drink you recommend. The last one I tried which is what SOC uses my pulse pressure dropped to the 20's. Looking for non-sugar alternatives as every Pedialyte type drink I've seen so far is chock full of glucose.

I did just purchase a nano-potassium liquid form to try, will let you all know how it goes. I still get calf sensations threatening cramps (mostly night time) even though I'm trying to eat more potassium rich foods.

Hi Sparrowhawk,

Do you have symptoms of neuropathy in feet and/or legs and/or hands and/or arms, strange feelings of many sorts from spider webs to intense pain or numbness. " calf sensations threatening cramps" sounds very suspicious in that way.

 

[girlfromeurope]

Hi I'm experiencing the same. I thought I had all the symptoms of low potassium after starting methylation but now i think it's magnesium.
Are you also supplementing on potassium ? or only magnesium?

 

[howirecovered]

I'm up to 5,400 mg potassium now. Cramping is greatly reduced but still have a little bit. I seem to sleep poorly on the days that I increase potassium.

I also take 2 g of magnesium.

Still struggling to keep urine pH from going too alkaline...

 

[Sparrowhawk]

Hi Sparrowhawk,

Do you have symptoms of neuropathy in feet and/or legs and/or hands and/or arms, strange feelings of many sorts from spider webs to intense pain or numbness. " calf sensations threatening cramps" sounds very suspicious in that way.

I've had muscle jerking off and on mostly in my feet. But can be all over my body. Seems to be worst right as I'm trying to go to sleep at night. It has decreased in the last month or so in frequency and intensity to the point where it's not keeping me from sleeping now. I've only occasionally had the "someone is sticking a needle in the bottom of my foot" sensation which is what I most associate with neuropathy.

Thanks.

 

[Freddd]

I'm up to 5,400 mg potassium now. Cramping is greatly reduced but still have a little bit. I seem to sleep poorly on the days that I increase potassium.

I also take 2 g of magnesium.

Still struggling to keep urine pH from going too alkaline...

Hi Howirecovered,

5400mg is a LOT of potassium. How much b1, b2, and b3 are you taking daily? Have you had your urine checked for excess excretion? That is where "excess" potassium ends up. So if it isn't being used in your body where is the need coming from.

 

[howirecovered]

Hi Howirecovered,

5400mg is a LOT of potassium. How much b1, b2, and b3 are you taking daily? Have you had your urine checked for excess excretion? That is where "excess" potassium ends up. So if it isn't being used in your body where is the need coming from.

B1: 480 mg benfotiamine
B2: 100 mg
B3: 500 mg inositol hexanicotinate

I've had tight muscles and tendinitis/ repetitive strain injury for at least 13 years...

Just got my genetic profile back from 123andme and someone was nice enough to walk me through it who pointed out my heterogenous ACE Del16 rs4343 is known to be related to potassium loss. It was also very impactful to hear how many genetic reasons I have for pursuing methylation support. I know I'm on the right track.

I did have a urine challenge test for mercury and it showed extremely high potassium loss.

Am all ears if you have any ideas on how to fix this! Thanks for reading

 

[Freddd]

B1: 480 mg benfotiamine
B2: 100 mg
B3: 500 mg inositol hexanicotinate

I've had tight muscles and tendinitis/ repetitive strain injury for at least 13 years...

Just got my genetic profile back from 123andme and someone was nice enough to walk me through it who pointed out my heterogenous ACE Del16 rs4343 is known to be related to potassium loss. It was also very impactful to hear how many genetic reasons I have for pursuing methylation support. I know I'm on the right track.

I did have a urine challenge test for mercury and it showed extremely high potassium loss.

Am all ears if you have any ideas on how to fix this! Thanks for reading

Hi Howirecovered,

I would cut down to
b1 - 40- 50mg daily
b2 - 30-40mg daily,
b3 - Niacin 100mg/day

plus other b factors. Too much b1, b2 and b3 overdrive potassium loss and folate need for unknown reasons. When I cut them back my potassium need dropped over 50% and the folate minimum dropped 75%. Good luck.

MeCbl, AdoCbl, l-methylfolate and LCF


inositol is something else. I don't know what effect it has on the potassium/folate matter.

 

[Violeta]

I've had tight muscles and tendinitis/ repetitive strain injury for at least 13 years...

I did have a urine challenge test for mercury and it showed extremely high potassium loss.

Could it be possible that the potassium loss is from something causing diuresis? I've been looking at vasopressin (an antidiuretic hormone) deficiency and noticed that it can cause loss of potassium.

 

[Violeta]

For the tendonitis you might want to try reishi.

You can cover more than one base with reishi. Here's something healing1 said about mushrooms:

Mushrooms are a critical detox of negative ions like Bromide and Fluoride, they are loaded with chitin, the Chinese have a big problem with Fluoride poisoning and are looking at penguins who eat artic krill that are loaded with fluoride and believe they detox it through the chitin shell in the shrimp, mushrooms have the same chitin and it is an "anion exchange resin" like a "cation exchange resin" for positive ions like metals, biotoxins, dioxins, etc, for example cholestyramine, EDTA, citrate and others to some extent.

 

[howirecovered]

Hi Howirecovered,

I would cut down to
b1 - 40- 50mg daily
b2 - 30-40mg daily,
b3 - Niacin 100mg/day

plus other b factors. Too much b1, b2 and b3 overdrive potassium loss and folate need for unknown reasons. When I cut them back my potassium need dropped over 50% and the folate minimum dropped 75%. Good luck.

thank you Fred, I will try that right away and let you know what happens!!
-eric

 

[Freddd]

Could it be possible that the potassium loss is from something causing diuresis? I've been looking at vasopressin (an antidiuretic hormone) deficiency and noticed that it can cause loss of potassium.

A popular diuretic, Lasix (furosemide) is "not potassium sparing" as are a number of others. Some herbs are also diuretic to a greater or lesser extent and perhaps may affect potassium.

 

[howirecovered]

Could it be possible that the potassium loss is from something causing diuresis? I've been looking at vasopressin (an antidiuretic hormone) deficiency and noticed that it can cause loss of potassium.

from a quick read on Wikipedia, I wouldn't be surprised because it sounds like you need a healthy hypothalamus and pituitary for proper functioning of vasopressin and both of those glands are targeted by mercury (which I've got).

 

[Violeta]

from a quick read on Wikipedia, I wouldn't be surprised because it sounds like you need a healthy hypothalamus and pituitary for proper functioning of vasopressin and both of those glands are targeted by mercury (which I've got).

Me, too, on the mercury.

 

[howirecovered]

Me, too, on the mercury.

The more I learn, the more committed I get to chelation...

 

[Freddd]

The more I learn, the more committed I get to chelation...

Hi Howirecovered,

I would advise caution. People have done some really bad things to themselves out of fear of mercury, delayed healing for years or decades chasing scare stories. As far as "payoffs", chasing specifically after mercury that might be there seems more likely to cause damage than actually helping, and does perform a walletectomy.. On very rare occasions sometimes a person is benefited. Selenium neutralizes it and locks it up in place for life and is no hazard. If MeCbl has any effect at all IN VIVO on mercury, it is that 1mg of mercury can destroy all the active b12 in the body and all the active b12 likely to be in your body for the next decade unless taking sufficient MeCbl that makes that impossible. There needs to be about 30mg of monomethylmercury in the body to cause toxic symptoms. If a person is thinking that MeCbl can convert 30mg of mercury to 30mg of monomethylmercury think again. It would take 210mg of MeCbl being 100% stripped by mercury in the minutes to hours it remains in the body. Research shows that 99% of MeCbl is excreted unchanged in 24-48 hours. In order to stop MeCbl , from helping flush mercury from the body, to the extent they actually interact which is not actually known, they starve themselves of MeCbl and l-methylfolate. I was exposed to considerable mercury during my youth. Mercury was one of the avenues I explored during my decades of looking for answers. I found many conflicting ideas and treatments and no answers but lots of mythology. I also saw far fewer than chance improvements. I won't say recoveries because I have never actually seen or heard of such except in certain industrial accidents and poisoning cases where the people involved received heavy doses. I also saw dentists kicked off panels for exploitive and dangerous practices in mercury removal.

 

[howirecovered]

Hi Howirecovered,

I would advise caution. People have done some really bad things to themselves out of fear of mercury, delayed healing for years or decades chasing scare stories.

I've given your protocol priority, taking nine weeks off chelation to ramp up methylation. Currently taking all the supplements you've mentioned which now includes these core supplements:

LCF - 2g
mb12 - 5mg
adb12 - 4mg
metafolin - 2.4 mg
TMG - 1g
SAMe - 400 mg

I intend to chelate one week per month and will continue taking all of my methylation supplements during those weeks. For chelation, I take DMSA (as I have lead also) and ALA. My understanding is that ALA is also a methylation support. In fact, I experience roughly the same side effects from chelation that I experience when increasing methylation...

So what do you think? Will I be delaying my recovery in your opinion?

 

[Freddd]

I've given your protocol priority, taking nine weeks off chelation to ramp up methylation. Currently taking all the supplements you've mentioned which now includes these core supplements:

LCF - 2g
mb12 - 5mg
adb12 - 4mg
metafolin - 2.4 mg
TMG - 1g
SAMe - 400 mg

I intend to chelate one week per month and will continue taking all of my methylation supplements during those weeks. For chelation, I take DMSA (as I have lead also) and ALA. My understanding is that ALA is also a methylation support. In fact, I experience roughly the same side effects from chelation that I experience when increasing methylation...

So what do you think? Will I be delaying my recovery in your opinion?

Hi Howirecovered,

No I don't be delaying anything. That's good.. And ALA is said to increase LCF efficiency by about 50%, so only indirectly methylation support. It is more ATP or deadlock quartet support but ALA doesn't deadlock that I am aware of. I have never traced it down to an original source but is often stated. Good health to you.

 

[howirecovered]

Hi Howirecovered,

No I don't be delaying anything. That's good.. And ALA is said to increase LCF efficiency by about 50%, so only indirectly methylation support. It is more ATP or deadlock quartet support but ALA doesn't deadlock that I am aware of. I have never traced it down to an original source but is often stated. Good health to you.

thanks Fred, interesting that you think ALA might be ATP support because when I take it around the clock I get more and more wired as the days go by...

Your comments give me hope for my wife's situation where I think chelation is too complex / difficult for her so I hope to accomplish the same thing with methylation.