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3 years in and low potassium hit me!

Idie

Senior Member
Messages
134
Just want to caution everyone. I increased my magnesium, calcium, and vitamin D and within one hour I was hit with muscle pain, tremors, etc. At first I must admit I did not recognize it as potassium drop....I attributed it to start up. I woke at 5 am and hurt everywhere. I then realized what was happening. I took 6 potassium and ate a banana. It took about two hours to lessen the cramping, throbbing, muscle pain, etc. My Vitamin d was very low which is why I need to increase it. Now I have to figure out how to increase D, Magnesiun and Calcium without putting myself through that again. The last time I had a reaction like this was three years ago when I first started the protocol. I guess I never thought that it could happen this long later.

I'm still a little rattled from the experience and feel like I was run over by a truck. You can bet I am going to keep potassium very close.

Wish Fredd was here. Could use some advice moving forward. Today I need to keep my electrolytes and potassium levels up. Very, very, scary.
 

Lou

Senior Member
Messages
582
Location
southeast US
Hi Idie, Hope you're feeling better. I haven't been too active here in past month, so re your last paragraph; where is Fred?
 

Idie

Senior Member
Messages
134
Hi Idie, Hope you're feeling better. I haven't been too active here in past month, so re your last paragraph; where is Fred?

Fredd has been in and out the last several months. He has been dealing with a family tragedy.
 

LaurieL

Senior Member
Messages
447
Location
Midwest
That is so interesting, because I am a year and a half into the protocol and last week, I also experienced a very scary potassium dive. Theres only two things different that has taken place in the last six months. Antibiotic treatment, and the addition of nucleotides.

I have never had a charlie horse in my life, or the kind of chest pain I experienced as well. Came in waves and scared the poo out of me. My need for potassium has gone way up. Talking with doc tomorrow first thing.

Laurie
 

Hanna

Senior Member
Messages
717
Location
Jerusalem, Israel
Yes, very interesting. I am also one year and a bit more in the proocol and had for the first time this month problems of arythmia. My beats were "doubled". It was very scary. It happened several times in a row and was stopped in half an hour with 500 mg potassium. I take now about 1,200 mg of potassium/day and before this didn't have to supplement more than what was included in the multiminerals (99 mg) for a whole year!
Cheers,
Hanna
 

baccarat

Senior Member
Messages
188
Just want to caution everyone. I increased my magnesium, calcium, and vitamin D and within one hour I was hit with muscle pain, tremors, etc. At first I must admit I did not recognize it as potassium drop....I attributed it to start up. I woke at 5 am and hurt everywhere. I then realized what was happening. I took 6 potassium and ate a banana. It took about two hours to lessen the cramping, throbbing, muscle pain, etc. My Vitamin d was very low which is why I need to increase it. Now I have to figure out how to increase D, Magnesiun and Calcium without putting myself through that again. The last time I had a reaction like this was three years ago when I first started the protocol. I guess I never thought that it could happen this long later.

I'm still a little rattled from the experience and feel like I was run over by a truck. You can bet I am going to keep potassium very close.

Wish Fredd was here. Could use some advice moving forward. Today I need to keep my electrolytes and potassium levels up. Very, very, scary.

I've become more and more disillusioned with supplementation. Everyone could get the nutrients needed from the diet. Perhaps vitamin D is an exception for anyone living too far north, although arguably it may do more harm than good if the underlying problem is D metabolism.
I'm on the SMP and never had any issues with minerals or vitamins but I can eat plenty of vegetables and fruit daily but I know some can't do it.
Unless one can't tolerate specific foods, vegetables in particular, you can get all potassium, magnesium and calcium you need from real food. A medium potato has almost 1 gram of potassium, a large glass of either tomato or orange juice get you 1/2 gram of it and they have other minerals as well.
 

aquariusgirl

Senior Member
Messages
1,732
Baccart: I hear you on being weary of supplementation. I have spent the last 5 yrs, ordering, buying and choking down supplements. I'm a bit better ..15% .. but I seem to have plateaued.
However, I don't think I am absorbing nutrients cos of low stomach acid. Maybe I should have been more aggressive about that.

ETA : did not realise this was a potassium thread.. obviously the right nutrient @ the right time & right dosage can make all the difference.
 

baccarat

Senior Member
Messages
188
Aquariusgirl,
There was a time when I placed myself in the hands of nutritionists, naturopaths etc who have made money out of me, suggesting to supplement with this and that. At some point I was taking 50-60 pills a day (possibly more).
Did it help? No. So I have come to think that if I have to take more than a handful of supplements then something is not right. For me it's a sign I'm going down a path that leads nowhere.
I'm still taking supplements for the SMP but just the Bs. It helps a bit but I'm going to try and replace those with B12 and other Bs-rich-foods, once I've manage to get those.
Not being able to absorb nutrients is another issue, however. But I doubt it can be solved with supplements.
I think there's a bias in the area of alternative medicine. It's the "supplement" bias. For any given problem, here's a bunch of supplements to add in. Perhaps it would be more effective to focus on removing the underlying cause of the problem. But that is more difficult.
 

Lou

Senior Member
Messages
582
Location
southeast US
Hi baccarat,

Not to be overly dramatic but K supplements may have saved my life recently when I mixed two extremely uncomplimentary things: starting the active b12 protocol while in a foreign country. I was in the middle of it before I realized I'd burned up nearly all of my already low potassium.

I began stuffing down bananas and almonds like crazy. And plenty of potatoes at restaurants. But it was not until I got K supplements that symptoms --scary symptoms, arrythmas and feeling like my chest was being crushed-- abated. I got a warm feeling about K supplements now.

One gram in a potato may make for eating a lot of 'taters' if some of us need close to five grams.

Best,

Lou
 

baccarat

Senior Member
Messages
188
Hi Lou,
that's what I'm talking about. If you need to get five grams on top of what you get from your diet then the relevant question is why?

I don't think it's that hard to get enough potassium from the diet. I just did a quick analysis of what I had yesterday for e.g. and I got almost 12g of it. But I eat a lot of vegetables (well over 1lb daily) Assuming one eats half the vegetables I assume you should be still at around 5-6g at least.


Nutrient Total Rec. %Rec
Calories 3657.84 2200 166.27%
Pro (g) 195.06 50 390.12%
Fat (g) 85.72 73.33 116.9%
Carb (g) 569.16 --
Fiber (g) 56.9 30 189.67%
Cal (mg) 2997.61 1000 299.76%
Iron (mg) 44.16 10 441.6%
Na (mg) 6161.39 2400 256.72%
Pot (mg) 11922.55 --
Phos (mg) 4056.95 700 579.56%
Ash (g) 52.26 --
vitA (IU) 30111.38 4000 752.78%
vitC (mg) 459.47 75 612.63%
Thia (mg) 3.13 1.1 284.55%
Ribo (mg) 5.28 1.1 480%
Nia (mg) 50.5 14 360.71%
H2O % 66.44 Female 31-50 --
satF (g) 47.86 24.44 195.83%
monoF (g) 24.44 24.44 100%
polyF (g) 5.6 24.44 22.91%
Chol (mg) 371.32 300 123.77%



Display individual nutrients for selections

Food 1 TOMATO PRODUCTS-CANNED
-SAUCE 50::1 g::50 grams
Food 2 TURKEY BREAST MEAT 300::1 g::300 grams
Food 3 SQUASH-WINTER-BUTTERNUT
-CKD-BAKED-WO/SALT 1::1 c::204 grams
Food 4 VINEGAR-CIDER 1::1 tbsp::15 grams
Food 5 ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE-WINE
-TABLE-RED 2::1 FL OZ ::59 grams
Food 6 BREAD-WHOLE-WHEAT-COMMERCIALLY PREPARED 90::1 g::90 grams
Food 7 LENTILS-SPROUTED-CKD
-STIR-FRIED-WO/SALT 200::1 g::200 grams
Food 8 MILK-COW-DRY-WHOLE 1::1 pt::256 grams
Food 9 SWEETS-COCOA-DRY POWDER
-UNSWTND 3::1 TBSP ::15 grams
Food 10 ORANGES-RAW-CALIFORNIA
-NAVELS 2::1 FRT2-7/8 DIAM ::280 grams
Food 11 POTATOES-BAKED-SKIN-WO/SALT 300::1 g::300 grams
Food 12 APPLES-RAW-W/SKIN 3::1 FRUIT3/LBWO/RF ::414 grams
Food 13 BANANAS-RAW 4::1 FRUITWO/SKN&SEEDS ::456 grams
Food 14 LETTUCE-COS OR ROMAINE
-RAW 1::1 lb::453.59 grams
Nutrients Food 1 Food 2 Food 3 Food 4 Food 5 Food 6 Food 7 Food 8 Food 9 Food 10 Food 11 Food 12 Food 13 Food 14
Calories 15 330 81.6 2.1 42.48 221.4 202 1269.76 34.35 128.8 594 244.26 419.52 72.57
Protein grams 0.65 67.5 1.84 0 0.12 8.73 17.6 67.33 2.94 2.8 12.9 0.83 4.56 7.26
Fat grams 0.1 4.8 0.20 0 0 3.78 1 68.35 2.06 0.28 0.3 1.66 2.28 0.91
Carbohydrates grams 3.6 0 21.42 0.89 1.00 41.49 42.6 98.30 8.15 32.48 138.3 63.34 106.70 10.89
Sodium mg 302.5 4293 8.16 0.15 2.95 474.3 20 950.53 3.15 2.8 63 0 4.56 36.29
Vitamin A IU 489.5 0 14282.04 0 0 0 82 2360.32 3 512.4 0 219.42 369.36 11793.34
Vitamin C mg 6.55 0 30.80 0 0 0 25.2 22.02 0 160.44 40.5 23.6 41.5 108.86
Saturated Fat grams 0.01 1.44 0.04 0 0 0.83 0.1 42.85 1.21 0.03 0.09 0.25 0.87 0.14
Cholesterol mg 0 123 0 0 0 0 0 248.32 0 0 0 0 0 0
Water % 89.1 71.9 87.8 93.8 88.5 37.7 68.7 2.5 3 86.8 47.3 83.9 74.3 94.9
Total Dietary Fiber grams 0.7 0 N/A 0 N/A 6.21 N/A 0 4.98 N/A 12 11.18 10.94 10.89
Ash grams 1.15 12.6 1.43 0.05 0.18 2.07 1.6 15.62 0.87 1.12 6.6 1.24 3.65 4.08
Calcium mg 7 21 83.64 0.9 4.72 64.8 28 2334.72 19.2 112 102 28.98 27.36 163.29
Phosphorus mg 16 687 55.08 1.35 8.26 206.1 306 1986.56 110.1 53.2 303 28.98 91.2 204.12
Iron mg 0.4 1.2 1.22 0.09 0.24 2.97 6.2 1.28 2.09 0.28 21 0.83 1.37 4.99
Potassium mg 185.5 834 579.36 15 66.08 226.8 568 3404.54 228.6 498.4 1719 476.1 1805.76 1315.41
Thiamin mg 0.03 0.12 0.15 0 0.00 0.32 0.44 0.72 0.01 0.24 0.37 0.07 0.21 0.45
Riboflavin mg 0.03 0.32 0.03 0 0.02 0.18 0.18 3.08 0.04 0.11 0.32 0.06 0.46 0.45
Niacin mg 0.58 24.96 1.98 0 0.05 3.46 2.4 1.66 0.33 0.81 9.21 0.33 2.46 2.27
Monounsaturated Fat grams 0.02 1.35 0.02 0 0 1.51 0.2 20.28 0.69 0.06 0 0.08 0.18 0.05
Polyunsaturated Fat grams 0.04 0.84 0.08 0 0 0.9 0.4 1.72 0.07 0.06 0.12 0.46 0.41 0.5
 

snowathlete

Senior Member
Messages
5,374
Location
UK
I think it's good to be aware of what foods have potassium in them and how much you are getting. I don't get enough right now because I am dieting to loose weight (something I need to do for my health) so supplementing iris really important for me. I suspect when not dieting my pot intake was not high enough though due to eating the wrong foods. Unless you eat the right stuff it's easy to fall way shortof the RDA and being I'll, it seems that we need more than that for some reason.

I'm now getting about 2-2.5 g per day from diet and supps, which is probably less than ideal. I'm working upward gradually.
 

maddietod

Senior Member
Messages
2,859
Baccarat, I have to work hard to get 2000mg potassium from my diet. I can't eat nightshades because they give me arthritis, I eat gluten-free, and my doctor has told me to eat low-carb, so I pretty much avoid grains and legumes (and bananas!). This kind of dietary restriction is common amongst us.

I'm struggling to figure out a way to get more natural potassium in my diet. Meanwhile, I'm grateful for supplements.
 

Lou

Senior Member
Messages
582
Location
southeast US
Hi baccarat, (wish I knew how to include only an excerpt from someone's post) Anyway, the relevant answer to your question in post 10 is the active protocol, or smp or whatever other trigger gets our blocked methylation pathway going like gangbusters again when our me/cfs has already lowered available potassium.

Best,

Lou
 

maddietod

Senior Member
Messages
2,859
Brenda, thanks. Barley has gluten.

I'm back to juicing (got a flu, couldn't eat). If I actually ate all those greens, I'd easily get my potassium. But I can't figure out how much I lose in what I put on the compost pile.
 

greenshots

Senior Member
Messages
399
Location
California
I wish that were true but it just isn't. Most with chronic disease don't absorb well due to a variety of problems, not the least of which is malabsorption issues and genetic defects that won't allow this to occur properly. Furthermore, when you supplement to kick start the system, its more abrupt and you just can't eat enough potassium (usually) to make up for it. I also think people are forgetting Magnesium, another intracellular electrolyte that is lost with abrupt start up. I understand you are frustrated but I have to say, having the genes done has allowed me and my family to get past all the guessing and trial and error. We know what we can tolerate and we know what we can't. We also know when we need to have tiny doses to start. Its been an absolute Godsend!

Angela



I've become more and more disillusioned with supplementation. Everyone could get the nutrients needed from the diet. Perhaps vitamin D is an exception for anyone living too far north, although arguably it may do more harm than good if the underlying problem is D metabolism.
I'm on the SMP and never had any issues with minerals or vitamins but I can eat plenty of vegetables and fruit daily but I know some can't do it.
Unless one can't tolerate specific foods, vegetables in particular, you can get all potassium, magnesium and calcium you need from real food. A medium potato has almost 1 gram of potassium, a large glass of either tomato or orange juice get you 1/2 gram of it and they have other minerals as well.
 

Idie

Senior Member
Messages
134
I've become more and more disillusioned with supplementation. Everyone could get the nutrients needed from the diet. Perhaps vitamin D is an exception for anyone living too far north, although arguably it may do more harm than good if the underlying problem is D metabolism.
I'm on the SMP and never had any issues with minerals or vitamins but I can eat plenty of vegetables and fruit daily but I know some can't do it.
Unless one can't tolerate specific foods, vegetables in particular, you can get all potassium, magnesium and calcium you need from real food. A medium potato has almost 1 gram of potassium, a large glass of either tomato or orange juice get you 1/2 gram of it and they have other minerals as well.

Dear Baccarat,

I was the big supplement skeptic until I got so very sick and a whole host of medical doctors could not help me. Fredd's protocol was the most difficult decision for me as a real skeptic but I am very thankful that I made that leap of faith. My improvement on his protocol was a naked eye event. I do try to limit my supplements and would much rather get the nutrients from food BUT I also know from very painful experience that you can't make sweeping generalizations about supplements. Methlycobalamin turned my life around. I'm still a bit if a skeptic but not where Fredd's basic protocol is concerned. Impaired digestion can and does make it hard to get essential nutrients no matter how much you eat of the right things.....example - high protein intake and still B12 deficient (that was me). Skepticism is a good thing and quite honestly why I like these forums as it is a chance to vet things.
 

brenda

Senior Member
Messages
2,263
Location
UK
madietodd

Barley has gluten.

The grass doesn`t, only the grainhead. I am gluten free too and use it.

regards
Brenda