Potassium troubles

[soundasacrystal]

I'm so confused! I have been ramping up my potassium dose for the last three days and at first it seemed like such a miracle that I thought my troubles were finally over. Today for the first time I had the energy to take a walk at the park and do other things I couldn't have dreamed of several days ago. I think I got my dose up to 1000 mgs today. It seemed like my need was increased due to the extra activity. But now it's 3:30 AM and I haven't slept at all and mt heart rate is up and I'm peeing like crazy and I'm thirsty and sweating and anxious. Why?? I'm so frustrated I feel like giving up on everything. The first time I get some of my old life back and it's snatched away almost immediately. If anyone has any insight please enlighten me.

 

[NotThisGuy]

I had the same reaction.
Lots of potassium worked wonder and than i crashed.
I think it worked wonders because potassium forced adlosterone release, but after a while my body couldn't maintain an upregulated HPA-axis or adrenals fatigued. Don't know which is right (allthough i think the first one).
Anyway the problem was low aldosterone.
Be careful if thats the case.

 

[PatJ]

But now it's 3:30 AM and I haven't slept at all and mt heart rate is up and I'm peeing like crazy and I'm thirsty and sweating and anxious.

You may have taken too much potassium. Peeing like crazy is probably your body's way of getting rid of the excess. The thirst may be a sign that your body wants more liquids to help flush out the excess potassium.

More info about potassium overdose.

 

[soundasacrystal]

I just don't understand how it could have been too much because every time I took a dose I was having low potassium symptoms like muscle twitching and exhaustion and each time it seemed to normalize me. But I guess you can't push an exhausted body to get better that quickly. The low aldosterone theory sounds right. I definitely have symptoms of adrenal fatigue. If that's the case, what do I do? Give up on supplementation or just greatly reduce the dose?

 

[caledonia]

My suggestion would be to go back to the last dose where you felt good. Hold that for a few days to make sure it's ok. Then try magnesium, same procedure. Then try salt (sodium), same procedure.

 

[Mary]

@soundasacrystal - I've never heard of potassium causing the reaction you have had; however, @NotThisGuy's theory may be correct. I've been doing some reading trying to figure it out. If he is correct, then it sounds like your adrenals need support. Do you have anyone working with you on adrenal issues? I've been taking adrenal glandulars for many years in varying doses, so I don't know if I would have reacted differently to potassium if my adrenals had not been supported. and yes, if you have adrenal fatigue, potassium won't fix that.

I think @caledonia has some good suggestions.

It sounds like you do need the potassium from your symptoms and how you initially reacted to it. But maybe you should back off on increasing methylation (hopefully reducing your need for potassium) until you have addressed your adrenal issues. Trying to do everything at once can be very confusing and make it almost impossible to sort out what is going.

 

[NotThisGuy]

@soundasacrystal
I'm stuck with this problem as well since 1 year now and its really a hell. Constant fear of dropping death every second.
I did a test for adrenal hormones and it was a mess. Dr. confirmed it's life threatening for me ( not necessarily for you)
Right know I'm waiting for an appointment with an endocrinologist in hope to get some florinef as emergency solution.
I've tried everything under the sun except for adrenal cortex extract.
I'm a bit scared to try this supplement and screw up even more but soon I have nothing more to lose.
My last try is to boost the HPA-axis with amino-acids.

I found a study that says methionine and leucin boost HPA-axis and increases aldosterone:

https://books.google.de/books?id=D0...Ag#v=onepage&q=leucine corticosterone&f=false

@Mary
I'm currently reading your thread about BCAAs.
What a coincidence.

 

[Mary]

I found a study that says methionine and leucin boost HPA-axis and increases aldosterone:

https://books.google.de/books?id=D0...Ag#v=onepage&q=leucine corticosterone&f=false

@Mary
I'm currently reading your thread about BCAAs.
What a coincidence.

Interesting! I didn't know that leucine could boost the HPA-axis and increase aldosterone. The BCAAs definitely have helped reduce my PEM, so I wouldn't be without them, but perhaps they are doing more for me as well.

I got on to BCAAs when in 2014 I re-discovered Nutreval testing from 2010 which showed my leucine levels were quite low.

 

[NotThisGuy]

Interesting! I didn't know that leucine could boost the HPA-axis and increase aldosterone. The BCAAs definitely have helped reduce my PEM, so I wouldn't be without them, but perhaps they are doing more for me as well.

I got on to BCAAs when in 2014 I re-discovered Nutreval testing from 2010 which showed my leucine levels were quite low.

Took my first dose leucine and instantly got herx.
But a good kind of herx. Skin is a mess right now but I calmed down and feel overall better, for now.
Blood pressure also went up. I have orthostatic hypotension. But I think my thirst has increased.

Edit:
How would you recommend to start with adrenal cortex extract?
Start low go slow? How often do u take it?

 

[Mary]

Took my first dose leucine and instantly got herx.
But a good kind of herx. Skin is a mess right now but I calmed down and feel overall better, for now.
Blood pressure also went up. I have orthostatic hypotension. But I think my thirst has increased.

Interesting - keep us posted how you do. This may help more people.

I didn't have any sort of herx reaction to the BCAAs, actually l didn't feel any different at all, except a week later when I crashed and my PEM recovery time was cut in half. That was the first I knew the BCAAs were doing something for me.

 

[NotThisGuy]

Interesting - keep us posted how you do. This may help more people.

I didn't have any sort of herx reaction to the BCAAs, actually l didn't feel any different at all, except a week later when I crashed and my PEM recovery time was cut in half. That was the first I knew the BCAAs were doing something for me.

I will keep you updated
I just see you use adrenal glandulars.
Why don't you use adrenal cortex extract?
Any recommendation how to start? Start low go slow? How often do you take it? Every 3 hours?

 

[soundasacrystal]

Time to take care of the adrenals I guess. I thought that was what I was doing with the salt, magnesium and potassium. But I guess I pushed too hard. I took a dose of my homeopathic constitutional remedy today. Hoping that will untangle some things.

 

[Mary]

I will keep you updated
I just see you use adrenal glandulars.
Why don't you use adrenal cortex extract?
Any recommendation how to start? Start low go slow? How often do you take it? Every 3 hours?

My chiropractor who does muscle testing first discovered my adrenals were weak in the mid-1990's. He gave me drenatrophin PMG by Standard Process, I had to take a rather high dose I was so weak (about 3 times the recommended dose), but within a few days I had energy coming back. It was great.

Since then I've taken glandulars off and on, varying the dose as needed. Last year I did try adrenal cortex extract someone had recommended, but I did not do well with it, I can't remember exactly what happened, it may have made me too jittery, so I'm sticking with what has been working for me and I tolerate it well. e.g., right now I'm taking 4 tablets of Drenamin by Standard Process in two doses - 2 with breakfast and 2 with lunch.

But I know some people do well with the adrenal cortex extract.

Yes, definitely start low and go slow! We all react so differently to everything.

One other thing - I recently discovered or rather was told about andrographis for my immune system. I have found it to be very powerful and I am getting sick a lot less since starting it. However, it seems it can cause insomnia - I think it's stimulating my thyroid and my adrenals so I'm trying to sort this out. In general I do well with a low dose but was very sick a few days ago and taking 3 a day helped me bounce back in a couple of days, but unfortunately insomnia hit last night ... anyways, it may be another form of adrenal support. (we are all lab experiments here! )

Sometime I'm going to try Siberian ginseng. I've read it's very good for the adrenals. I just take so much stuff and everything altogether is rather expensive!

 

[Mary]

Time to take care of the adrenals I guess. I thought that was what I was doing with the salt, magnesium and potassium. But I guess I pushed too hard. I took a dose of my homeopathic constitutional remedy today. Hoping that will untangle some things.

What homeopathic remedy are you trying? Are you working with someone on your adrenals?

 

[caledonia]

Time to take care of the adrenals I guess. I thought that was what I was doing with the salt, magnesium and potassium. But I guess I pushed too hard. I took a dose of my homeopathic constitutional remedy today. Hoping that will untangle some things.

Taking electrolytes is a compensation for electrolyte loss caused by adrenal fatigue. It doesn't fix them, but it does help you feel better in the meantime.

 

[PatJ]

I just don't understand how it could have been too much because every time I took a dose I was having low potassium symptoms like muscle twitching and exhaustion and each time it seemed to normalize me.

Maybe the roller-coaster of symptoms hitting, body reacting, body getting potassium and using it, then having it happen all over again was too much stress. I learned to head off low potassium symptoms before they arose, but it took a few weeks to get the timing right. The timing would also change depending on methlyfolate dose etc.

Another thought is that maybe you were taking too much at once to overcome the low potassium symptoms? Maybe going from too low to too high, then back to too low? ie. potassium drops, your body demands more, you supply more but also provided too much so your body has to start dumping the excess. While it's busy dumping, other areas of the body have used up their supply and now demand more.

Liposomal vitamin c helped my adrenals.