Alternative ways to get extra potassium?

[wookielove]

I've finally got my methlyation up enough that my need for potassium has increased. However, I'm having a problem getting potassium into my body. My digestive system will not absorb more than 50 mg/day if that when I take supplements and that's spread out. I think this is partially due to being on the carnivore diet to control autoimmune problems (including arthritis/ibs/eczema), but I've always had a sensitive digestive system.

I tried adding coconut water, but it just seems to leave my body in a mucousy mess and I don't think it's helping me actually absorb potassium. The only thing I really digest is beef.

Are there alternative ways to get extra potassium to support methlyation? Can anyone guide on what they use to get their stomach to accept potassium? Is there a transdermal?

 

[Carl]

I use Potassium bicarbonate reacted with amino acids. It usually takes me from having weak arms+legs to feeling okay.

For example BCAA reacted in warm water with potassium bicarb or ascorbic acid with potassium bicarb to form potassium ascorbate. The complex of joined potassium with amino acids takes time for the body to break apart so that there is no rapid release of potassium into the circulation which can be dangerous.

 

[Rooney]

Carbs help keep potassium in your cells. Salt competes with potassium, but most of us that. Carnovor diets push potassium out. So, is the carnivore diet really helping your autoimmune symptoms? Simple carbs tend to be easily digested and don't ferment in the gut. Think white bread.

Oh, the horror.

I've tried carnivore twice, so I'm always trying different diets. A low histamine diet is what has benefited me. No more itch. Histamine is worth researching for you, I imagine, as lots of that in the gut. Changed shampoo too.

 

[Judee]

This is a very odd suggestion and I don't know if it would work but they make some of the water softening pellets out of potassium chloride.

I wonder if soaking in that (a cheap transdermal?) would absorb any into your system. I know they market magnesium oil (actually magnesium chloride) as a help to absorb magnesium and for muscle relaxation. Maybe this would work the same.

Be careful though not to do it too much to start until you find out what your reaction to it would be especially since too much potassium can be detrimental to the heart, I've heard.

Someone like @Hip might be able to tell you the science behind the absorb-ability of it in that form.

 

[wookielove]

I use Potassium bicarbonate reacted with amino acids. It usually takes me from having weak arms+legs to feeling okay.

For example BCAA reacted in warm water with potassium bicarb or ascorbic acid with potassium bicarb to form potassium ascorbate. The complex of joined potassium with amino acids takes time for the body to break apart so that there is no rapid release of potassium into the circulation which can be dangerous.

Thanks, I will try this, but with straight aminos, not the Branched kind. BCAA have some negative health implications compared to the basic aminos. I am using Kion Aminos right now.

Carbs help keep potassium in your cells. Salt competes with potassium, but most of us that. Carnovor diets push potassium out. So, is the carnivore diet really helping your autoimmune symptoms? Simple carbs tend to be easily digested and don't ferment in the gut. Think white bread.
Oh, the horror.
I've tried carnivore twice, so I'm always trying different diets. A low histamine diet is what has benefited me. No more itch. Histamine is worth researching for you, I imagine, as lots of that in the gut. Changed shampoo too.

I didn't know that carbs have this effect with potassium. The only carbs I really eat are instant absorbing carbs like honey and sometimes a sweet drink if I'm really low on glucose due to exercise. Honey for the most part, I put it on epic wagyu jerky or mix it on a plate with some salt.

Yes, the carnivore diet is keeping symptoms at bay. However were I to eat fiber, starch, or a piece of white bread, within an hour I would have stiffening joints. Sometimes it's within 10 minutes. I tried the low histamine diets, but histamine is not the only issue. My immune system reacts when I put anything else in my system. I can't even take probiotics and I don't use soap. I don't really use anything topically except emu oil which I use to make b12 oil. I react to nearly everything. Methylation protocols help, but I'm still getting through roadblocks.

This is a very odd suggestion and I don't know if it would work but they make some of the water softening pellets out of potassium chloride.

I wonder if soaking in that (a cheap transdermal?) would absorb any into your system. I know they market magnesium oil (actually magnesium chloride) as a help to absorb magnesium and for muscle relaxation. Maybe this would work the same.

Be careful though not to do it too much to start until you find out what your reaction to it would be especially since too much potassium can be detrimental to the heart, I've heard.

Someone like @Hip might be able to tell you the science behind the absorb-ability of it in that form.

Good idea, I'm going to try this. Right now I'm in a hypokalemia state, which is equally as dangerous.

 

[Carl]

BCAA is not necessary I just gave it as an example of what I use. It's the acid which is needed to react with the alkaline potassium bicarb in an acid/base reaction. It's that reaction which is necessary to perform the fusion of the potassium with the amino or whatever, therefore any acid could be used. Amino acids tend to slow down the uptake of potassium which helps provide a buffer and slows down it's entry/release into the bloodstream.

You could use ascorbic acid and/or any amino acids that you need including NAC. However consider what you are combining the potassium with because you do not want all the potassium entering the bloodstream quickly.

I found symptoms of hypokalemia to be most noticeable was an insatiable thirst. Weak arms & legs and palpitations were also present.

Buying aminos from the bodybuilding suppliers tends to be cheapest I have found.

 

[Carl]

Potassium Bicarb is 39.05% potassium FYI, therefore it provides quite a bit of potassium. 2Kg costs me about £14 on eBay. That is 781 grams of potassium.

Potassium bicarb will neutralize the acidity of ascorbic acid producing potassium ascorbate but as I said it is best mixed with a range of acids so that the potassium is released at varying rates.

 

[Cipher]

I've finally got my methlyation up enough that my need for potassium has increased. However, I'm having a problem getting potassium into my body. My digestive system will not absorb more than 50 mg/day if that when I take supplements and that's spread out. I think this is partially due to being on the carnivore diet to control autoimmune problems (including arthritis/ibs/eczema), but I've always had a sensitive digestive system.

I tried adding coconut water, but it just seems to leave my body in a mucousy mess and I don't think it's helping me actually absorb potassium. The only thing I really digest is beef.

Are there alternative ways to get extra potassium to support methlyation? Can anyone guide on what they use to get their stomach to accept potassium? Is there a transdermal?

What type of potassium have you tried? Tablet or powder? Potassium chloride for example is very harsh on the stomach. Tablets are a no-no, as it might get very concentrated at one spot when digested. Potassium citrate is more tolerable, especially when taken with food. I personally take about 1 gram of potassium citrate (about 380mg elemental potassium) dissolved in a glass of water during a meal without any problem.

 

[Mary]

@wookielove - low-sodium V8 (or comparable generic) is high in potassium -900 mg. per 8 ounces and good way to get potassium. I think plain tomato juice is also high in potassium. I guess these aren't allowed on the carnivore diet, but maybe you could tolerate them anyways?

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

@Rooney

Salt competes with potassium, but most of us that.

I don't believe that's accurate. Salt doesn't compete with potassium, but too much salt can cause excretion of potassium in your urine, along with the excess salt, creating decreased potassium and an electrolyte imbalance.

In fact, any substance or activity that causes excessive fluid to be flushed from the body (caffeine, alcohol, excessive sodium, diarrhea, vomiting, sweating profusely, etc) can create potassium deprivation. That's a whole different animal to "competing" with potassium. A competition between substances in the body means that one of them is blocking the uptake of the other. Not the case with potassium and sodium.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

@Rooney

Carnovor diets push potassium out.

Again, not entirely accurate.

Carnivorous diets create a loss of sodium, and the loss of sodium creates a homeostatic loss of potassium to compensate. Most people don;t have this reaction, but ME creates interesting new problems for us that non-MEers don't experience.

 

[heapsreal]

Its my understanding that is easy to over do it with potassium supps. But if you get it through food this doesnt occur, maybe its easy for the body to regulate potassium from food.

Carnivore or low carb diet you can always add green veges and some other fibrous vegetables as mostly their carb content is almost nothing but have plenty of potassium.

 

[pamojja]

Its my understanding that is easy to over do it with potassium supps.

Not in my experience. If I decrease supplemental potassium intake below 2 g/d, my serum levels plummet. That's beside 4.2 g per day of potassium from my low carb diet.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

@heapsreal

Its my understanding that is easy to over do it with potassium supps.

That may be true for those lucky suckers who dont have to deal with ME, but I found that adding potassium into my diet, in much greater than RDA amounts, made a genuine difference.

As we already know, everyone's different, and with ME, that goes double-plex

 

[Cipher]

Here's a video covering the basics of potassium supplementation:

 

[pamojja]

Here's a video covering the basics of potassium supplementation:

Lol, no doc I met knows anything about high dose potassium supplementation, other than its 'dangerous'. No need to take it with food. Just mix it really well in a whole glass of water on an empty stomach. And of course, always start low and increase slow, while monitoring all your electrolytes levels. Never gave my hypoglycemia.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

@pamojja

No need to take it with food. Just mix it really well in a whole glass of water on an empty stomach.

Based on my experience, I totally agree.

And while I know that Chris Masterjohn is a great favorite with a lot of folks here, I frequently find myself in disagreement with him ......like now.

Which is not to say that he doesnt have worthwhile and helpful info, I just take everything with a grain of salt. Masterjohn included.

 

[heapsreal]

@heapsreal

That may be true for those lucky suckers who dont have to deal with ME, but I found that adding potassium into my diet, in much greater than RDA amounts, made a genuine difference.

As we already know, everyone's different, and with ME, that goes double-plex

The RDA is low on most nutrients. Im just trying to say that its easier to overdose on supplements compared to food. If one takes more than they need then one can have cardiac arrhythmias. Your right, most cfsme people have a greater need for certain nutrients especially electrolytes. Peeing like a race horse symptom is enough to alter electrolytes. For me i have issues with low sodium so i take multiple salt tabs a day. Plus i have diabetes insipidus, which is probably common in cfsme but underdiagnosed.