Managing Potassium Deficiency - Share your experience

[L'engle]

Has anyone has any success with transdermal potassium?

I’ve scoured the web and there’s really no evidence to support its use transdermally. Ive also contacted a few compounding pharmacies and have been told it may work but it would be hard to control the amount and rate of K+ as it gets absorbed. This could be dangerous if too much is absorbed too quickly because you bypass the liver with transdermal application.

The reason I ask is because I have gastritis and potassium in any form is irritating to the point where I simply cant work it in.

It seems to be the rate limiting factor for me as I push methylation. When I do take it for short periods, I feel a whole lot better other than flarring up my gastritis.

Would love to find a solution or other experiences / workarounds here. I just ordered pico potassium chloride and will be spraying it on my thighs along with magnesium.

I have done potassium foot soaks with powder when I didn't want to keep taking the capsules. I don't know how much translates to a capsule but if you try it try like 1 minute of soaking on a given amount of powder mixed in the water, and see if you can gauge how that is stacking up to a capsule or food source. It's a nuisance so I've only done that at times of high potassium loss. When you have gastritis though most things are preferable to enduring that.

I used to be able to get powdered potassium but only can get the food grade NoSalt stuff the last few years. It has a few extra things added in but is mostly potassium. I used a small scoop, much less than the amounts for absorbing magnesium with epsom salts. Maybe a table spoon or two. Potassium is trickier than magnesium and taking too much creates unpleasant symptoms similar to low potassium.

I did try magnesium in water on my legs but found it very itchy and not really effective. I think the potassium could be quite irritating if applied that way. I've always found foot soaks easier.

 

[Freddd]

As I titrated methylfolate I had a lot of stomach problems and that turned out to be the first symptom for me of too little potassium. I titrated to get the daily dose what works for me with food. and supplements as needed. Potatoes for instance have a lot of potassium.

 

[L'engle]

I am in potassium loss again, though not huge amounts. After taaking boron to fix my magnesium loss, I tried out foods and supplements that contain higher sources of lithium. I haven't been able to tolerate these due to magnesium loss, which is now resolved. After a while I started having potassium loss, so I guess the boron only regulates magnesium not potassium.

This is annoying because it means I'm always waking up into low potassium symptoms, instead of just waking up because it's time to wake up. Sticking my feet in a cold bucket of water for 2 minutes before bed, in a the middle of the night and in the morning is something I'd hoped to be done with.

Maybe there is some other mineral that does the same for potassium as boron does for magnesium. I've tried chromium and vanadium, zinc, copper. Can't easily get other trace minerals to test as the supplements tend to have all of them rather than individual minerals.

So I'm not out of foot soaks yet, just magnesium.

I'm still working out exactly which supplements contribute to potassium loss. I've stopped the high lithium foods and mineral water but it is taking a while to wear down to not needing potassium.
I really hope it's not the curcumin and chaga supplement as that makes me feel better and I'd like not to be prevented from taking it by this side issue. I know that zinc causes potassium loss for me so it may be that could be what is dragging this out.

I was free of needing to supplement electrolytes for a few weeks. Even slept through the night without waking a couple of times and had some 9 hour sleeps. Now I'm getting 7-8 which isn't terrible but is noticeably worse. I wake up at 4-5 am and it takes 1.5 to 2 hours to get back to sleep as the potassium takes a while to work.

Electrolytes, the 10 year saga continues...

 

[L'engle]

Today I'm testing the curcumin and chaga supplement and am avoiding foods and other supplements that could contribute to potassium loss. So I should be able to get a clear picture overnight if it worsens the issue or not.

 

[Mary]

@L'engle - since curcumin and chaga make you feel better, if it turns out they contribute to potassium loss, why not just supplement with potassium? I've been taking a potassium (gluconate) supplement since 2010 and it's worth it to me. It's enabled me to keep taking methylfolate which is very important for my energy. I have to take so many things I never had to take before ME/CFS and I figure once this illness gets figured out, I'll be able to cut out most of what I'm taking. But for now, it keeps me functioning. I do have to take 10 potassium capsules a day, in divided doses - I even take 2 in the middle of the night! I used to get low potassium symptoms very frequently in the middle of the night (leg/feet cramps) and this keeps them at bay.

 

[L'engle]

Basically it interferes with my ability to sleep and rest and means I'm always having to keep ahead of a treadmill. Also it snowballs into runaway loss if I keep adding the things that cause it. Unlike the potassium loss with b12, which stays at a stable and manageable level, and disappears the next day if I stop taking it. This ramps up and takes a long time to ramp down.

Also means always waking up into and managing low potassium symptoms. Which cuts down on the benefit I get from anything. So lots of extra headaches, always having to have that at the back of my mind. Another thing for them to not take seriously. If I ended up in hospital for some reason having to explain why I need potassium, not being given it, etc.

If it just caused the loss on the day of I wouldn't mind, but the lasting runaway loss that varies is not a sign of healing for me and not sustainable. Nothing really makes a big enough difference to be worth the extra ill effects. It all goes back to my lithium problem which I thought was perhaps gone with the boron but seems not to be in terms of potassium.

 

[linusbert]

This ramps up and takes a long time to ramp down.

this is really the biggest shit. i know this too, at first you dont notice and after a few weeks it slowly presents. then you can try to quit the offender, but if you did have multiple things happening... it is hard, and takes weeks.

thiamine is tightly involved in managing intracellular potassium and sodium levels. so in a thiamin deficiency the cell would excreet more potassium and holds on to more sodium. thats why thiamin intake without potassium can cause or aggravate a potassium deficiency because now all cells want to store more but where would they get it.
the same seams true the other way around, that potassium drives the demand for thiamin.