Potassium Citrate vs Potassium Gluconate?

[Shannon]

Can we talk about potassium? I used to have low potassium a few years ago.. now that im on the MethylB12 I feel its necessary to supplement potassium aswell. Which is most recomended, Potassium Citrate or Potassium Gluconate??
I know its sometimes necessary to take up to 1000-1200mg. However am quite confused being the Potassium Citrate is 99mg while the Potassium Gluconate is 550mg but only 90 of that is Potassium (i know a good portion of it is salt soluble).. The nutrition store recommended Citrate while My pharmacist recommended the Potassium Gluconate for this B12 situation however I am confused...if taking around 1000mg (I know several will be required) is that refering to the pure potassium content (like the 99mg citrate for instance) or the total of the supplement (like the 550mg Gluconate) Any info on this helps...I used to be prescribed to it but am not going that route yet because I dont think its necessary...just curious what others take out there (citrate or gluconate) and around how much because im confused about how much potassium is actually being consumed if I take the 550mg gluconate (I know it says 90mg but again I dont know if the 550mg plays a role in the dosage amount or not)

 

[kelly138]

I use mg potassium in the dose and FDA limits the labeling on bottles of capsules / tablets to 99 mg / dose.

 

[Sparrow]

It's the pure elemental potassium content that you're looking for. So in the example you've described, 550mg of Potassium Gluconate is less potassium than the 99 mg of Potassium Citrate. The gluconate part of the molecule should not play a role in how much potassium you're getting.

The only place I can think of where you might end up with more or less would be in comparing different brands of supplements where one is of a higher or lower quality, and therefore more likely to be properly or more fully absorbed. But in that case, the maximum you'd be getting is still what's listed on the label (i.e. a super cheap and crappy 99mg of potassium citrate could possibly give you only 60mg or 85mg or whatever if the tablet doesn't break down properly, whereas a pretty good one would give you closer to the 99mg provided your body was absorbing things properly). Or in the case where one form is much better absorbed by the body than another (e.g. Calcium Carbonate is not going to be absorbed as well as Calcium Citrate, so the amounts of calcium on the label in that case wouldn't actually be equivalent in terms of what your body would take in).

As a cautionary note, the reason that you won't be able to find a potassium pill in higher doses than 99mg is that there is some risk of potassium eroding the stomach lining if it stays in contact with it too long. So a pill of concentrated potassium sitting in one spot and dissolving over time can put that part of the stomach at risk. There is some debate, I believe, over how much is "safe" in most cases. The medical community has capped it at 99mg at a time, because that is the level that should be safe for pretty much everybody.

Many people looking to take in higher quantities of potassium instead use high potassium foods (coconut water, potato skins, white beans, avocado, banana, etc.), electrolyte drinks (sports drinks, Pedialyte, etc.), and/or potassium salts that come in the form of tiny crystals or powder (like table salt). If you look, you should be able to find the powdered version at a supplement store (though be warned it tastes pretty crappy on its own. Mixed with juice...okay, still pretty crappy, but not as bad). The hope is to spread the potassium out evening throughout the stomach in tiny particles so that no one place is exposed to too much at once.

(Note: Obviously people with any kind of potential kidney issues will need to be careful with their potassium intake even beyond that, and anyone taking large amounts of potassium should have regular monitoring of their levels by their doctor, since high potassium is just as dangerous as low potassium and just as potentially fatal)

 

[Lotus97]

Has anyone heard of a Potassium supplement called Zeta? It had a bunch of different forms of Potassium, but I don't remember any of the specifics. The only thing I remember is that it was very concentrated - you dissolve it into a bottle of water and something like a tsp has a couple hundred mg of Potassium. And I think I remember something about one or some of the forms being ionic. I used to go to a doctor who sold it, but I don't know where he got. I've scoured the internet (well at least a quick Google search) and couldn't find any info about it. I couldn't find any posts on this site about it either. I hope someone who is better at these things than me is able to find some information about it because it might be very useful to a lot of people here.

 

[Little Bluestem]

According to what I have read, potassium salts can also damage the digestive system if not sufficiently diluted.

I take potassium citrate and potassium chloride (salt).

If I were in your position, I would follow the advice of my pharmacist, as she is probably more highly educated that the health store employee.

 

[adreno]

Citrate is alkaline, gluconate is neutral PH, chloride is acidic. Personally, I prefer citrate.

 

[perchance dreamer]

Lotus97, Amazon sells Nano-Ionic Potassium.

The potassium I use is in glycinate form.

 

[Sparrow]

According to what I have read, potassium salts can also damage the digestive system if not sufficiently diluted.

Any form of potassium should damage the digestive tract if not diluted enough, since it's the potassium itself that does it. For the same reason, it's wise to make sure to drink some water right after taking a potassium supplement (and certain other supplement types) to lower the risk of it being stuck in the esophagus and doing damage, or of residue eating away at things down there. It's great stuff in the right balance, and we need it greatly, but it isn't easy on some of the body's systems.

 

[Lotus97]

Lotus97, Amazon sells Nano-Ionic Potassium.

The potassium I use is in glycinate form.

Thanks, but Zeta was a powder and much more concentrated than the ionic potassium liquid supplements being sold. It also had like 4-5 different forms of potassium. Are there supplement companies that only sell to doctors?

 

[kelly138]

are you familiar with purebulk.com?

 

[Lotus97]

are you familiar with purebulk.com?

I still would like to find out about Zeta, but this looks like the next best thing unless someone wants to convince me that ionic potassium is better... Although it's easy enough to make a multiple serving solution with these powders, you can buy a set of 1/8, 1/16, and 1/32 spoons on eBay for under $5. Looks like purebulk.com also sells the measuring spoons
http://purebulk.com/3pc-measuring-spoon-set.html

 

[dannybex]

As a cautionary note, the reason that you won't be able to find a potassium pill in higher doses than 99mg is that there is some risk of potassium eroding the stomach lining if it stays in contact with it too long. So a pill of concentrated potassium sitting in one spot and dissolving over time can put that part of the stomach at risk. There is some debate, I believe, over how much is "safe" in most cases. The medical community has capped it at 99mg at a time, because that is the level that should be safe for pretty much everybody.

Many people looking to take in higher quantities of potassium instead use high potassium foods (coconut water, potato skins, white beans, avocado, banana, etc.), electrolyte drinks (sports drinks, Pedialyte, etc.), and/or potassium salts that come in the form of tiny crystals or powder (like table salt). If you look, you should be able to find the powdered version at a supplement store (though be warned it tastes pretty crappy on its own. Mixed with juice...okay, still pretty crappy, but not as bad).

I get the 'Now' brand of potassium chloride, which goes a long way. There are 730 mgs in 1/4 teaspoon. Since I have low stomach acid, the chloride form works fine for me.

Also, I put it in an empty capsule and take it in the middle of a meal, and so far, no discomfort in the months I've been taking it this way. But you're right, others might find a different form to be a better choice for them.

 

[Lotus97]

My stomach is sensitive to certain things, but 'Now' potassium chloride hasn't caused me any problems either. Is there any truth to that whole pH balance/alkaline diet stuff? I was thinking about switching to something else because of that.

 

[kelly138]

I am actually taking potassium bicarbonate and weigh it. I have the measuring spoons - 1/64 t on up - lots of 1/32 t ones

just over 1 gram is around 400 mg potassium and that is what I use

potassium bicarbonate is one of the components of Tri-salts (here but it is sold many many places http://www.amazon.com/Cardiovascular-Research-Tri-Salts-200-powder/dp/B00014DY5S )I must admit I didn't research it more.

I had problems years ago with potasssium chloride - not sure if it was the salt or other things were going on at the time - maybe I took too much - so I opted for a different potassium salt this time. I actually bought my first bag from nuts.com but have another in reserve from purebulk.com. I have ordered 3 times from purebulk and have been pleased with speed of order etc.

 

[Little Bluestem]

I just buy salt substitute at the grocery store, which is potassium chloride. I mix 1/4 tsp. in 1 cup water. I also take potassium citrate.

 

[clive powney]

Just to throw my pennies worth in. I had a very quick drop in potassium over a 5-6 months from 4.8 down to 3.0. My doctor prescribed spironolactone 100mg (potassium channel blocker) and bingo back up to 4.0 in 2 weeks. I assume that most diets , if you eat reasonably well , will have enough potassium , but if you are peeing most of it out then it won't build up.

 

[Lotus97]

I heard someone say that potassium in foods isn't effective, but I don't really understand why or even know if it's true. Any thoughts?

 

[Sparrow]

Highly cooked, processed, or canned foods wouldn't be as good of a supply, but that's common for many vitamins and minerals. I know of no reason that raw foods would be a problem at all (avocado, banana, tomato, apricot, orange juice, etc.), and as far as I know, several cooked foods are still good sources of potassium (white beans, etc.).

 

[Lotus97]

Low Sodium V8 might be a good choice. It has 900mg potassium in a cup. About half is naturally occurring potassium and half is potassium chloride. I mixed some with Nutrex Spirulina powder and Field of Greens today and it was pretty tasty considering what was in it.

 

[perchance dreamer]

Sweet potatoes are also a good source of potassium. Per cup they have 950 MG, according to nutritiondata.com.