Potassium/constipation

[BMO66]

Hi,
I have started regularly taking potassium, along with my folate, b12, and B-Minus, which I take separately. The potassium helps level out the speediness I get, which keeps me from sleeping. Problem is, the potassium makes me very constipated. Does anyone have a solution to this? Should I just take more magnesium?
Thanks.

 

[BMO66]

I think I just answered my own question. Constipation would mean I actually have too much potassium. I know niacin is an option for getting rid of speediness, but too much niacin and I feel too slowed down. Is there another co-factor that would level out the speedy feeling? I’m very sensitive to methyl donors.

 

[Pyrrhus]

Just brainstorming here:

If you feel that the potassium helps you with the "speediness" you experience from the B vitamins, then why not continue with the potassium? (Assuming you are taking reasonable doses, such as 100mg 1-3 times per day, and you don't have any heart or kidney problems, etc.)

I wouldn't be so quick to blame the constipation on the potassium. Many people with ME have constipation even without potassium, and some people report that constipation can be one of the start-up symptoms of B vitamins. For me personally, low-dose creatine (500mg/day) is what resolved the constipation I had after I had started the B vitamins.

Of course, everyone is different and each person might react differently as a result.

 

[Methyl90]

In my case it is exactly the opposite ... without potassium on board I have a paralyzed ileus ...

 

[BMO66]

In my case it is exactly the opposite ... without potassium on board I have a paralyzed ileus ...

How weird, that’s exactly what mine is like WITH the potassium. Like everything just stops!

 

[lenora]

One of the few OTC miracles I've found in the past few years has been Miralax at the suggestion of a friend (as you get older, you gather quite an array of problems). No taste, no grittiness...nothing. Mine is dissolved in hot tea, black or herbal. This is recommended by gastroenterologists for the use of their own children.

It dissolves in anything and has absolutely no taste whatsoever. It doesn't cause an allergic reaction....nothing along those lines. Much better than something like Metamucil. l/2 cap once/day is generally plenty, but you can add more at night if needed. Adjust you own dose.....we're all different. Yours, Lenora.

 

[BMO66]

Thanks, I am rethinking the whole potassium thing, as I also have been dealing with some massive depression, also due I think to the potassium. I will definitely keep the Miralax in mind though!

 

[TinaT]

Just brainstorming here:

If you feel that the potassium helps you with the "speediness" you experience from the B vitamins, then why not continue with the potassium? (Assuming you are taking reasonable doses, such as 100mg 1-3 times per day, and you don't have any heart or kidney problems, etc.)

I wouldn't be so quick to blame the constipation on the potassium. Many people with ME have constipation even without potassium, and some people report that constipation can be one of the start-up symptoms of B vitamins. For me personally, low-dose creatine (500mg/day) is what resolved the constipation I had after I had started the B vitamins.

Of course, everyone is different and each person might react differently as a result.

Hi. I'm new here. I'm really, really struggling with feeling like I need to take potassium, and it seems to help, but I'm too scared to take more than about 50 mg per day, bc of all the warnings on medical sites not to even take 1 serving (100 mg) without a doctor's permission. And I've had two doctors tell me not to supplement potassium without recorded higher levels, "bc it can cause a heart attack," either too much or too little. I have no heart or kidney or other organ issue, besides I guess my friggin gastro system.

I'm just wondering: how do you know 100, 1-3 times a day, would be safe? Have you tried this? Seen others trying this?

I'm amazed bc I've read people saying they take 2-3000K of potassium daily. I just can't imagine. But I am really afraid that B12 shots are lowering my potassium to dangerous levels.

Oh the other thing is that I think *sometimes* I think it's potassium but it's really anxiety. And other times, just based on the intensity of the symptoms, I'm pretty sure it's potassium (and drinking a little potassium helps). But the fact that I never know for sure...I need an amount that isn't risky even if my levels are fine.
Can you please help me get comfortable trying to take a little, as you mentioned?.

I would be extremely grateful!

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

Tagging in @Jyoti, who, like myself, takes anywhere fro large to VERY large doses of potassium daily. And @Mary, who ditto, and who recommends the use of Low Sodium V-8 Juice (very high in naturally occurring potassium) and which any here have found extremely helpful ...

Hi. I'm new here. I'm really, really struggling with feeling like I need to take potassium, and it seems to help, but I'm too scared to take more than about 50 mg per day, bc of all the warnings on medical sites not to even take 1 serving (100 mg) without a doctor's permission.

A lot of members here have found that taking potassium in larger amounts than the very small, almost mingey, quantities approved by "Them", whoever "Them" are is really helpful, myself included ....

Drs get less that 10-15 hrs of nutritional training during their entire 4 years of medical school. What they don't know would fill books. And not to be a conspiracist, but things that arent produced by BigPharm rarely get much, if any, traction from most of the medical community.

I use BUlkSupplements potassium gluconate (easily absorbed, less stressig on your system), which being in powder form is safer to take. One of the reasons that potassium in tablet form is limited to 99 mgs per tab is that they take a while to dissolve, and if they're sitting directly on your stomach lining, they could burn into it.

And I've had two doctors tell me not to supplement potassium without recorded higher levels, "bc it can cause a heart attack," either too much or too little.

Yeah. No. You'll need to determine what dosage of potassium works for you, but absent the issues that you aren't dealing with, like kidney and cardio, and being mindful of how much you've taken and how you're reacting to it, you shuld be just fine. I do recommend the powdered form, both because of it's muc better and faster absorbability, and becasue you can titrate your doses very closely...

I'm just wondering: how do you know 100, 1-3 times a day, would be safe? Have you tried this? Seen others trying this?

Yes, and yes. A lot of us are taking higher amounts of potassium, and I'm hoping that anyone I haven't thought to tag in (because, you know, brain) will chime in, as well, and put you at ease over a supplement that many of us have found essential ....

 

[cheeseater]

Never heard of constipation from potassium. Most likely from iron or dehydration. Simple fix it to start eating prunes, which are great for constipation and also an excellent source of potassium. If you still have constipation after starting the prunes, eat more.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

Never heard of constipation from potassium.

Ditto ....

Most likely from iron or dehydration

Also from slow motility, inadequate intake of fiber, too little water, way too much calcium, and poor gut microbiome, along with other things I cant recall right now.

If it's iron causing the problem, your bowel would most likely be producing much darker content than normal, almost black ....

Simple fix it to start eating prunes, which are great for constipation and also an excellent source of potassium

Prunes never did anything for me, constipation-wise, altho they're the time-honored approach, but they have numerous other health benefits, so are good additions, nutritionally.

What did the trick for me was Magnesium Oxide in warm water with a little stevia and cinnamon for taste Anytime I start having issues, I take that at night and by morning, everything is moving happily along. Too much of it will cause diarrhea, and if that's the case, just back down on your dose.

I use BulkSupplements mag oxide, 3/8 ths of a teaspoon in warm water, as stated above, with a small amount of cinnamon and some stevia, which makes it almost tasty .... in a chalky sort of wat .....

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

One of the few OTC miracles I've found in the past few years has been Miralax

Miralax is made pretty much entirely of propylene glycol, which is also a constituent of anti-freeze and other chemical compounds, like chemical solvents for large machinery.

The problem with propylene glycol is that it's not uncommonly known to cause allergic reactions in the skin, even when taken internally, like contact dermatitis, and you could potentially develop an unpleasant rash when using any product with propylene glycol in it, particularly if you have skin conditions like eczema.

While the manufacturers say it's absolutely safe and a slightly different chemical composition of PG, I prefer to err on the side of caution ....

Much better than something like Metamucil.

They're two entirely different things. Propylene glycol is an osmotic, and functions by pulling water from your body and ito your colon, which magnesium oxide also does.

Metamucil is fiber, and functions by lightening up the contents of your colon with fiber, along with the water you drink it in, and works effectively to move things along.

 

[pamojja]

A contrarian view on potassium: https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/salud/salud_potassium.htm

For example my experience in concert with other nutrient and specially my Mg-deficiency:

I did monitor my labs, so also electrolytes in serum. The one most apperently deficient was calcium 13 years ago when I started supplementing. Since I also had a huge calcified stenosis I tried to still limit calcium, but took vitamin D3 (along with retinol and vitamin K2) to raise its absorption. Took 2 years and since then calcium in serum stayed in the middle of normal range with a serum 25(OH)D3 level of in average 70 ng/ml..

All other electrolytes I started low and increased gradually with the years, while monitoring labs. Potassium got about 4.2 g per day from diet, and supplemented an other 1.5 g/d in average the last 13 years. At times up to 2.2 g/d. Or about 1.8g of additional elemental sodium. Of course, one should supplement potassium only very slow and carefully titrating the dose, while monitoring symptoms and labs, otherwise could be dangerous.

Muscle cramps only started in my case after vitamin D/calcium sufficiency. So I strongly suspect through the co-factor need of Magnesium, to have pushed me from a life-long subclinical Mg-deficiency into a really severe.

Emphasis added to most relevant now. I do have multiple organ damage, like the kidneys, by the way.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

@pamojja

Sorry for the clunky copy-and-paste, but your response was already in a pink 'quote' window, which doesnt allow the usual quote function ....

So I strongly suspect through the co-factor need of Magnesium, to have pushed me
from a life-long subclinical Mg-deficiency into a really severe.​

True. Utilizing and transforming D3 sucks up magnesium like a cirlcing tornado and increases the body's needs considerably. So when supplementing with D3 it's critical to increase your intake of magnesium in whatever form you've found best ....

But with kidney issues, you have to be careful with magnesium, and that might also account for your downdraft in that mineral ....

 

[pamojja]

But with kidney issues, you have to be careful with magnesium, and that might also account for your downdraft in that mineral ....

With Covid I actually went blind concerning labs, because I just couldn't bear medical professionals I trusted - at least in their integrity for years - bending themself to the temporary aboslishment of basic human rights for a viral disease causing less victims as everyday CVD, cancer or medical malpractice. With means already known with highest evidence RCT being plainly ineffective. Just as quitting to post regularly here for the same reason.

But since you mentioned, thanks for the care, I looked back at my extensive lab testing the years before. Kidneys were continously worse the first 4 years (starting 14 years ago), and improved gradually afterwards up to my last testing beginning of 2020. And Mg-deficiency worse. But actually the muscle-cramps are much less since I didn't test.

which doesnt allow the usual quote function ....

Easy workaround, just place the quote in between:

[QUOTE]paste here[/QUOTE]

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

Easy workaround, just place the quote in between:

I tried that, and what came out was the entirety of your quoted post in between the

paste here

.

But I'm not having the best brain day, so maybe I screwed it up somehow. I've gotten pretty good at working with the

system .... if only I could translate that to the [ME] system, whose vagaries escape me ....

I'm glad that you're doing generally better !!!!

 

[TinaT]

Tagging in @Jyoti, who, like myself, takes anywhere fro large to VERY large doses of potassium daily. And @Mary, who ditto, and who recommends the use of Low Sodium V-8 Juice (very high in naturally occurring potassium) and which any here have found extremely helpful ...


A lot of members here have found that taking potassium in larger amounts than the very small, almost mingey, quantities approved by "Them", whoever "Them" are is really helpful, myself included ....

Drs get less that 10-15 hrs of nutritional training during their entire 4 years of medical school. What they don't know would fill books. And not to be a conspiracist, but things that arent produced by BigPharm rarely get much, if any, traction from most of the medical community.

I use BUlkSupplements potassium gluconate (easily absorbed, less stressig on your system), which being in powder form is safer to take. One of the reasons that potassium in tablet form is limited to 99 mgs per tab is that they take a while to dissolve, and if they're sitting directly on your stomach lining, they could burn into it.

Yeah. No. You'll need to determine what dosage of potassium works for you, but absent the issues that you aren't dealing with, like kidney and cardio, and being mindful of how much you've taken and how you're reacting to it, you shuld be just fine. I do recommend the powdered form, both because of it's muc better and faster absorbability, and becasue you can titrate your doses very closely...

Yes, and yes. A lot of us are taking higher amounts of potassium, and I'm hoping that anyone I haven't thought to tag in (because, you know, brain) will chime in, as well, and put you at ease over a supplement that many of us have found essential ....

Thank you so much. Somehow I missed your reply before (because, you know, brain 😁). Then I found it on a search for potassium info. 😅

I've seen the suggestion to drink V-8, which is heartbreaking bc I love V-8. I have a long story related to reflux for the last 1.5 years. My intro post has more details about everything I've tried and am still trying. Unfortunately, that means V8 is totally out of the question.

I purchased potassium chloride but I've been afraid to use it. I've read so much stuff. One was an MD saying that if your levels are too low, of potassium, then you can't absorb potassium, which can give you high potassium. So basically at some point you can't treat low potassium??? Plus the symptoms are very similar.

I have been occasionally taking trace minerals high potassium version. That has other minerals just more potassium than their normal. But I've only taken about half a dose at a time. I'm scared to take more. Plus it has citric acid, not good for reflux even in alkaline water.

So I've been drinking maybe 1.5 16 oz containers of coconut water. The sugar is becoming really annoying. And it doesn't help enough.

I read somewhere that you need potassium chloride specifically. But that was just on Reddit or something.

Do you think the potassium chloride I already have (powder form) would be good? Can I make a mix like with other electrictrolytes?

Thank you for the great info!! I'm so terrified of everything right now!! Especially this...

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

Do you think the potassium chloride I already have (powder form) would be good?

I dont have any experience with potassium chloride, so I cant say. What I do know is that each of us is different, and what suits one might not suit another, so the best thing is to trial things, very carefully (start low and go slow) and keep tight track of your reactions .... many of us, me included, keep a written diary of daily intake, particularly if we're starting something new ....

I read somewhere that you need potassium chloride specifically. But that was just on Reddit or something.

Yeah.

No.

Thank you for the great info!! I'm so terrified of everything right now!! Especially this...

At some point you'll have to let go of the fear, hold your nose, know that your body can deal with a lot, and dive in. Remember START LOW AND GO SLOW. Track your reactions on an hour-by-hour basis if necessary.

But you're going to have to do something to overcome your fear (all of us are, or have been, there), or resign yourself to staying where you are for, like, ever .... which is a long time to vacillate between options ....

 

[pamojja]

I purchased potassium chloride but I've been afraid to use it.

The most secure way to start with a new supplement is always with the tiniest dose, in capsules by opening and starting with a fraction only. Increase very slowly and gradually. While periodically getting tested, in case of potassium in serum.

With potassium chloride that is very easy. Just start to replace your sodium chloride - kitchen salt - with it. For example with eggs, if you can eat them. Also do read the contrarian experience I linked to above, to take at least some of your fears.

 

[Nord Wolf]

low-dose creatine (500mg/day)

What brand do you use of this, and are you taking it daily long-term, or just for short periods after staring B-vitamins?