Potassium making muscle rigidity MUCH worse! What's wrong?!

[Sophiedw]

So general wisdom is that K should relax muscles. I've had a generalised muscular rigidity for the past week or more and finding that K makes it much much worse with cramping becoming painful and very unpleasant. The people on PR are so well informed. Any idea what could this mean?

 

[valentinelynx]

How much potassium are you taking? Have you had any recent lab measurements of your serum potassium? Both low and high potassium levels can cause muscle spasms.

Another possibility is that you have one of the rare diseases called "Potassium Aggravated Myotonias".

Here's a short summary: "Potassium aggravated myotonia is a group of diseases that causes tensing and stiffness (myotonia) of skeletal muscles, which are the muscles used for movement. The three types of potassium-aggravated myotonia include myotonia fluctuans, myotonia permanens, and acetazolamide-sensitive myotonia.[1] Potassium aggravated myotonia is different from other types of myotonia because symptoms get worse when an affected individual eats food that is rich in potassium." (from this source -
https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/4459/potassium-aggravated-myotonia)

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

@Sophiedw

K should relax muscles.

I think magnesium would be the next stop, often used to relax muscles. If you have normal potassium levels, adding more on top of that might create problems, more so in the presence of kidney problems.

I've experimented a lot with magnesium, and the form that causes zero bowel issues and is very bioavailable, at least for me, has been magnesium glycinate. I use Solgar's Chelated Magnesium which is chelated to glycine and has worked well for me on several different issues, including tight, stiff, unresponsive muscles.

Good luck, and here's hoping mag helps.

 

[Sophiedw]

Thank you so much. I'll buy some right now.

 

[Judee]

I get leg cramps from potassium about 40% of the time when I take it. I'm not sure why. Like you, I thought it was suppose to relax muscles. One exception is that my heart hurts sometimes and potassium relieves that.

 

[BeADocToGoTo1]

Be careful with going extreme on any particular electrolyte as it can impact electrical signaling in your body and impact blood pressure, heart irregularities, muscle cramps, etc. Balance is everything. You can buy electrolyte pills that you can dissolve in water, without any sugary garbage in it. Or check for foods that are high in specific electrolytes you are looking for. I go for 1/2 a not too ripe banana for a potassium boost, or some brazil nuts for some magnesium. Also please check your water quality.

These are are the electrolytes:

Sodium (Na)
Calcium (Ca)
Magnesium (Mg)
Phosphate (HPO4)
Potassium (K)
Bicarbonate (HCO3)
Chloride (Cl) Do not confuse it with chlorine, the disinfectant in tap water.

Imbalances were also a symptom in my case of malabsorption, EPI, etc. There is a test by Spectracell lab that checks for intra-cellular levels in white blood cells that might be worthwhile. It is tough, unless extremely off, to spot deficiencies through the standard blood tests, as the body tries very hard to maintain an electrolyte balance in the blood.