The role of sugar in electrolyte solutions?

[ahimsa]

I don't see that it would be necessary to add the glucose to electrolyte mix for the purpose of improving OI/low blood volume. Dehydration due to vomiting and diarrhea is a different matter.

Thanks for your thoughts. This is similar to what adreno and Sparrow posted earlier. It makes sense to me.

I'm at a loss about why drinking something like Pedialyate helps me so much. Normally, I take a potassium supplement (prescription, time released) in the mornings, take salt tablets with meals, and drink 2.5 to 3 liters of plain water during the day (gradually, not all at once). That should be enough, I think.

I almost always feel better if I switch in a liter of Pedialyte for one of the liters of water and skip a couple salt tablets. I'm actually not worried about getting too much sodium but I do worry that maybe this is too much potassium to consume on a regular basis. But maybe I'm worried for nothing?

My Rx potassium dosage is 10 Meq. The amount in one liter of Pedialyte is twice that, 20 Meq. So that would mean 30 Meq in one day, plus whatever potassium I get in food. I'm vegetarian so lots of fruits, veggies, beans = lots of dietary potassium. I don't know whether that's too much. On the other hand, I'm on fludrocortisone (low dose, 0.05 per day) and that drains potassium. So maybe there's no need to worry.

I'd love to talk with one of my doctors about this but they tend to dismiss these details as trivial.

 

[SOC]

I'd love to talk with one of my doctors about this but they tend to dismiss these details as trivial.

Surely a simple Basic Metabolic Panel (calcium, potassium, sodium and more) wouldn't be that big a deal for your docs to order and a fairly reasonable request if you're taking potassium supplements and drinking lots of water.

Of course, that's true of a lot of things we don't get.

 

[Sea]

If the Pedialyte has twice your usual dose of potassium and makes you feel better perhaps it is the extra potassium that you're needing