Potassium supplements

[Profound15]

Does anyone take these supplements to prevent ectopics please. I take magnesium daily but try and eat potassium rich foods. I doubt I get close to the recommended daily requirements of around 3700mg though. I just wonder if low potassium is an issue for my heart. Thanks

[Hidden]

I don’t know much about the reasons why but I understand the answer is yes. Fortunately there are many here who know a lot more than me.....

[Profound15 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks flapjack. I drink a half litre of coconut water daily which is rich in potassium and it does seem to reduce the ectopics so I’m thinking there might be something in it. I can’t see any real research on it online which is a pity. Asking the kind folks on here is always helpful

[Hidden in reply to Profound15]

Thanks, I think Jacket (baked) potatoes are good too!

[jeanjeannie50]

Bananas are rich in potassium, in fact I remember a story re Peter Andre who ate so many one day that he had to be taken to hospital with potassium overload. He had eaten them excessively though. So there's the answer, just one or two a day.

Jean

[CDreamer]

Be very careful with Potassium and do NOT go with any supplements unless prescribed by a doctor, after blood tests.

Magnesium will clear your body if you don’t use it but excess Potassium can do great harm to heart and kidneys. Electrolytes do need to be in balance but you should get all you need from your diet.

If you are concerned about low Potassium, please go and speak to your doctor and be aware of the side effects of high Potassium.

Having too much potassium in your blood can be dangerous. High potassium can even cause a heart attack or death! Unfortunately, many people do not feel symptoms of high potassium until it’s too late and their heart health worsens.

[Barny12]

I like Cronometer to keep an eye on magnesium & potassium - it's a really good way to check whether your diet is meeting your nutritional needs. Enter the food/drink eaten that day & get all the data you could possibly want: calories, fat, protein, carbs, vitamins, minerals etc all listed as percentages of recommended daily amounts.

cronometer.com/

[Profound15 in reply to Barny12]

Thanks Barny

[secondtry in reply to Barny12]

I hadn't heard of that checker, which sounds very convenient. I would add make sure the foods you buy are organic and in addition from a reliable preferably local source; otherwise you could be eating the right foods but not getting the expected minerals.

[Madscientist16]

I was told by my EP that taking magnesium supplements is okay, but not potassium. I don't take any supplements as I eat a pretty well balanced diet. I get my potassium from bananas and coconut water. I get extra magnesium from beans, nuts and dark chocolate. 🙂

[Profound15 in reply to Madscientist16]

Yes I agree I will not be taking any potassium supplements. Interestingly I used that Cronometer app yesterday and it recorded that I’d had all the potassium I needed through the food I ate including coconut water. It also stated that I was way below the vitamin d that I needed. It’s coming in to winter in the U.K. and we’ve been in lockdown. I’ll be taking some vit d supplements to compensate for the lack of sun. I do wonder if low vit d has an impact on ectopics though

[Auriculaire in reply to Profound15]

It is almost impossible to get enough vit D from food alone. Eating very large amounts of oily fish and eggs every day might do it! There has been no it D available fron the sun in the UK since mid Sept so any stocks built over the summer will be depleting . Unless you invest in a UVB lamp supplements are the answer. If your level is very low you need to take about 3000/4000 iu to get it up. The government recommended 400iu a day will not cut it.

[Profound15 in reply to Auriculaire]

Yes I’m going to start on 1000iu to start with and see how it goes from there.

Today is a nightmare as I’ve got loads of ectopics. I wish I knew what I could do to control them. Does anyone know if calcium channel blockers help. I’m going to see my cardio soon and need something as these are driving me up the wall

[Palpman]

If you land up in A&E with arrhythmias then the first thing they do is hook you up to a magnesium potassium intravenous drip.Hypokalemia is well known to cause ventricular tachycardia and cardiac arrest.

[Cha275rL]

It seems to be an issue Profound15 . Many years ago (pre AF), I was on a diuretic which depleted my potassium level. My heart was beating very hard with ectopics, and when I spoke to my GP, and had a blood test, potassium was extremely low. When the diuretic was changed, all these symptoms disappeared, and potassium was normal again.

[Profound15 in reply to Cha275rL]

Thanks Cha275rl that’s really interesting. I’m taking coconut water so that’s boosting my electrolytes which does help

[Cha275rL]

I take that too now, because I read about it on this site. Stay well.

[Tomred]

I've read kiwis have way more potassium than bananas which are apparently way down the list of top 100 just a thought

[Pearipile-55]

Excess magnesium causes severe arrhythmias, high heart rate, tachycardia and even sudden death. Not everyone eliminates excess magnesium (especially if they have kidney problems,) it accumulates and makes a mess in the body! Calcium helps more than magnesium. Try a few days adding calcium without magnesium and see the difference!

[Profound15 in reply to Pearipile-55]

Thanks pearipile. I’ve totally stopped magnesium supplements for the foreseeable future. We’ll see how I get on

[Pearipile-55 in reply to Profound15]

please tell me how you do it! health and well!.

[Profound15 in reply to Pearipile-55]

I’ve started by recording everything that I eat on the phone app Cronometer. This produces a list of vitamins and minerals consumed etc against the normal minimal values. I’m trying to hit the targets for magnesium and potassium daily and adjust my diet to meet them.

[Profound15]

Never knew that. So why do we have calcium channel blockers

[sleeksheep]

Calcium supplements for me is totally out as I have had Kidney stones and was told in no uncertain words to read the labels of all tablets ( and supplements ) as calcium is used as a filler and a binder. As in all things moderation with intake seems to have worked.