High Potassium

[Dianamillo]

Hello everyone!

My husband’s potassium is high and I’m worried. His reading came back at 5.0

Is that very high? and what can I do to help him lower it.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

That is level is basically ok, but on the higher side. If you google high potassium foods, you will see there are many to stay away from. Potatoes, tomatoes, squash, and .... well there are a lot. You can do things like soaking veggies to help lower the potassium, but I am not really a believer that leeching really works. The best thing to do is talk with a renal dietician.

[lowraind in reply to Bassetmommer]

I tried leaching just once--the results were unpalatable.

[jodaer]

My potassium levels tend to be high too. At one time I had to take Lokelma to get it down. That's not pleasant so now I keep it down by watching what I eat. My neph told me that 2000 mg a day is a good goal. If you keep that in mind, track the potassium he should be fine. The big problem in it all, it's hard to find how much potassium is in food. Here is a link to FDA data base that will show you what is in the foood you eat. Make sure you are on the legacy tab. fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.ht...

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador in reply to jodaer]

My Doctor also put me on 2500 mg a day for potassium. Thanks for link.

[Sammi_n_Munk]

Hi Dianamillo. Yes, there are many foods (unfortunately) that are high in potassium. A few of them are probably most of his favourites, such as: potatoes, any dairy (milk, cheese, yogourt, etc.), nuts, seeds, legumes (beans, except for green beans - those are fine, lentils, zucchini, any squash, tomatoes, any citrus fruits, and chocolate. Of course there are others as well. You can Google high potassium foods to get a more accurate list of foods that should be limited.

Also, it’s important to remember that often times, salt substitutes can also be high in potassium (found this out the hard way), as can nutritional yeast be (learned this right here, fairly recently with much thanks to Bassetmommer)!

To get potassium down, I would recommend limiting the amount of these foods, but also drinking more water per day and exercise daily, as well. That’s really the only way to do it naturally, without medication.

Speak to your doctor about a referral to a renal dietician for your husband.

I hope you will find this helpful. Wishing you and your husband all the best. God bless. 😊👍🙏

[Hidden]

My lab reports list 5.2 as the top of the acceptable range. I have been as high as 5.8 maybe nine months ago and my last labs a month ago were at 5.1. I used to eat lots of peanut butter on toast, bowls of ice cream every night, salsa with chips on weekends, mashed and baked potatoes, bananas, and chocolate. Needless to say, I had to cut out most of that. It's ironic that the heart needs potassium to function properly but a little too much and it can cause your heart to shut down. My Neph told me that some people's bodies learn to deal with an elevated potassium level but you just have to watch that it doesn't get too high.

[Sammi_n_Munk in reply to Hidden]

Yes!!! Forgot about my favourites (bananas and peanut butter - they go so well together). 🥜🍌😔

[horsie63]

Mine runs at 4.8 without eating any of the aforementioned high potassium foods. Check his meds too. I know Losartan can raise potassium. You can go to drugs.com and put in all his meds to see side effects and interactions.

[Live_Positive]

5 is not too high, but the time has come to take action.

kidney is not able to filter the waste, potassium is one of them and very critical. High potassium can cause heart attack. This needs to be monitored regularly.

1. Google the nutrition facts before you eat anything. Keep total count in mind for that day.

2. Potassium is one the main cause to trend for dialysis

3. Initially doc will try for potassium binders but when they run out for that option as well, they suggest dialysis.

[WYOAnne NKF Ambassador]

That lab value is still within normal range. but a little on high side. My lab has lab values of 3.5 - 5.1 as normal. As Bassetmommer suggested your husband should see a renal dietician.

[jodaer]

I suggest you start with keeping track of everything he eats for a week. Then check how much potassium he is consuming and where can you cut back. An example would be beans. A serving is 1/2 cup and is high in potassium BUT if you put the beans in a soup, you wouldn't be eating the full serving. Homemade soup is one of the ways I've been able to eat my fav foods but not exceeding potassium. Another example is steak and BP. Very much a no no on high potassium. But soup or stew you still get the beef and potatoes but would not go over on the potassium.

[Hawk12]

Having had a prior kidney stone, being diabetic, and with the renal failure, I felt very restricted in my diet. My Nephrologist placed me on Valtassa, which worked very well for me. It is a powder and you mix it in water - no taste but is gritty like sand, but worth it to enjoy more variety of foods!

[Tissybell in reply to Hawk12]

Thanks. That's good to know, as a fellow diabetic, monitoring several nutrients, and always counting! I will look up Valtessa...