On this forum there was a reference to a report of a study of 68 RLS patients who took potassium citrate. The experiment may have lacked some rigour - there were no blind subjects as a control group. However at the end of 45 days 100% of the patients apparently had no symptoms. (See link at the end of this memo)
Good enough for me, so I tried to get some potassium citrate and the pharmacists looked at me a bit strangely and suggested that it is a fairly dangerous chemical to be taking without your doctors recommendation and supervision. So I referred it to the GP who said it can cause heart problems and if you overdose it can harm the bits you love like kidney, liver and others. However I promised not to misuse it and he prescribed it. I later found that it can be obtained from a compounding chemist as a special mixture without a prescription. Obviously it's not the sort of thing to self-prescribe even if you can get it without a prescription!!! I also found a product that didn't need a prescription for some reason. The pharmacist assured me that it was the same compound. It was about $1 per tablet.
Now the experiment. I have started my course of one per day hoping that I will be in the early cure group and after 15 days I might lose my symptoms. I presume that I have to continue taking them every day to stay "cured" I will, of course, give you a running commentary. I am sticking to my diet and food restrictions but at some point I will have to eat garlic prawns and drink real cows milk to test whether its working or not. Day 15 might be my first challenge.
I am proceeding setting up an iron infusion, as a separate project, but I might not start that until day 60
Following the iron infusion I hope I will have a decision between continuing the potassium citrate or ongoing infusions. 13 of one and a baker's dozen of the other. A happy spot to be if I get there.
I believe the iron infusion wears out after a few months so I have to maintain the ferriten level some way. If the infusion indicates that a ferriten level of 300 suits my body and my brain then I might have to eat a plate of chicken liver as entree every night to maintain the level. I shudder at the thought but there must be a good recipe somewhere.
I think this is a link to the paper mentioned above.
Incidently there is a hint in the paper that Magnesium helps to retain potassium in the body so if you try potassium citrate it might be a good idea to take a Mg supplement as well.
Cheers
Graham
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Graham3196
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Thank you Graham for that very in depth onsite, first of all I cannot take any potassium or any foods containing high levels of it, as a high level of potassium in your body can damage your heart irreversibly which on one occasion after a blood test an ambulance was sent to my address to take me to A and E as it was so high they were worried about cardiac arrest, I might say I felt fine and it was sorted in the end, I also have to be massively cautious as I am a transplant patient and even if I rub cream in I have to ask the liver team as it can be absorbed through skin and cause damage, today my GP has increased my pregabalin to see if it helps, and I've bought a ice cooler to put on when it's really bad
Very interesting to read your comments on potassium citrate.
I managed to buy the powder recently and am trying a minimum dose each day.
In fact I'm trying everything as I think it's probably dopamine levels which are low.
I've had restless legs (and/or periodic leg movement) for past 2-3 months every night..and it's so bad I'm not getting much sleep at all.
I take paracetamol for the pain of it.. plus a few amino acids such as l-tryosine.. l-arginine.. alpha lipoic acid..iron.. electrolytes...omega 3 fish oils..B complex.. vitamin D.nfokic acid..and just recently theanine and serotonin..
It's quite a lot to take each day... some days I do miss out on some tablets..
However.. last 2 nights no restless legs.. even though I'm "waiting" for it to happen.!
I've been on these tables for about 2 weeks now..and hoping against hope I will be cured and replacing the vitamins and minerals I need.
I am a lady over 60.. average weight..and keep fit with walking etc..so I'm puzzled as to what triggered it.
Doctor not much help.. didn't even suggest a blood test or want to get to cause of it.. hence self medication.
Hi Jan I'll send a list of other things that have helped some people. If you dont get it this weekend please remind me. Search the forum for ferritin.
Have i got this right YOU are setting up a iron infusion your self. ? Tell me i gave misread it,. You are having the iron infusion done in a hospital done professionally. right. ?
By setting it up I mean getting tests and doctors approval and finding the right infusion material. I will be doing it next door to an intensive care unit just in case.
Doctor Buchfuhrer says there are only two types of infusion material available that are suitable for RLS patients. I don't know if they are available in Australia so there might be a delay getting hold of them or identifying substitutes. I might also have to save some money!
From what people have said to me I think we have to be cautious with potassium so it might be better to check with your GP rather than a pharmacist. Your GP SHOULD have a better understanding of interactions between different potassium compounds.
I'm starting to feel nervous about eating two bananas in one day!
Potassium supplements are limited to 100 mg of elemental potassium in the United States. Doctors there can prescribe higher doses.
In the United Kingdom it is still legal to buy the powder. I buy both potassium chloride and potassium citrate. How much I use depends on how salty I want the dish I'm putting it on to be.
Potassium chloride may make up 50% or even 66% of so called lo-salt products. However, using these, I found I was still getting too much sodium.
The RDA for potassium is 4.7 grams and as you say even moderate overdose can be very harmful, ultimately lethal. Potassium citrate is just over 38% potassium, so if a teaspoon is about 5 grams, you would need just under 2½ teaspoons to reach that amount. Potassium chloride is just over 50% potassium so you'd reach that with rather less than two teaspoons. Naturally, you have to consider how much is in your food, how much you take at a time and how much fluid you take it with.
The total amount of potassium chloride plus the amount of potassium citrate I consume in a day is rather less than one teaspoon.
Using lo-salt products was still leaving my sodium intake too high, so I turned to this method of making sure I get enough potassium. (I should perhaps say turned back to it – in the 1980s, one could buy potassium chloride as a condiment in health stores, now one needs to send off for it. Strangely perhaps, it's often cheaper to get it sent from the USA.)
For the above reason, I hope the authorities consider all aspects of health iissues before introducing any restrictions.
Consuming too much salt (sodium chloride) might also be lethal, I believe, even though the body can eliminate it better – though the taste would doubtless deter you.
[Naturally, check my calculations and speak to a pharmacist or, as Graham says, medic before self-supplementing.]
I really appreciate that post Graham - I note it is easily obtainable in Australia through Chemist Warehouse or it can be ordered on line from many sources including I herb.
Will definitely give this a go - I am all for natural cures. Not on any medication as yet though I get RLS every night usually bad 2 hours after I go to bed. Most times it goes right up my back as well as my legs.
Hi Graham I live in Australia and when I googled potassium citrate - it seems to be very easy to obtain on line and even at Chemist Warehouse. I really appreciate this information and will get some to try.
In South Africa it is freely available, most often as part of an alkalising powder.
I found some at the very back of my kitchen cupboard, made by the leading pharmacy chain! Rather dusty.
A full daily dose of 15grams would give 1,680mg.
It is sold as a supplement, so clearly it is not considered dangerous.
It is much the same as A Vogel's Multiforce Alkaline Powder, which is surely available all over the planet, such a famous name. It would be a carefully balanced recipe of electrolytes.
The dose recommended of 1080 mg Potassium Citrate given daily orally is not such a high amount - I doubt it would cause damage as for instance 1 avocado is 480 mg. Average consumption per day of potassium on a good diet is
3,500–4,700 mg of this mineral per day from foods. The difference is this form is alkalising and thus anti-inflammatory in the same way that bi carb soda is. It might be a better form of potassium to take for those of us with restless legs. I will give it a try when I can get some and report.
Its a mixed bag at the moment. I felt I was getting sounder sleep without any slight bit of RLS up to about day 25 Then suddenly it went wrong and I have had quite bad RLS for the last 4 nights. I have been worried that the potassium citrate might have caused something to go wrong. However looking back at my imperfect records I realised that I found a new brand of gluten free bread that was so good I went back to an old habit of spreading my toast thickly with margarine. However on investigation I found that I had started buying a different margarine that someone else in the household preferred and when I checked it was 60% dairy product so it is possible that I was eating too much lactose. Back on the diet and tonight might be a problem but tomorrow night will be the test.
The Bangladesh experiment had some subjects require 48 days of pot cit to get rid of their RLS so the experiment is on-going.
If it is the "margarine" It shows how fussy we have to be about what we eat, and how much we eat, if we have some intolerance.
I'll bore you with a progress report unless I suffer from the side effect of "cardiac arrest or death with no noticeable symptoms"
Thanks for your concern. I checked my pulse and I am still here.
The potassium citrate trial has not given any beneficial result - yet.
I have been taking one tablet per day for 62 days so I think I have probably given it a good try. I thought it was helping me get sounder sleep but that might have been wishful thinking. I have tested a small departure from my diet and I my RLS symptoms returned for a few days. I will continue taking the same dose until I start some other trial.
So I have to say that the Potassium citrate didn't help me and doesn't seem likely to.
That doesn't mean it won't help someone else. If we accept the Bangleshi result then 68 people out of 68 found it helped them. I am trying to get more information. If I was another person I would check with my doctor and give the potassium citrate a try. Treated with care there seems to be a low risk.
I am about to arrange an iron infusion so "ferritin = 350" here I come!
Magnesium in powdered form is the best thing Ive found for leg cramping and that feeling of muscle impulses going up and down legs. I take it in 100 mg in in about 3oz of water.stir until well blended. Products I have used are: ‘NOW’ powdered Magnesium; and ‘CALM.’ It is also powdered and is mixed with water. The body’s magnesium levels are depleted daily. Need food sources to replenish it daily. Dietary changes, getting older make it more difficult to absorb. Hope this helps.
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