Potassium and RLS

[Milescircus]

I have severe RLS. It has mostly been under control for awhile after years of different meds. All of a sudden, for about 2 months now it’s like I don’t even take any medicine. It’s been a nightmare. And I haven’t been able to understand why? Last night out of desperation I was looking at all my meds, thinking of any changes I had made and it hit me. I take lasix 40 and potassium, well klor-con 20 meq. I have been out of potassium for a couple months! Coincidentally I had an apt for a b12 shot and labs results today. I have pernicious anemia, vitamin b12 deficiency and whacky iron/TIBC/UIBC/ferritin/transferrin. So my potassium was at the lowest end of normal. So I can say without a doubt potassium plays a part in severity of symptoms. I’m still out of klor-con but stopped for OTC potassium to take until I get it filled. My question is, if I take 40 mg of lasix how much potassium should I take? Or how much potassium do any of you take for RLS? Regardless of the lasix. I know too much is bad. There’s a careful balance.

[Hidden]

Hi, that's not a question I'd like to even attempt to answer.

It's true that low potassium levels can exacerbate or even cause RLS, but your picture is complicated. It also depends on why you're taking the diuretic.

I suggest you get your K prescription filled a.s.a.p. and consult your doctor.

I doubt if it will do any harm to take an OTC K according to the instructions that come with it in the meantime.

[Milescircus in reply to Hidden]

Thanks!

[Pippins2]

Hi I take Lasix butI have never been prescribed Potassium. Is it usual for them to be prescribed together? X

[Milescircus in reply to Pippins2]

Lasix as a diuretic can deplete potassium levels. I am a nurse and here in the US I believe it’s standard practice? Not positive but I’ve only ever seen them prescribed together.

[Pippins2 in reply to Milescircus]

Thankyou for your reply I will mention this at my next meds review x

[Oldcolner]

Miles

If you were taking 20meq potassium a day that’s a lot to miss out on for 2 months.

Your blood potassium may be normal as there’s only 5% of you total body potassium there. 95% is in bones and cells and these act as a store to top up your blood. You can’t find out your total body levels which doesn’t help. If bloods are low it’s likely your body stores are depleted and cell levels are low. Potassium is involved in stopping nerve impulses so if nerve cell levels are low your nerve stimulation will last longer.

Potassium given intravenously is dangerous if not given in a slow drip.

It seems you can take a lot of potassium in your diet - if you don’t have renal problems, your Body will quickly take it up in cells and kidneys will excrete any excess. However if your magnesium levels are low the potassium blood level will fall.

I suggest you see your doctor soon and ask for a supplement replacement, you can try a high potassium diet if no luck and maybe take magnesium too. (Magnesium stops muscle contractions)

NB Potassium Supplements you can buy over the counter are almost homeopathic at 99mg (only 2% of daily needs)

I’m taking pot citrate powder (quarter of a teaspoonful or 1.4g pot cit) twice a day Well diluted in a glass of orange juice or cup of herbal tea for other reasons and 300mg magnesium oxide daily.

No problems after a month and feelings in my legs returned within a week after 23 years of numbness!

good luck.

[DicCarlson]

Potassium is a very tricky mineral supplement - deficiencies can cause serious health effects as can too much. It is probably why most supplements come in with just 99mg/dose. Daily requirements are in the range of 3000+mg for adults. Much is stored in the body not necessarily in the blood. The old adage "eat a banana" for leg cramps, etc. is a little misplaced since there is much more in potatoes. The "Adrenal Cocktail" uses cream of tartar (1/4 tsp, app=300mg Potassium) plus 1/4 tsp of sea salt mixed in juice. I use this for severe leg cramps when my electrolyte supplements just aren't enough (usually contain about 75-100mg potassium). Bottom line - get medical opinions before any dramatic potassium supplementation. I always ask why am I iron or potassium deficient? There's lots of evidence for a gut health, absorption connection.

Here's an earlier discussion from about 3 months ago... healthunlocked.com/rlsuk/po...

[Milescircus in reply to DicCarlson]

Yes! You’re absolutely right! And I do have pernicious anemia and a iron/b12 deficiency diagnosis. I also have autoimmune Atrophic gastritis and Hashimotos with multiple thyroid nodules. So I get what you say about gut health and an absorption component. Thanks for explaining so well.

[Hidden]

I have been taking Potassium for years and yes I am convinced it’s helpful. Without it my Potassium goes down to lower end of normal range or below it and I get horrendous RLS and whole body muscle spasms. I have Multiple Sclerosis and the Doctors blame it on that. Although I have been unable to find medical explanations I know that the potassium is important for me.

It’s very difficult to get the doctors to understand that I need the potassium. I was recently in hospital for major surgery and they gave me most of my daily meds except for the potassium. Of course my potassium level went down to below normal range, but they wouldn’t listen to me.

I don’t take Lasix.

[Milescircus]

Oh I’m so sorry to hear that. I take lasix for lower extremity edema. For awhile now.

[Oldcolner]

Potassium and RLS are in a catch 22 situation. You don’t know if you are deficient as body levels are not measured and blood levels reflect only 5% of total body amounts and can be normal when body levels are low.

Doctors are taught potassium is dangerous, which is partly true when used wrongly. It is also an essential element and you need 4g a day in your diet.

If doctor injects it intravenously it will stop your heart. That’s why it’s given intravenously slowly diluted in a drip so it can quickly pass into the cells.

Solid Tablets can cause local irritation in the gut if they don’t dissolve quickly, so the FDA limits the amount to 99mg.

Few doctors are aware potassium can help restless legs and are unlikely to agree to a request from a patient for it, given what they are led to believe.

When taken slowly such as eating a meal or drinking a well diluted solution the potassium quickly moves from gut to blood to cells or out to the urine when not needed. When taken as part of a diet it rarely causes problems unless people have renal or Addison’s disease or conflicting medications.

Oral Medicines are available with doses of 3g of potassium citrate three times a day for kidney stones or cystitis. These are either solutions to be taken slowly in lots of water or slow release forms. This is one in the US

medicinenet.com/potassium_c...

It lists cautions and side effects.

For progress to be made medical research is needed to show the impact of potassium on RLS and ways of taking it safely. Not even RLS organisations are doing that probably as no company is likely to fund it. Expensive brain medicine companies are much more likely to offer money and divert research there. So it’s Catch 22 all round.

[JerseyGirl_wRLS in reply to Oldcolner]

Hi Oldcolner, thanks for your informed posts. Can you use your chemistry knowledgeable brain to comment on why Ural (ural-australia.com/) helps my RLS? I discovered the side effect by accident once when I had a urinary tract infection and took Ural. Could it be the potassium citrate or tartaric acid?