Hi! A bit of a random question but I’ve recently had some bloods taken by my GP surgery and my potassium levels have come back a little low (3.2 range 3.5-5.3)
My TSH is 3.06 (range 0.27-4.20), which I think is a little too high although in range, so it got me thinking if there is a link at all between the thyroid and potassium levels? Rather frustratingly I need to have my bloods checked again as FT4 and 3 and thyroid antibodies have been missed!
My B12 is a little low too (180 range 197 - 771) my folate looks a little low too although in range, 4.7 range 3.9-26.8. Viewing others posts on here I think this could potentially be linked to thyroid?
My full blood count and ferritin levels are all looking good. I was on iron tablets for most of the year as I had iron deficiency anaemia but bloods all looking good, and my liver function tests have all come back a little high so they suggested stopping them now as my ferritin and full blood count levels are all towards the higher end of the ranges.
I am not on any medication for my thyroid but I am on HRT. I am under an endocrinologist and these results have been sent to him to check over.
My GP is retesting for the missed FT3 and 4 and to recheck potassium and B12 levels, so not really looking for advice, just it piqued my curiosity as to if there is a link between potassium and thyroid.
Your potassium level is low but if you are taking sufficient potassium in your diet, I'd be surprised if thyroid actually pushed it below reference interval. Even if is is caused by thyroid, low potassium is something that should be addressed quickly and thyroid can take months or years to resolve. You could switch from ordinary salt to a product like Lo-Cal which is partly potassium.
The following, whilst from the USA, is quite a decent discussion of the issues.
Thank you for the info! My GPs comment on it was “slightly low B12, unclear as for the reason, probably just needs retesting”! Hopefully my endocrinologist will be slightly more helpful!
No, I’m not vegan or vegetarian.
Thank you, I’m definitely making a conscious effort to boost my potassium with my diet. I’m aware too much is just as bad so not supplementing yet as like with my B12 my GP comment was quite dismissive and put “unclear why K is also low - again probably just needs retesting”!
Low or high potassium is something that should never be treated lightly since it can affect so much within the body. guess not much chance of retest before next week now but in the meantime you may want to increase potassium rich food. It can be due to excess urine output kidneys regulate it.
Thank you! Yes, I’m just trying to improve potassium with my diet so it doesn’t go too high. I’ve not noticed higher than normal urine output but I’ll keep an eye, thank you!
[Personal anecdote - I take potassium bicarbonate in granule/powder form, level quarter teaspoon per day, mixed with orange juice. All the potassium supplements I've ever tried taste awful, and I can only get it down with something with a fairly strong taste like OJ or blackcurrant. I bought my potassium bicarbonate from Amazon or Ebay. Don't buy more than 100g or 250g - it lasts a long time.]
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A few days after starting the potassium, add in B12 (preferably methylcobalamin) at a fairly high dose. I buy this from Amazon, but doing some comparison shopping might save money.
Then finally, a couple of weeks after starting the B12, add in folate (preferably methylfolate). You may have to start with a low dose to avoid tolerance problems.
By the end of this process you'll be taking B12, folate, and potassium. When your blood results have noticeably improved you might be able to cut down on the amount of potassium you take. The increased requirements for potassium only last as long as your body is making up a deficit of red blood cells. Potassium is needed all the time, so whether you decide to continue the potassium is up to you.
Interestingly enough, my red cell count is right at the top of the range. I had quite low iron deficiency anaemia and even with that my red cell count never went low - in fact on the first blood test where they picked up the anaemia, my red blood cell count was actually a little high… if the body uses more potassium when making more red blood cells I guess that makes sense… although in that blood test my potassium was fine… a strange one!
At the moment I’m just trying to improve it via my diet until I can actually seek some advice from my GP - I don’t want my potassium to go too high as I understand that can be just as bad for the body…
Thank you, luckily I don’t feel too ill I’m just absolutely exhausted all the time! We put that down to long Covid though (had it 12 months ago) and my rubbish iron levels… (at one point my ferritin was so low it was almost undetectable! Luckily all good now!) however looking at my latest bloods I’m not actually surprised I’m so tired!
humanbean Many thanks for all the info ! However I'm confused (again ! 😀 ) as one of your links contradicts what you have written and says " A low baseline reading for folate can indicate that your body will struggle to absorb any supplemented vitamin B12, so ensuring that your folate levels are at a good level before taking B12 is recommended." Should Folate be introduced before or after starting with B12 ?
Suppose you have low levels of B12 and folate. The small amount of B12 that you have can't be used (much) because folate is required to metabolise it, and you have don't have much folate either.
Then you start supplementing folate but not B12. The additional folate could allow the body to metabolise the remaining (low level of) B12 and leave you with no B12 at all. This can lead to severe nerve damage :
So, it has been suggested for a long time that B12 should be increased first to give the body something to work with when it gets more folate.
There have been suggestions that this logic isn't true or accurate. But it isn't ethical to research it in humans now that people are aware of the possible dangers of having zero B12, and so making sure that people boost their B12 a bit before adding folate is considered to be a wise thing to do.
Thank you! I had porridge and banana for breakfast and I’m planning to have a jacket potato for lunch and researching different foods!
Ooh I’ll ask re pernicious anaemia test too… also my Grandad has to have B12 injections so I’ll quiz him about them! Although he had neurological symptoms and numb feet which I have been lucky enough not to have so far!
Be aware that low potassium leads to high blood sugar, as your body makes less insulin. Dont let them label you as diabetic! Once you have that label, it sticks no matter what. A blood pressure pill made mine drop, so I stopped taking it and the potassium and blood sugar went back to normal. I am still stuck with the diabetic label though!
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