I was recently discharged from hospital after suffering from a bladder infection which caused me to have delirium & require urgent care. I was released from hospital with potassiuim tablets as I was told my levels were low.
Has anyone else had low levels of potassium due to thyroid issues? (I have Hashi's)
I eat a very healthy & well balanced diet & assume it must be an absorption problem that has caused this to happen.
Thank you for reading my question.
What were the instructions with the potassium tablets? If it was the kind of urine infection that made you pee lots, it may be the infection plus the peeing caused your levels to drop. It might just be temporary.
The instructions on the tablets said to take one with food twice a day, but you know what they are like in hospital, the nurse just made me swallow two tablets with no food. I had a terrible reaction to them! You could be right about the excessive peeing! Thank you for replying.
I think probably many hypos err on the side of general dehydration too. We hold on to our fluids rather than pee them out ‘normally’. So we are more prone to bladder infections. So - keep yourself hydrated generally and think about purchasing something called D-Manoose (can’t remember the actual name right at the moment) and take it the minute you suspect a urine infection. It worked like magic for me. Others on the Forum recommended it.
I did try the D-Mannose, but it didn't work for me. Every time I get a bladder infection, I have to go to hospital for IV antibiotics as I'm allergic to lots of them.
Not so good then. That’s annoying for you. We seem to each have our particular issues which are most problematic. It amazes me I seem to know what annoys my condition but I still make mistakes. Testing. Testing. I fail every time.
It might be worth trying D-mannose with cranberry extract, there's a product called Cysticlear (sp?) that I found in Spain although it's British. It's super easy to take because it's a powder in sachets that you just stir into a glass of water and drink at bedtime. I had suffered utis since the age of 11 but have had barely even a hint of one since the Cysticlear in May 2023. I took it for a whole month, I think it's important to take it continuously for a month. Sorry if this is annoying since you said it didn't work, I just have this overwhelming urge to relieve your suffering!
I was found to have low potassium in hospital, but it only happened once, and the cause was never investigated. (Well, to be precise my level matched the bottom of the range so doctors weren't interested.) I had actually ended up in hospital because my heart rate was extremely fast and I had chest pain.
I have found that having low potassium also gives me severe cramp, so I keep some at home for when I get cramp.
The only time I have bought potassium pills (I can't remember what they were made of exactly) I struggled to swallow them - they looked like they were of a size that a horse would appreciate. In the end I looked up info on what forms of potassium could be used as a supplement and bought some online as a supplement.
I take this in powder form :
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potas...
and drink it in orange juice. If this interests you then I should point out that it tastes absolutely vile and needs to be put in something else to disguise the taste.
I took advice on potassium from this link, which is well worth reading - not just the article but the comments as well :
drmalcolmkendrick.org/2013/...
I once sought out potassium bicarbonate to use as a raising agent, so that would be a possible way of consuming the potassium in it, if one is OK about flour products and their demonised gluten.
I was really looking for ammonium bicarbonate (baker's ammonia, or hartshorn) which is fantastic for biscuits, but has the disadvantage that the bowl can't be licked out in a domestic kitchen -- the baking drives off the ammonia.
I was in hospital with a septic (cancerous) kidney. I had iv fluids and was also drinking water all day due to the fever. After a couple of days I was brought a potassium tablet (flat, round, and about an inch across, doesn’t get swallowed, gets dissolved in water and drunk) as my potassium had dropped below range. A couple of days of that and being taken off the iv fluids and it was back to normal.
In my case the low potassium level was due to over hydration, just general flushing through of my system.
I have poor potassium levels which are not connected with thyroid. In my case diuretics and other meds were the cause.
I was given soluble potassium drinks in hospital. Tastes truly vile. Like drinking iron filings.
I’ve recently been hospitalised with a bladder infection. I wonder if you’ve been told the name of the bacterium causing your infection?
I have never had e.coli, but sometimes I test positive for coliforms. I've had many different antibiotics over the last 42 years & I'm either allergic to them or they no longer work. I have to have Gentamicin IV.
Yes, the potassium does taste vile!
Iron filings is the only way I can describe them. 😩
Gentamicin IV was given to me when I had knee replacements. Apparently it’s used for bone infections mostly / or prevention of bone infections in surgery..
I had dangerously low sodium levels because of over hydration. I was hospitalised and given several bags of saline through a drip to remedy this. Apparently they had to give me potassium to keep electrolytes in balance it wasn’t that low but the balance is essential
I asked about which bacterium caused your UTI as I left hospital with a hospital acquired infection called Klebsellia Pneumonie. People who have catheters are particularly susceptible. I wasn’t at all happy been catheterised since March this year and taken good care of myself and had no UTI. Two weeks in hospital with sloppy treatment and I leave with an infection that’s antibiotic resistant. Sadly it can become systemic and lead to sepsis.
I'm so very sorry to hear this. I totally get what you mean about sloppy treatment in hospitals. I once went to the home of a head of hygiene member of staff, she worked in a very large N.H.S. hospital & her home was really filthy!! How on earth can someone who lives in filth, teach others about hygiene?!
Potassium deficiency can have many causes such as diarrhoea, use of diuretics (medicines that make you pee), laxative use, excessive sweating but also folic acid deficiency. The potassium supplements you are taking should take care of this, as potassium is one of the key minerals and very low levels can lead to heart arrhythmia - so good to address this.
With regard to your bladder infection, studies have shown that cranberry extract can reduce the frequency and intensity of bladder and other urinary tract infections. Have a look at Amazon, they have concentrated cranberry extracts with Vitamin C, which might be worth a try? Hope you get better soon.
cranberry juice contains salicylic acid and if your allergic to aspirin,like I am,can upset your stomach
So glad they caught it and you are doing better. Yes it happened to a friend of mine. She had to eat alot of kiwi and other citrus fruits. They post online all foods containing potassium . Sometimes our bodies need more and balanced diet is great but should be slanted to the individual. And yes a kidney (urine infection) can cause a temporary imbalance. To be on the safe side and restore order, up potassium foods. Sounds like a change in diet is best since you have medication sensitivities too. Hope you get a handle on it.
I too showed low levels with potassium with hypothyroid. I course corrected with proper dosage thyroid meds and upping diet of potassium rich foods. Never take anything except thyroid meds as supplements and pills carry their own side effects etc.
Lack of potassium is often an electrolytes deficiency. Most people don't think about electrolytes very much but they must be balanced. Many electrolyte powders to choose from and good to take once a day as they have magnesium in them as well as sodium. I take one of these drinks every day just for good measure. Especially good for weather changes like hot or cold. Are you taking Celtic Sea Salt each day for the trace minerals?
I'm outside a lot in the desert and tend to lose both salt and potassium. My go to is 1/4 teaspoon (about 1.4g) of lite salt - sodium and potassium chloride in cool (not cold or warm) water. When I'm low, I barely notice the taste. If I feel like I just need potassium, I use cream of tartar. I avoid drinks like Gatorade because of the sugar - although sugar helps absorption.
Sodium (Na) and Potassium (K) Content (mg)
G2 Drink - Na 160 K 50 mg
gatorade.com/fuel/hydration...
Lite Salt 1/4 tsp - Na 290 K 350 mg
mortonsalt.com/article/mort...
Plain Salt 1/4 tsp - Na 582 mg 0 K;
fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.ht...
Cream of Tartar 1/4 tsp - Na 0.40 K 124 mg
fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.ht...
Potassium Bicarbonate 1/4 tsp - K 192 mg
bulksupplements.com/product...
Patti in AZ
Hi Jillyana, potassium deficiency is important to be resolved, I would take the tablets, and then try more natural sources after it has been leveled. Do you eat enough salt? Salt is an essential nutrient that plays an important role in keeping potassium and magnesium balanced, sea salt flakes or kosher are great to add to you food, and even a pinch to you water. Are you taking magnesium? Taking too much might cause an imbalance in the other two. Do you drink a lot of water? Drinking too much water can gave the opposite effect of hydration and can cause an electrolyte imbalance. I've read and heard from many different sources that is better to put a pinch of salt in the water, oe find a clean electrolytes mix. But I would not skip taking those tablets. Hope you feel better.
I just can’t win. I’m told to drink extra water as I’m permanently catheterised and yet that causes low sodium levels - which in turn need potassium supplements to balance the electrolytes when you’re given IV saline.
What you say is a ‘clean’ electrolyte mix?
Hi, I mean less chemical and unnecessary fillings and preservatives.
Probably the cleanest would be coconut water, or a mix that has minimal ingredients. I sometimes take one by designs for health, it's a brand here in the USA, or I stick to coconut water, real orange juice and make sure I am eating sea salt, just a bit but some everyday.
Thank you!
Thank you for your reply. I do have sea salt on a regular basis. I was on an IV saline drip for a while, this probably caused the issue.
Almost certainly. 😉
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