3 months in ketosis still having heart palpitations


(less is more, more or less) #2

Another learned lesson; It never hurts to Google before responding. I’ve never experienced heart palpitations, but, according to Diet Doctor, (an excellent resource, btw) yes, this is normal.

That link will take you to specific section of the URL dealing with your question. As with most responses here, increasing your liquid and salt intake is the cure.


(mole person) #3

I had this for over six months at the start of keto. It did go away. In fact my heart rate is now slower and more even then pre-keto.


#4

Yea I know google says it’s related to ketones but it doesn’t say if it’s a permanent side effect or goes away, if it’s normal and a side effect then at some point it should stop once my body is adjusted. After three months I would assume most side effects should be settled by now.


(mole person) #5

In my case it went away but took quite a while. Much more than three months.


(Carl Keller) #6

I’m not a supplement kind of person, but a faster than normal heart rate made me try Nature Made Magnesium and it seems to have normalized things for me. 200 pills cost me $5.99 and I take one per day.


(Mandy) #7

More than a year into keto and I occasionally still have a heart palp. When I first started, it was often. I had never noticed it happening pre keto. It continued for quite a while. 6 months maybe. I have noticed it’s closely linked to my electrolytes. I’m pretty vigilant about getting enough salt, potassium and magnesium.


(MooBoom) #8

Electrolyte imbalance causes it, and that can happen for a range of reasons. Alcohol reliably messes with my electrolyte balance for example, or doing a heavy workout.
That’s not the kind of thing that goes away just because you’ve been keto a while, it’s something you’ve got to be mindful of and stay on top of all the time really.
It hasn’t had any permanent or lasting effects on me as it’s easily remedied with correcting my electrolyte balance- so in and of itself a transitory, not long lasting event.


#9

Do you drink the salt water mix or take supplements ? How often ? Thanks


(MooBoom) #10

I add Celtic sea salt to my food and coffee, that seems to cover my sodium needs. If I’m fasting I’ll put a few grains under my tongue every few hours or if I start feeling a bit ‘wobbly’. If it tastes good to me, I need it- if it tastes horribly salty my sodium levels are fine and I spit it out.

As for the magnesium and potassium, I have some (roughly 1/4tsp each) in a big glass of water drunk throughout the day. It’s hard to find the pure stuff with no added fillers or sweeteners but I managed to, via iherb. This is what I take.


#11

Thanks a ton


(Empress of the Unexpected) #12

This would probably not apply to anyone here. I have mitral valve prolapse and even though I take beta blockers, trust me, I feel my heart beat like crazy after I eat, especially protein.


#13

Did you have it before keto? I don’t remember have palpitations like this before.


(Empress of the Unexpected) #14

Yes, they figured out like ten years before I had mitral valve prolapse. Has your doctor checked your heart or done an EKG? It could be electrolytes but I would still see a doctor. I get an echo every couple of years.


#15

I don’t have insurance so I’m kind of screwed


(MooBoom) #16

Did the palpitations start after you went keto? Fairly likely if so, that it’s electrolytes. Try supplementing and if it goes away, you’ll know :blush:


(Jen) #17

This happened to me and it was annoying and worrisome. After some google and YouTube searches I came to the conclusion I was drinking too much water and flushing out the small amount of electrolytes I did have. I’ve always been a water only drinker and felt like I should be drinking even more bc of keto smh. So I started a cup of chicken broth every morning. Just a normal chicken bouillon cube dropped in boiling water. I still do drink it every morning while my coffee is brewing. I also drink a Powerade zero a day too or a glass of water w ultima electrolyte mix. The soup helped a lot. I was lacking salt, big time. Sometimes when I’m in the kitchen I just put some pink Himalayan salt in my mouth too, not gonna lie lol but ever since I added all this salt, goodbye heart palpitations.


#18

I did a snake diet salt mix in my water is seems to help I’m thinking maybe electrolytes as well. I have never heard of the power aid zero or that ultima electrolyte mix, where can I buy that? The palpitations started after a keto diet. I may have had them before in my life if I was reading anxious but it was RARE. These feel totally different like I’m definitely not anxious or stressed and never got them in the past like I do now so I’m assuming could be electrolyte. I just got a little paranoid bc a girl I know just died from an eating disorder , I don’t have an eating disorder but my mom said the girl had an electrolyte imbalance and dehydration and it damaged her heart over the years so I got worried bc you know you hear all that anti keto stuff out there. When I drink my salt water mix it seems to help so for now I think I’ll keep up with that to see if that helps it. I’ll probably need to start supplementing or drinking this salt mix more often.


#19

Just found that ultima electrolyte mix on amazon , looks like there are different flavors , any you would recommend ? Thanks


(Jen) #20

The raspberry is so good and the grape is too! I just got the variety pack recently and the lemonade reminds me of lemon pledge :confused: you can buy it at cvs too. But they usually only have two flavors. The cherry is good too. Powerade zero you can get any grocery store and Walmart. Gatorade zero might have electrolytes too I’m not sure. Also try mio drops. Those are in grocery stores/targe/Walmart. They have a ton of different kinds, some will say electrolyte/sport on them I think. The blue ones I think it’s berry blast, remind me of this slush puppy drink I used to have when I was a kid… so good… the orange flavor of mio drops remind me the old McDonald’s orange drink that used to come w their happy meal lol
But yeah google Powerade zero and google mio drops… :slight_smile:


(Khara) #21

Below is a link to @Brenda ‘s homemade Keto-aide recipe.
Difficulty with our electrolytes early on or from time to time isn’t a negative side effect of the ketogenic way of eating, in my opinion. It’s just a reality that we need to understand and adjust for. On a high carb diet our bodies retain water and therefore retain salts and so we need to salt our foods less and even watch sodium content. On a Ketogenic diet we no longer retain water and as a result the salts and electrolytes are flushed out faster. We simply need to replace them more often than what we are used to by salting our foods a bit more and if necessary using supplements. I like the Keto-aide recipe. I go by Brenda’s example and only drink 2 bottles a day. It’s super quick and easy to mix up, quite inexpensive, and there aren’t a bunch of filler ingredients.