BP and heart rate spiking. Why?


#1

Ideas? Suggestions?

I’m 3 and 1/2 months into the keto way of eating. I’ve lost weight (from 350 to 293 lbs) and have not had any problems… until now. Friday night I woke with my heart pounding in my ears. My bp was way up and my heart rate was high. I didn’t sleep all that night, nor the next day. Slept, finally, Saturday night. During Saturday my bp went up and down. Sunday started out OK, but in the evening my bp spiked high again and it was difficult to sleep.

Monday I went to urgent care to see a doctor. Lots of blood tests were done and a urine sample given. I was told everything looked normal. When I first went in my bp was 175/92. BP was taken once more and it was down to 142/87, so the doctor decided it was all due to anxiety. He told me to see my GP about anxiety and to take Nyquil before bed. I have an appt. to see my gp next week, but I’m still having issues with heart rate and bp jumping high. I’m afraid to take the Nyquil as I never take stuff like that.

I’ve increased my electrolytes and am as sure as I can be that I’m getting enough. Previously, I was taking in fewer of each (Magnesium, Potassium, and Sodium). I thought it helped to drink bullion yesterday morning since started feeling better shortly afterward, but no. BP and heart rate went up again at bed time.

I almost went in to urgent care gain this morning, but began to feel a bit better, and so I haven’t. I’m not sure what they might find that they didn’t last time.

Is my body still “adapting”? Is this all in my head? What could cause me to be anxious, if this is what it is? What am I missing? Could there be deficiency that I’m missing?


(Edith) #3

How much water are you drinking? You should be drinking 2-3 liters of water a day. Less than that can cause pounding heart and palpitations.


#4

Thanks for your reply! It’s possible that I’m not drinking as much water as I used to drink. I carry around a 40 oz bottle that I refill throughout the day. I’m not sure. I need to track that.

I’ve been looking into the ratio of Potassium to Sodium I consume, and am now wondering if that has anything to do with it. So while I have increased both in my diet, I think I am getting too much more Sodium than Potassium. Isn’t it supposed to be 4 x as much potassium as sodium? I’m not sure. But that’s what I’m finding online. I’ve read if potassium ratio to sodium is low it causes high blood pressure and increase in heart rate. I think this might be a possibility. I need to research it a bit more.


#5

Have you changed/introduced any new foods lately?

I found that coffee was causing irregular and high bp.
Stopped drinking it, and within 5 days my bp was perfectly normal and has stayed that way ever since.

Not sure if it was the caffeine, because even decaff caused the same reaction, so I just put it down to an unspecified food intolerance to ‘coffee’. Tea does the same, but not hot cocoa. So for all I know it could be a reaction to how they are processed…


(Edith) #6

Unfortunately, I cannot provide where I read this. It was something by Stephen Phinney. He wrote we need about 5g of sodium a day and about 2.5 g of potassium. Why the number varies so much from the RDA for potassium, I cannot say.

Our kidneys no longer hold onto sodium when we eat low carb which is why we need to supplement with salt. I don’t know how lower potassium needs relate, though. Maybe someone else can chime in.


#7

Yes, low potassium can also cause high bp.


#8

Yes. I was only eating 1100 - 1200 calories, but have increased my intake that last few days to around 1300 or more.

Thank you for the question!


#9

I’ve read we need around 4700 mg of potassium, but I confess I am uncomfortable taking that much. Also, it’s very difficult to get that much from food. Mine has been around 2000, give or take. But I’ve also read that potassium should be 4 times as much as sodium intake. I need to verify that with a little more research, though.
Actually, it was in a Youtube video by Dr. Berg. Not sure what you think of him. Some love him, some hate him.
He says getting the ratio wrong can cause high blood pressure and heart rate. It’s something I want to investigate. I am afraid of making things worse by supplementing the wrong thing!


#10

Thanks for the question! No, I don’t drink coffee or tea or soda.


(Edith) #11

Yeah, the Phinney thing I read had potassium at half sodium. That’s why I wonder if needs are different following a keto diet.


(Candy Lind) #12

You could have that exactly BACKWARDS. Your body STORES potassium when it has adequate salt and you can easily take too much potassium. And it will give you heart palpitations (I don’t know about the BP, and that is the most concerning of your symptoms.). If you take too much salt, but don’t drink enough, you’ll have issues, but if you’re drinking enough water, your body just flushes what it doesn’t need.

It is expensive, but I would demand cellular electrolyte testing, NOT serum level, if/when you go back to the doctor. In the meantime, I would STOP taking potassium if you’ve been taking it daily. I’m not a doc, but I can tell you it gave ME palpitations. @Brenda is always cautioning people not to use too much Lite Salt because it’s half potassium.


(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #13

Yes. Stop taking potassium supplements. Discuss it with your doctor.


(Allie) #16

Other way around I’m sure. Too much potassium can be very dangerous, most people don’t even need to supplement it - I just add Lite Salt to my coffee to make sure I get some.


#17

This is the standard thinking on sodium/potassium balance

http://www.healthcommunities.com/electrolyte-imbalance/potassium-sodium-balance_jhmwp.shtml

I am happy to ignore the drone-speak about low sodium, esp for us ketoers. But the higher potassium needs make sense. So does keeping them proportional.

My dear Cronometer app shows my potassium to be chronically low, even WITH supplementation.. So I have just upped the dose again, and definitely feel better for it.

It is surprisingly difficult to OD on potassium supplements (unless you are on ‘potassium sparing’ meds like some diuretics). The RDA is around 4700 units, and each tablet holds 100 units. So you would need to eat 47 tablets every day to exceed the RDA if the tabs were your only source.

I’m currently taking 8 tabs a day and still only reaching one third of my RDA according to cronometer. Yet even that has improved my overall ‘wellness’ and dropped my blood pressure a smidge.


#19

Thanks for your response! I appreciate it!

I keep wondering if I should go off keto, but am not sure how my body will respond to that. Part of me wants to just push through this. I’ve read that potassium to sodium should be 3 to 2, or even 4 to 2. Dr. Berg says 4 to 1, but I don’t know if that source is credible.

I’ve stopped adding in extra sodium and concentrated on getting more potassium than sodium.

Last night bp went up again, but not as much as in the past several days and I was able to sleep through the night. I don’t know if what I am doing is going to help or make it worse, so I am trying to get in to see a cardiologist.

I’ve lost 56 lbs over the last 3.5 months, so perhaps my body is objecting to this rapid weight loss.


#20

Thanks for that info. That’s in line with I’ve been finding online. While my heart rate and bp is higher than usual, it hasn’t been nearly as bad. I was getting super high spikes and felt like my head would explode!

Thanks!!


#21

Yes, I’m always suspicious of sales people. I don’t buy his supplements. But his information usually agrees with what I find elsewhere.


#22

I started this last night to get a better ratio of potassium to sodium. I may try No Salt, which is a table salt replacement that is potassium.
Thanks!!


(Bunny) #23

Sounds like adrenal fatigue? Other causes might be anxiety (very anxious worried about something?) Drinking too much Coffee?


(Edith) #24

https://blog.virtahealth.com/sodium-nutritional-ketosis-keto-flu-adrenal-function/

Maybe this will help: an interesting article about how sodium depletion can mimic adrenal fatigue.