Low Potassium Symptoms After 3 Months

#61

Well, it looks like I’m not done here. Today, I was feeling slightly short of breath so I checked my blood pressure and it was through the roof. Ironically, a few weeks ago, I was running and noticing how it seemed I wasn’t even getting tired or having an increased heart rate. I went to urgent care and it looks like I’m going to get electrolytes tested. I was told to stop sodium and potassium supplementation and keep doing everything else the same. This is getting to be comical. Hopefully, the lab results will generate something I can actually use.

bb28

#62

:crossed_fingers::crossed_fingers::crossed_fingers: Let us know how you get on :slightly_smiling_face:

(Edith) #63

Sorry to hear you’re having trouble. Please let us know what you find out.

#64

Well, my labs finally came back. Everything is within normal ranges. I did some research and found that selenium can be depleted on a keto diet and that lacking selenium can cause cardio myopathy. I was getting some selenium, but I am going to be adding a 200mg per day pill.

After the new year, I will be meeting with an MD I know who helps people with keto diets. Ironically, she promotes keto to combat heart issues. It will be interesting to see how this turns out. If my blood pressure doesn’t stabilize soon, the doctor wants to me put me on high-BP meds.

bb28

#65

Excellent idea :slightly_smiling_face:

If you need the meds then you need the meds - nothing wrong with that. Some people just have high blood pressure.

#66

“Some people just have high blood pressure.”

That is a tautology. Very high blood pressure indicates something is very wrong and since I didn’t have very high blood pressure before keto, I can only surmise something happened with the diet or my application of it.

bb28

#67

I’m not suggesting it’s not a problem - only that some people have higher blood pressure than others & require medication. It could be caused by diet or any number of other factors & hopefully your doctor will be of help. Good luck to you.

(Running from stupidity) #68

Yes, that was entirely obvious.

(Ben ) #69

But what about THE SALT FIX by Dr. James DiNicolantonio. Its pretty convincing, maybe.

#70

I did some additional research and I keep coming back to Dr. Berg’s videos. He mentioned two takeaway points I have never heard from anyone else:

  1. Blood tests of potassium are WORTHLESS because they measure potassium in the blood. They do not indicate how much potassium is in the cells which is what really counts.

  2. Potassium requires INSULIN to be absorbed.

The video can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFmjLloYN7A

Incidentally, when I read the comments from people on the Youtube video, it appears a good number of people are in the same situation I have found myself in. See below:

Comments from People on Keto:

“my god your case is more serious than mine. i was doing IF (warrior) with keto. trying to jam all of my needs into one meal . after 3 and a half weeks. I went from 130/90 to 158/105. I found this out when I went to donate blood. I will try to increase potassium levels so looks like I will readjust my diet. pure green drink (mixer). I am reaching for that banana, avocado, and sweet potato. don’t have access to coconut water. I will post again for a quick update like you in a couple of days.”

“Im on keto im eating a lot of vegetables my blood pressure went up”

“ambushrein 67 The same thing as happened to me I had a normal blood pressure I’ve been on keto for four years and the other day I went and they said my blood pressure was 143/90 my blood pressure is always been well underneath 120/80 I’ve always had good blood pressure I try to eat as much vegetables as I possibly can and stay on a ketogenic diet . This is one reason why I keep questioning just how healthy this diet is along with other symptoms that I’ve had over the past four years . My body doesn’t heal well from scars anymore . There’s things to like about this diet then there are things that make me question just how safe this diet really is . My friends testosterone has really gone down and he’s been really extremely moody he’s been on it for years to he has his good days and his bad days . He’s constantly keep an eye out on his electrolytes drinking plenty of water but that doesn’t seem to be helping him any”

“Same here . Lots of vegetables and suddenly my BP is higher .”

"Brilliant, thank you! This is why I had constant cramping and recurring bouts of constipation even though I eat tons of leafy greens, avocado, salmon, nuts and fiber and my serum potassium blood markers were ‘normal’.

I had too little sugar/starch sources (due to being in nutritional ketosis) so I didn’t have enough insulin to act as a carrier for potassium"

“My friend is trying to go keto but says her blood pressure went up. What could be a reason for that?”

“Dr. Berg, I knew you would have an answer. I just restarted my keto way of eating a couple weeks ago and one day at work this week I just felt horrible and felt like I needed to have my blood pressure checked. I work as a medical coder at a surgery center so I asked a nurse to check it and it was high. One of the doctors was astonished that my blood pressure was so high at 24 years old. He asked me a ton of questions for 2 days trying to figure it out. I finally made the comment that I thought I might be deficient in potassium and 2 of the doctors shut me down real quick telling me that couldn’t be why. I instinctively knew that that had to be it, searched YouTube hoping to see if there was a connection and was relieved to see this video! I started having an avocado smoothie for breakfast and upped my salad intake and my blood pressure is back to normal just in a couple of days! Thank you Dr. Berg!”

“I have always had great blood pressure 120/70 I’ve been on keto for 3 months got checked and mine was 140/93. Guess I need to try to get in my potassium. I hate avacado tho”

“Cheyenne Stewart same thing happened to me … I thought it must be since I’m 40 as of December and age may have finally caught up with me :grinning:… thanks for sharing your experience!”

"i do keto diet 3 months and I do all single think from your vedio and i am very very very good my body now but I lose 14 kelo now and my weight now 60 kelo but i have High blood pressure from i dring Vinegar before food one our please i need your help, what i can do?

“So my sodium and potassium levels seem to be okay, but I have high blood pressure. Is the test in the comprehensive metabolic panel not the right test? A HBP med is the only one I am currently taking and I really want off of it… Sodium 135 mmol/L 134 - 144 mmol/L
Potassium 4.4 mmol/L 3.5 - 5.2 mmol/L (Help?)”

bb

#71

Another gem I found in case anyone is looking at this. I was taking potassium chloride during keto. According to fatnews.com, potassium chloride actually increases blood pressure in animal testing and when tested against potassium bicarbonate, the bicarbonate is a superior source that lowers blood pressure and has heart-protective properties.

bb

(Terence Dean) #72

Excellent news @bb28 its really good when you can find a GP who understands what is going on with your numbers in a ketogenic context.

To speak to your blood pressure issues, I have always had high blood pressure all my life even when I was young and fit as a buck rat. But in the past I have brought my BP down to normal range after losing enough weight, 9 months into Keto, 36kgs lighter and my BP is now within normal range again. Average is 120/80 or less (lowest 113/68 mmHg), thanks to Keto. So mine has gone down on Keto and I’m still 6kgs off my ideal weight, that is new for me.

I’ve been testing everyday for the past two weeks, looking good.

(Terence Dean) #73

Why not get it from steak, eggs, and bacon? Much more enjoyable than a pill!
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#74

Oh wow, this is me now, in real time. I have elevated heart rate, blood pressure suddenly though the roof. I have never had either before. I have been doing keto for three months as well. I went to see Dr. Gerber on Monday, as I am in the Denver area. He pulled more blood and is having me do a calcium scan, just to be safe. I have never had issues with my HR or BP, this is so not me…I can’t climb a flight of stairs without my heart jumping out of my chest.

I don’t want to quit this woe, but it’s not worth hurting my heart.

I stopped adding salt yesterday, and today I about passed out. So I am back on the salt.

I was drinking a homemade electrolyte drink recently with light salt in it and can’t help but wonder if it threw me off balance. I have been trying very hard to get all the salt in me.

I am scared…:worried:

#75

It is terrifying! Do you track your electrolytes in the food and supplements you take? If not, start now. I use Cronometer and put in all my food. It has a section where it will tell you how much of what vitamins and electrolytes you have had with everything you eat.

I found I need at least 3000 mg of sodium a day, 3500 mg of potassium total and 600 mg of magnesium (not magnesium oxide - doesn’t absorb well). You can get potassium in Salmon, Beef, and Pork as well as celery, kale and avacados. There is a little magnesium in many of the green vegetables too, but not nearly as much as we need so I take a supplement.

Don’t take a high dose of any electrolyte all at once. Take a little throughout the day so it will be absorbed better. Once I got used to what I generally get from the food I eat it was easier to know what I needed from supplements.

I really believe it was the magnesium that calmed my heart and blood pressure. I recommend starting with a few hundred mg in the morning and again in the evening, or spreading it out more. I worked my way up to 600 mg over several days, starting with 3 or 400 the first day. It made a HUGE difference.

I can’t say for sure that this is what YOU need, only that it worked for me. Also, I am not a doctor nor do I have any medical experience. This is all just from what I have experienced myself and read.

I’ve read that if electrolytes are out of balance (one is much lower than it should be) the body may flush the others. Not sure if this is true.

#76

This is great information, thank you!

I am taking magnesium glycinate (400mg) in the evening, and sometimes in the morning.

Thanks also for Cronometer tip! What a great app. I downloaded it while waiting for my CT calcium scan. I am determined to get this figured out and try to eat enough of the right foods to keep my minerals up where they need to be. My husband is doing keto and hasn’t had a single symptom of electrolyte imbalance…go figure.

I took an Epsom salt bath tonight and plan to do that a few times a week.

I have been taking in salt, bit not enough potassium.

Thanks again!

#77

You are welcome! I hope it helps. I’m sure each of our needs are a little different, so play around a little with it until you get what you need.

I did a LOT of research on keto and electrolytes and then decided to slowly increased supplements until I felt better. I admit I don’t get as much sodium as many recommend, so I may need to increase that a bit, but I’m not getting any cramps and no brain fog or thinking issues.

Hope you improve and feel better quickly!!

#78

I am feeling a bit better, thanks!

I got the results back from my Calcium CT heart scan, score of ZERO! Yay! At least that helps me with being afraid this high BP and HR is going to kill me before I can get it sorted out.

#79

Wow! That’s an excellent score! Great news. So your heart is healthy!

(Steve Gibson) #80

Hi Brenda - I really need to understand this. I HAD rapid heart beat several weeks into Keto from being salt deficient and started taking Pink Himalyian Salt and fixed it almost instantly, within minutes. THEN I understood that Sodium and Potassium need to be balanced so I started mixing equal parts Cream of Tartar in with my Pink Salt and drinking it. I can mix a teaspoon of each into 16 oz of water and drink it right down. I even like the taste. How can that be bad? I love the idea of getting all my Potassium from spinach but my belly swelled up like a basketball from a large spinach salad so that does not work. How does taking sodium automatically make potassium correct with out taking some? Any insight on this is most appreciated.