Low Potassium

I have had low potassium for the last several weeks. Apparently it can happen when it's very hot. It happened last year, but rectified itself next time my bloods were taken. I had eaten stuff with a high level of K in; brazils, yogurt etc...

Picked up by my annual blood test again this year.

Told the Doc I would do what I did last year and eat some K-rich food. After another blood test, I found out it didn't work, so I was told to take 2 days of Sando-K tablets then have another blood test in a few days.

My K level rose, but not enough, so I did the same again. Another rise, but not enough, then the third test this morning and despite taking more tablets, the level has dropped again...

The Doc is now going to try and drop one of my BP meds, Indapamide, then take more Sando-K to see if that makes a difference.

Anyone else had this issue?

DId they check Magnesium, - you can't hold on to K without that.
HOt weather > drinking a lot > flushes it out. For more than that I'd be on to AI, it's good on stuff like that.

I've had a few "corrective actions" taken after BP results, . D, Iron. folate, I forget the rest. Can't say I've ntoiced any effect before or after.


I'm now officially diabetic.
So I had an appointment with the practice's "diabetic" nurse. Complete waste of time, she was useless. I filled in the "feedback" which effectively ripped her apart... SHe's supposed to have called me. She didn't . Maybe it wasn't as anonymous as they say.

Thanks. Yes, I remember that Mg is crucial. If this low K persists, I will ask the Quack about testing for Mg levels. I obviously have been drinking a lot. Urology told me to drink a minimum of 2 litres a day but to increase It when It is hot weather.

Basically, the consultant told me, the aim is to have straw-coloured pee at the end of the day. It was mega hot yesterday and I drank 4 litres and still I wasn't in that position!

Heavy perspiration can cause potassium loss and I'm the lowest I have ever been, but having said that, I am not experiencing any of the symptoms that low K gives. Constipation, headaches, bloating, numbness in the hands and feet. I do suffer tiredness, which is a symptom, but it's tricky to know its source because some of my meds have that side effect.

The NHS range is 3.5-5.3. The lowest I have been is now, at 3.1 and the highest in the past, at 4.2.

Last year, I dropped to 3.2, but with a bit of dietary intervention, got back up to 3.6.