Potassium ..what types do you like?

[Guest]

Hi all, since surgery , my doc has had me on lasix for fluid etc and due to the lasix i also must take magnesium and potassium. I discovered that potassium gluconate is not a good one for me, and there are a number of other potassium formulations. I have not yet tried potassium citrate or potassium ortate .. am currently using Klor-con a perscription potassium. Any one have favorites in this area ?
thanks,

 

[epstns]

Margie - For me the critical issue wasn't the specific compound from which I gained potassium. It was the delivery vehicle. The tablets were just too huge for me to choke down, even when we broke them in half. Then some dunce at the hospital suggested the powder that you mix with water. YUK! I'd rather drink industrial waste, which is what it tasted like. Finally Ross told me about Micro-K capsules. These are a lower dose than the tablets, so you need to take two instead of one, but they slide right down with just a swallow of water. I took the capsules for the remainder of the time I needed lasix.

Good luck on finding the best formulation for yourself. Hopefully the delivery vehicle will be tolerable, too.

 

[Duffey]

I take the generic for K-Tabs, 10 MEQ of potassium chloride.
They're big, but I don't have any trouble getting them down.

 

[bstew7890]

I took potassium gluconate for a few days once because I was having muscle cramps. The only problem was that I couldn't poop... Now they've put me on Potassium Chloride and the only problem was that a blood test came back showing my potassium was too high (hyperkalemic - I learned a new word that week!). They took me off of it for 2 days and then back on and it's been fine since.

 

[Michellemar]

Here was a cool one. My cardiologist said that one inch of a banana equalled one millieqivalent. Now I like to make fruit smoothies so one and a half bananas in the mix does it!

 

[RZG]

I take klor con 20 meq i break them in half. Still hard to get down with water, OJ makes it easier. I also take Mag citrate 1 daily. K stays around 3.8 -4.0 mag 2.0. Steve are the micro k perscription?? that may be an option. Michellemar I like bananas but 1 1/2 aday may be hard and cause constipation.

Rachel RZG

 

[Lily]

Margie, you live in date country! Dried dates are a great source of potassium!
Potatoes are another excellent source of potassium, as is orange juice :biggrin2:

 

[epstns]

Rachel - Yes, the Micro-K are prescription. I had to have my cardio re-write my scrip specifically to get them. They are large capsules, 10 Meq each, so I took 2 of them with each dose of lasix. I found the capsules MUCH easier to swallow than either the horse pills or the powder/liquid gunk.

 

[Greg a]

The druggist told me half a banana but i splurge and eat the full thing .........

Cooker will be so envious

 

[prdraper1]

Since having half a banana each day my INR has gone from 2.7 to 2.5 to 2.0 I cannot think of another reason.