To start with, you're much better off getting potassium from foods instead of potassium supplements. Many fruits and vegetables are rich in potassium, including spinach, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, bananas, and avocado. Potassium-rich diets help control blood pressure and have been linked to a lower risk of stroke.
Bananas and orange juice are good sources of potassium. The sticker on your pill bottle reminds you to get plenty of potassium every day, to help replace what you could be losing from that medicine. Potassium supplements are described either by weight in milligrams (mg) or chemically by milliequivalents (mEq).
What is the best form of potassium to take? A person should prioritize getting potassium from their diet. Sources of potassium include dried apricots, lentils, squash, prunes, potato, kidney beans, and bananas. Apricots offer the most potassium.
Adults should consume about 3,500mg of potassium per day, according to the UK's National Health Service. The average banana, weighing 125g, contains 450mg of potassium, meaning a healthy person can consume at least seven-and-half bananas before reaching the recommended level.
Potassium is most commonly used for treating and preventing low potassium levels, treating high blood pressure, and preventing stroke. It's also used for prediabetes and many other conditions, but there's no good scientific evidence to support these other uses.
The short answer is no, you should not take potassium supplements unless your doctor prescribes them. Let me outline why below. To start with, you're much better off getting potassium from foods instead of potassium supplements.
Your total intake of potassium should not be greater than the recommended amounts, unless ordered by your doctor. In some cases, too much potassium may cause muscle weakness, confusion, irregular heartbeat, or difficult breathing.
Oral potassium tablets typically contain around 12 mmol of potassium and should be administered with food to reduce their alimentary side effects, which include nausea and vomiting. This is equivalent to one medium banana.
It is best to take this medicine with a meal or bedtime snack, or within 30 minutes after meals. Swallow the extended-release tablet whole. Do not break, crush, chew, or suck it. Doing so, may cause irritation in the mouth or throat.
When Is The Best Time To Take Potassium? That said, there is no “best” time to take potassium, but recent research suggests that taking potassium –alongside your other vitamins and minerals—in the morning could offer greater benefits.
Potassium chloride capsules are prescription-only options for preventing and treating hypokalemia. They can be swallowed whole or sprinkled onto cold or room-temperature soft foods — like applesauce or pudding. The capsules come as 8 mEq and 10 mEq of potassium.
Eating up to 2 servings of bananas caused marginal increases in plasma potassium concentration. The small increases in plasma potassium concentration occurred 30 to 60 minutes postingestion of bananas.
Response and effectiveness. Tablets start disintegrating within a few minutes; however, potassium chloride tablets are released slowly over several hours which reduces the risk of stomach irritation. Potassium chloride is usually taken once daily until potassium levels are within the normal range.
For oral dosage form (tablets): To prevent potassium loss or replace potassium lost by the body: Adults and teenagers—5 to 10 mEq taken two to four times a day. However, most people will not take more than 100 mEq a day.
Juice from potassium-rich fruit is also a good choice: Orange juice. Tomato juice. Prune juice.
There are limited or no options for at-home kits to test potassium levels. If you are prescribed a 24-hour urine test, you will need to collect your urine wherever you are during the day, including at home. However, this testing is still prescribed by your doctor rather than sold as a separate at-home test kit.
Vomiting, diarrhea or both also can result in excessive potassium loss from the digestive tract. Occasionally, low potassium is caused by not getting enough potassium in your diet. In most cases, low potassium is found by a blood test that is done because of an illness, or because you are taking diuretics.
Potassium in Watermelon
While bananas might be the first fruit to come to mind, watermelon actually reigns supreme when it comes to potassium. In just 2 wedges, or about 1/8th of a melon, you'll get 640 mg of potassium, or about 14% DV.
Potassium 99 mg Description
Recommended dosage of Potassium 99mg is to take one caplet daily, preferably with a meal. Directions: For adults, take one (1) caplet daily, preferably with a meal.
Your total intake of potassium should not be greater than the recommended amounts, unless ordered by your doctor. In some cases, too much potassium may cause muscle weakness, confusion, irregular heartbeat, or difficult breathing.
At higher doses, muscle weakness, slowed heart rate, and abnormal heart rhythm may occur. Contact your doctor if you develop severe stomach pain, irregular heartbeat, chest pain, or other symptoms. People with hyperkalemia or kidney disease should not take potassium supplements.
Do not stop taking potassium citrate without first talking to your doctor. If you stop taking potassium suddenly, your condition may become worse. Store potassium citrate at room temperature away from moisture and heat. Keep the medication in a closed container.