December 16, 2009

Where's the Potassium?

Refilled my prescription for spiro today. I honestly thought I'd have had my blood test by now to measure my adrenals (to eliminate them as a cause of the hair) and potassium levels (just in case). But thanks to the pills entering my body and going, "This'll be fun; let's invent an entirely new cycle for her!" I have to play the waiting game.

I got an odd cramp behind my right knee the other night. It felt different from any leg cramps I've had in the past. It could have been from an old injury I sustained when getting up awkwardly from a kneel with my college book bag--that knee has been weak ever since. Or it could have been from keeping my leg nervous and tense trying to drive in the piled up snow. But I remembered reading that muscle cramps were a sign of too much potassium in the body, and whether that is accurate or not, it was all I could think about. Such a drama queen.

But I had to put my mind at rest, so I applied myself to research. We all know bananas and potatoes are high in potassium. But what about other foods might we not even think about? All that yogurt I was having for breakfast, the skim milk I've been using to take my vitamin D, the bran I try to keep in my diet, the raw spinach salads I love... You might be surprised.

So here's a few links for the gals out there taking potassium-sparing diuretics. Many of the lists are a little conflicting, so when reading this information, temper it with smarts.


According to some sources, an adult needs to take in at least 2,000 - 4,000 mg of potassium a day. A person trying to keep their potassium intake lower should, apparently, be aiming at less than 2,000. That's still about four baked potatoes, so while it's good not to go overboard, there's no need to be obsessively avoiding it. After all, we still need some potassium for our hearts, muscles, and even our digestive systems.

As well, exercising and drinking lots of water can only help keep things moving so that the potassium the spiro is leaving behind finds its way out eventually.

So tired. Will look at comments soon...

2 comments:

Sophie said...

I dont like potassium today...

Allerleirah said...

Oh? I hope you're okay...