The mineral potassium is a crucial electrolyte that helps every type of organ, tissue and cell in the human body function properly. Potassium also helps regulate muscle contraction and relaxation and ensure your heart beats correctly. Treatment with certain medications may lower your levels of potassium. Without sufficient supplies of potassium, you may experience unusual fatigue, weakness, muscle cramps or constipation. Before you begin taking a new medication, talk with your physician about how the medication may affect your vitamin and mineral levels.
Antibiotics
Antibotics are a class of medications commonly prescribed to treat bacterial infections. In large doses, a specific type of antibiotics, called aminoglycosides, may deplete the amount of both magnesium and potassium in your body. These antibiotics lead to potassium loss by increasing fluid and electrolyte loss through increased urination. If you require prolonged treatment with aminoglycoside antibiotics, such as neomycin or tobramycin, your doctor may recommend increasing your potassium intake to help maintain your normal blood levels of this nutrient.
Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
Medications that help reduce inflammation throughout your body can reduce your potassium levels. When you take an anti-inflammatory drug, potassium gets diverted from your bloodstream into your cells, thereby reducing the amount of potassium available throughout your body. Examples of anti-inflammatory drugs that may cause potassium depletion include corticosteroids, such as prednisone, and salicylates, such as aspirin.
Antacids
Antacids, which are frequently used to alleviate heartburn, may interfere with your body's ability to absorb potassium from ingested food or supplements. Consequently, your potassium levels may fall while you are taking certain antacids, such as calcium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide and sodium bicarbonate.
Diuretics and Laxatives
Diuretics and laxatives increase the amount of fluid and electrolytes -- such as potassium -- that your body loses. Frequent use of diuretics or laxatives cannot only deplete your potassium levels, but they may also lower your salt levels and can result in dehydration.
Gout Drugs
Gout is a painful condition caused by the buildup of uric acid in the body. One of the treatments for gout is a medication called colchicine, which helps alleviate inflammation and swelling. Colchicine may reduce your blood levels of potassium by encouraging increased urination to remove excess fluid and uric acid from your body.
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