When the potassium levels in your blood fall too low, doctors diagnose the condition as hypokalemia. Interventions for hypokalemia depend upon its severity, as well as its underlying cause. Potassium citrate -- in combination with other potassium variants -- is one potential intervention that health care professionals prescribe for both the treatment, and the prevention, of hypokalemia.
Hypokalemia
Your serum potassium level should be within normal range of 3.6 to 4.8 mEq/L. If your potassium falls below 3.6 mEq/L, your doctor begins to suspect causes of excessive potassium loss, and likely questions you regarding symptoms of hypokalemia. If your potassium levels are drastically low -- below 2.5 mEq/L -- your doctor considers this a life-threatening condition warranting immediate intervention, followed by extensive testing to uncover its cause.
Causes
Any condition causing excessive loss of potassium increases your risk of hypokalemia. Such conditions include severe vomiting, sweating and diarrhea without adequate replacement of lost electrolytes. If you have an eating disorder in which you abuse laxatives or consistently vomit, you are also at risk for hypokalemia. The same is true if you take diuretic medications, as they cause you to urinate more than usual. Certain diseases, such as Cushing and Fanconi syndromes, and hyperaldosteronism, reduce your kidneys' ability to retain needed potassium, thereby increasing your risk of low potassium.
Symptoms
Symptoms of hypokalemia include general fatigue and weakness. You may also experience constipation, and you may notice that your muscles are cramping and weak. Untreated hypokalemia also causes paralysis, which can involve your lungs, making it difficult or impossible to breathe. Particularly if you have heart disease, hypokalemia can lead to a dysfunction of your heart's normal rhythm and rate, or arrhythmia, which like paralysis is a life-threatening complication.
Potassium Supplementation
If, at the time of diagnosis, your hypokalemia is severe, you may require intravenous potassium supplementation to prevent even more serious complications. Once your potassium level is no longer too low, expect your doctor to discharge you with a prescription for potassium supplements to prevent further episodes of hypokalemia. Potassium citrate is one type of potassium found in supplements. Your prescription may also contain potassium bicarbonate and potassium acetate. In combination, these potassium supplements correct your hypokalemia and keep your serum potassium levels in check.
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