You may need to alter your diet to include more potassium-rich foods or add a potassium supplement to your regimen if you take certain medications for high blood pressure. Potassium is an electrolyte that is involved in numerous cellular and electrical functions in your body, including the normal electrical activity of your heart. Consult your doctor about your potential need for additional potassium.
Significance
Diuretics prescribed to treat high blood pressure may reduce the amount of potassium in your body. Symptoms of potassium deficiency include tiredness, weakness and leg cramps. Too little potassium in your body, called hypokalemia, also can lead to abnormal heart rhythms, constipation and muscle damage. Diuretics lower your blood pressure by causing your body to shed sodium and water via urine, which reduces blood volume and thus decreases the pressure on your artery walls. However, the diuretics also lead to potassium loss via urine.
Types
Loop and thiazide diuretics carry a higher risk for excessive potassium loss, notes Karen Schroeder Kassel, a physician with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Seattle. Loop diuretics include bumetanide, furosemide, torsemide and ethacrynic acid. Thiazide diuretics include bendroflumethiazide, hydroflumethiazide, chlorothiazide, chlorthalidone, hydrochlorothiazide, methyclothiazide, metolazone, polythiazide and trichlormethiazide. Other diuretics are called potassium-sparing diuretics because they don’t cause your body to lose this electrolyte. These include amiloride, spironolactone and triamterene. However, while these are sometimes prescribed alone, they are most often used in conjunction with another diuretic, notes the American Heart Association.
Supplements and Foods
To help prevent potassium loss your doctor may recommend using a liquid or tablet with potassium along with your medication. Or your doctor may advise you to consume foods and drinks high in potassium. Many fruits and vegetables are high in this electrolyte. These include avocados, dried figs, potatoes, oranges, bananas and raisins.
Considerations
Other types of medication used to treat high blood pressure do not cause potassium loss. These include beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, alpha blockers, alpha-2 receptor agonists, central agonists, peripheral adrenergic inhibitors and vasodilators. Some of these medications can even increase potassium levels in your body, notes Sheldon G. Sheps, a physician with MayoClinic.com. However, such medications are sometimes prescribed along with diuretic medications, notes the American Heart Association.
References
- PubMed Health; Hyopkalemia; May 2011
- MedlinePlus: Potassium; May 2010
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Diuretics; Karen Schroeder Kassel; February 2011
- “American Heart Association; Types of Blood Pressure Medications – Diuretics; May 2011
- “American Heart Association; Types of Blood Pressure Medications; May 2011
- MayoClinic.com; Can Diuretics Decrease Your Potassium Level; Sheldon G. Sheps; July 2011
Member Comments