what causes my potassium to be low
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7 Reasons Why You Have Low Potassium Levels Why Your Potassium May Be Low. 1  1. Medication sides effect: Some medications for illnesses like asthma or emphysema can lower your Potassium levels. 2  2. Kidney’s lose Potassium: For patients who’ve had a kidney transplant or disorder like tubular acidosis, kidney disorders can cause low Potassium levels. 3. Low Magnesium or Sodium: Both Magnesium and Sodium are important to aid the body in Potassium metabolizing. An inadequate intake of Magnesium or absorption issues in the body can produce low levels of Potassium.
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Low Potassium (Hypokalemia) Low Potassium Causes. Low potassium can occur for many reasons. Use of water pills (diuretics), diarrhea, and chronic laxative abuse are the most common causes of low potassium levels. Illness and other medications may also lower potassium levels. Woman and African-Americans are at higher risk of developing hypokalemia.
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- Causes of Hypokalemia. Typically, the potassium level becomes low because too much is lost from the digestive tract due to vomiting, diarrhea, or excessive laxative use. Sometimes too much potassium is excreted in urine, usually because of drugs that cause the kidneys to excrete excess sodium, water, and potassium (diuretics).
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Facts About Potassium 1 Low potassium in the body is called hypokalemia. 2  Symptoms include muscle cramps, weakness and irregular heartbeat, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. 3  High potassium, called hyperkalemia, causes similar symptoms. 4  Your potassium levels may be off without these extreme symptoms, however.
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Low Potassium (Hypokalemia) Low potassium can occur for many reasons. Use of water pills (diuretics), diarrhea, and chronic laxative abuse are the most common causes of low potassium levels. Illness and other medications may also lower potassium levels. Woman and African-Americans are at higher risk of developing hypokalemia.
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- Low potassium (hypokalemia) has many causes. The most common cause is excessive potassium loss in urine due to prescription water or fluid pills (diuretics). Vomiting or diarrhea or both can result in excessive potassium loss from the digestive tract.
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7 Reasons Why You Have Low Potassium Levels 5. Stomach or intestines lose Potassium: Excessive vomiting or diarrhea, the use of laxatives or enemas, or patients who’ve had a Ileostomy (operation removing a small segment of the small intestine to provide a new path for waste elimination) can experience low Potassium levels. 6.
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WARNING - LOW POTASSIUM IS DANGEROUS Hypokalemia is a metabolic disorder that occurs when the level of potassium in the blood drops too low. Possible causes of hypokalemia include: Antibiotics (penicillin, nafcillin, carbenicillin, gentamicin, amphotericin B, foscarnet) Diarrhea (including the use of too many laxatives, which can cause diarrhea)
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What Causes Potassium Deficiency? Poor diet can also cause potassium deficiency. Eating foods that are high in sodium can also cause a lack of potassium in the body. . When the body gets too much salt and not enough foods that are high in potassium, a deficiency can occur.
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- When potassium levels are low, the cells cannot repolarize and are unable to fire repeatedly, and muscles and nerves may not function normally. The effects of low potassium include may cause the following symptoms: 1  muscle weakness, 2  muscle aches, 3  muscle cramps, and. 4  palpitations (irregular heartbeats).
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Low potassium (hypokalemia) When to see a doctor. In most cases, low potassium is found by a blood test that is done because of an illness, or because you are taking diuretics. It is rare for low potassium to cause isolated symptoms such as muscle cramps if you are feeling well in other respects. Low potassium symptoms may include: 1  Weakness. 2  Fatigue. 3  Muscle cramps. 4  Constipation.
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What Causes Potassium Deficiency? A potassium deficiency is the lack of potassium in the body. There are many causes for this deficiency including illness and poor diet. When the body is unable to absorb potassium or does not receive potassium in foods, the result is a potassium deficiency.Eating Disorders. One cause of a potassium deficiency is eating disorders.The two main eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia.hen the body is unable to absorb potassium or does not receive potassium in foods, the result is a potassium deficiency. Eating Disorders. One cause of a potassium deficiency is eating disorders. The two main eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia.
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Top 30 Doctor insights on: How To Bring Down Very High Potassium Levels Causes of Hyperkalemia. Hyperkalemia -- high potassium in your blood -- may occur if your kidneys do not work properly and cannot remove potassium from your body or if your body's cells release too much potassium. Kidney disease is the most common cause of hyperkalemia. Your kidneys help control the balance of potassium in your body. If they do not work properly, they cannot filter extra potassium from the blood or remove it from the body.
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Hypokalemia (Low Potassium) Other causes of hypokalemia include: 1  Increased excretion (or loss) of potassium from your body. 2  Some medications may cause potassium loss which can lead to hypokalemia. 3  Renal (kidney) dysfunction - your kidneys may not work well due to a condition called Renal Tubular Acidosis (RTA).
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Low Potassium (Hypokalemia) Low potassium can occur for many reasons. Use of water pills (diuretics), diarrhea, and chronic laxative abuse are the most common causes of low potassium levels. Illness and other medications may also lower potassium levels. Woman and African-Americans are at higher risk of developing hypokalemia. Other causes of hypokalemia include: Kidney losses
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Causes This falsely raises the amount of potassium in the blood sample, even though the potassium level in your body is actually normal. When this is suspected, a repeat blood sample is done. The most common cause of genuinely high potassium (hyperkalemia) is related to your kidneys, such as: Acute kidney failure.
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Side Effects of Low Potassium & Low Sodium Causes of Decreased Potassium and Sodium. Low levels of sodium or potassium, referred to as hyponatremia and hypokalemia, respectively, may occur for a variety of reasons. Low potassium levels may occur because of a lack of potassium-rich foods, such as fruits and leafy green vegetables, in a person’s diet.
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Potassium (K) in Blood Low Potassium (Hypokalemia) symptoms. A potassium level that is too high or too low can be serious. Abnormal potassium levels may cause symptoms such as muscle cramps or weakness, nausea, diarrhea, frequent urination, dehydration, low blood pressure, confusion, irritability, paralysis, and changes in heart rhythm.
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What Causes Potassium Deficiency? Vitamins and Minerals. A potassium deficiency is the lack of potassium in the body. There are many causes for this deficiency including illness and poor diet. When the body is unable to absorb potassium or does not receive potassium in foods, the result is a potassium deficiency.
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What Makes Your Potassium Level Drop? Foods high in potassium include bananas, spinach, carrots and oranges. Decreasing potassium intake can cause levels in the body to drop, but this is not a common reason for a decrease in potassium levels.
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Low potassium (hypokalaemia) Potassium also has a role in regulating blood pressure. Low potassium levels (hypokalaemia) can cause weakness as cellular processes are affected. Potassium is a mineral (electrolyte) in the body. Almost 98% of potassium is found inside the cells. Small changes in the level of potassium that is present outside the cells can have severe effects on the heart, nerves and muscles.
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Electrolytes Hypokalemia, or decreased potassium, can arise due to kidney diseases; excessive losses due to heavy sweating, vomiting, diarrhea, eating disorders, certain medications, or other causes. Increased sodium (hypernatremia) in the blood occurs whenever there is excess sodium in relation to water.
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What are the causes of low potassium? Hypokalemia is not commonly caused by poor dietary intake. The most common reason that potassium levels fall is due to the loss from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the kidney. Potassium loss from the GI tract may be caused by: Vomiting.
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- Your body depends on the mineral potassium to help control the electrical balance of your heart as well as metabolize carbohydrates and build muscle. Low potassium levels can cause muscle weakness and heart rhythm disturbances.
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Symptoms of Low Potassium Levels: Are You Low in Potassium? Hypokalemia. The most important use of potassium is to treat the symptoms of hypokalemia (low potassium), which include weakness, lack of energy, muscle cramps, stomach disturbances, an irregular heartbeat, and an abnormal EKG (electrocardiogram, a test that measures heart function).
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- Method 1 of 3: Ensuring You Balance Your Levels of Potassium. 1. Look for symptoms of low potassium levels. Having either too much or too little potassium in your blood can lead to health complications. Having a low level of potassium in your blood is called hypokalemia.Effects of hypokalemia can include weak muscles, an abnormal heart rhythm, and a slight rise in blood pressure.ee your doctor. If you suspect that you have low levels of potassium, then you should see your doctor before turning to supplements or other methods of boosting your potassium intake. When straying from a standard diet, you can easily overdo it and end up with too much potassium in your diet.
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- What are the effects of low potassium on the body? Low potassium is known as hypokalemia. The effects on your body could be weakness, tiredness, tingling or numbness, nausea, fainting, abdominal craming, feeling thirsty most …of the time, constipation, and there are more symptoms.
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Low Potassium During Pregnancy Causes of Low Potassium. A potassium deficiency during your pregnancy seldom arises from a shortage in your diet, says BabyCenter; rather, low potassium levels are usually the outcome of long-term or severe diarrhea and vomiting or the use of diuretics -- medicines that aid the elimination of extra fluid from your body.uring pregnancy, your body requires potassium to function at its best. An essential mineral, potassium helps maintain fluid and electrolyte balance.