Maybe low potassium!

canadacatman
canadacatman Posts: 224 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have high blood pressure and on meds. I get weird symptoms sometimes like weird feelings in my head blood pressure spikes muscle cramps dizziness and I was asking my daughter about it ( she's in her 4th year of nursing) she said sounds like maybe low potassium so she asked her instructor and he said same thing. I go see my Dr in a month he's on vacation with no one taking his place so I was wondering if any member or members had low potassium and had any of my symptoms and what foods are high in potassium. Thanks for any and all help.

Replies

  • InigoAndTheVoid
    InigoAndTheVoid Posts: 16 Member
    Call your doctors office and ask about a sooner appointment. There should be some backup option even if he is gone. It doesn't sound like a list of symptoms for the Internet, unexplained dizziness in particular.
  • canadacatman
    canadacatman Posts: 224 Member
    I tried there is no one taking his place and I have anxiety so can not go to the hospital. I'm not dizzy often. Thanks
  • BekahC1980
    BekahC1980 Posts: 474 Member
    Bananas are great for potassium!
  • Wetcoaster
    Wetcoaster Posts: 1,788 Member
    My Dad went the emergency last year for dizziness and his potassium was so low they had him on IV. Get it checked.
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,953 Member
    Foods high in potassium would be things like spinach and other dark leafy greens, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash and coconut water.There a certainly others but I don't remember them off the top of my head. ;) Lots of food contain potassium but not all of them are listed in the database so you are probably getting more than you realize but you might still need more. I track mine because of my BP and try to keep it much higher than my sodium. Doing that (along with a few other lifestyle and diet modifications) has brought my BP down considerably.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Google high potassium foods....Google is your friend.

    Veg and fruit in general. Potatoes (skin on) are particularly high in potassium and blow a banana out of the water. Also, canned tomato products in general...a 12 oz low sodium V8 has like 1200 Mg or something like that.

    How many meds are you on for your hypertension? Is one of them a diuretic. One of the issues with diuretics is low potassium which is why I pretty much have a low sodium V8 every single day...and I eat tons of veg and I'm a regular potato eater. Do not supplement potassium without the go ahead from your doctor though as you can also go the other way.
  • canadacatman
    canadacatman Posts: 224 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Google high potassium foods....Google is your friend.

    Veg and fruit in general. Potatoes (skin on) are particularly high in potassium and blow a banana out of the water. Also, canned tomato products in general...a 12 oz low sodium V8 has like 1200 Mg or something like that.

    How many meds are you on for your hypertension? Is one of them a diuretic. One of the issues with diuretics is low potassium which is why I pretty much have a low sodium V8 every single day...and I eat tons of veg and I'm a regular potato eater. Do not supplement potassium without the go ahead from your doctor though as you can also go the other way.

    I am on only one and no diuretic. Thanks I will definitely start v8. Do or did you have high bp. Thanks
  • Cynsonya
    Cynsonya Posts: 668 Member
    Spinach, mushrooms avocado, bananas, almonds, sweet potatoes, salmon, and beans are my potassium go too foods.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    canadacatman wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Google high potassium foods....Google is your friend.

    Veg and fruit in general. Potatoes (skin on) are particularly high in potassium and blow a banana out of the water. Also, canned tomato products in general...a 12 oz low sodium V8 has like 1200 Mg or something like that.

    How many meds are you on for your hypertension? Is one of them a diuretic. One of the issues with diuretics is low potassium which is why I pretty much have a low sodium V8 every single day...and I eat tons of veg and I'm a regular potato eater. Do not supplement potassium without the go ahead from your doctor though as you can also go the other way.

    I am on only one and no diuretic. Thanks I will definitely start v8. Do or did you have high bp. Thanks

    Yes...I'm on three meds, one of which is a diuretic. My BP is controlled, but likely I will be on meds for life...I'm pretty lean and fit and live a pretty healthy lifestyle and eat very well and have been at this for over three years...unfortunately for me, it's largely hereditary.
  • canadacatman
    canadacatman Posts: 224 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    canadacatman wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Google high potassium foods....Google is your friend.

    Veg and fruit in general. Potatoes (skin on) are particularly high in potassium and blow a banana out of the water. Also, canned tomato products in general...a 12 oz low sodium V8 has like 1200 Mg or something like that.

    How many meds are you on for your hypertension? Is one of them a diuretic. One of the issues with diuretics is low potassium which is why I pretty much have a low sodium V8 every single day...and I eat tons of veg and I'm a regular potato eater. Do not supplement potassium without the go ahead from your doctor though as you can also go the other way.

    I am on only one and no diuretic. Thanks I will definitely start v8. Do or did you have high bp. Thanks

    Yes...I'm on three meds, one of which is a diuretic. My BP is controlled, but likely I will be on meds for life...I'm pretty lean and fit and live a pretty healthy lifestyle and eat very well and have been at this for over three years...unfortunately for me, it's largely hereditary.

    Before you got it under control has your bp ever gone way on when you were on your feet. I notice that a lot. I'm thinking I need different meds. Thanks
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    canadacatman wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    canadacatman wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Google high potassium foods....Google is your friend.

    Veg and fruit in general. Potatoes (skin on) are particularly high in potassium and blow a banana out of the water. Also, canned tomato products in general...a 12 oz low sodium V8 has like 1200 Mg or something like that.

    How many meds are you on for your hypertension? Is one of them a diuretic. One of the issues with diuretics is low potassium which is why I pretty much have a low sodium V8 every single day...and I eat tons of veg and I'm a regular potato eater. Do not supplement potassium without the go ahead from your doctor though as you can also go the other way.

    I am on only one and no diuretic. Thanks I will definitely start v8. Do or did you have high bp. Thanks

    Yes...I'm on three meds, one of which is a diuretic. My BP is controlled, but likely I will be on meds for life...I'm pretty lean and fit and live a pretty healthy lifestyle and eat very well and have been at this for over three years...unfortunately for me, it's largely hereditary.

    Before you got it under control has your bp ever gone way on when you were on your feet. I notice that a lot. I'm thinking I need different meds. Thanks

    Hard to say...before I had it under control it was like 165/110 so it was always just really high. I had some issues this past fall with some spiking and my numbers were no longer as controlled as they previously were...I was also having a lot of anxiety issues. My Dr. put my on a new Beta Blocker that was more directed and that fixed things for me...my blood pressure with my old med was usually 135/85...with the new stuff I'm like 115/65...unfortunately, my old stuff was available in generic form and was cheap...my new stuff, not so much.
  • canadacatman
    canadacatman Posts: 224 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    canadacatman wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    canadacatman wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Google high potassium foods....Google is your friend.

    Veg and fruit in general. Potatoes (skin on) are particularly high in potassium and blow a banana out of the water. Also, canned tomato products in general...a 12 oz low sodium V8 has like 1200 Mg or something like that.

    How many meds are you on for your hypertension? Is one of them a diuretic. One of the issues with diuretics is low potassium which is why I pretty much have a low sodium V8 every single day...and I eat tons of veg and I'm a regular potato eater. Do not supplement potassium without the go ahead from your doctor though as you can also go the other way.

    I am on only one and no diuretic. Thanks I will definitely start v8. Do or did you have high bp. Thanks

    Yes...I'm on three meds, one of which is a diuretic. My BP is controlled, but likely I will be on meds for life...I'm pretty lean and fit and live a pretty healthy lifestyle and eat very well and have been at this for over three years...unfortunately for me, it's largely hereditary.

    Before you got it under control has your bp ever gone way on when you were on your feet. I notice that a lot. I'm thinking I need different meds. Thanks

    Hard to say...before I had it under control it was like 165/110 so it was always just really high. I had some issues this past fall with some spiking and my numbers were no longer as controlled as they previously were...I was also having a lot of anxiety issues. My Dr. put my on a new Beta Blocker that was more directed and that fixed things for me...my blood pressure with my old med was usually 135/85...with the new stuff I'm like 115/65...unfortunately, my old stuff was available in generic form and was cheap...my new stuff, not so much.

    I am on 5mg of Amlodipine. And I'm thinking since I'm newly diagnosed I need a change in meds. Thanks

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