How to Lower Hyperkalemia

A person diagnosed with hyperkalemia has too much potassium in the blood stream. A person's blood potassium level should be between 3.5 and 5 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/l), so any level above 5 mEq/l is generally defined as hyperkalemia. With a doctor's care and guidance, treating the underlying cause of hyperkalemia is entirely possible.

Things You'll Need

• Albuterol
• Epinephrine

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Instructions

• 1

  Avoid foods high in potassium. High-potassium foods include most fruits and vegetables, especially bananas, oranges, potatoes, tomatoes and broccoli, as well as brown rice. Consult a doctor or nutritionist before you make drastic changes because many foods high in potassium are also key to a healthful diet, so excluding them could lead to other health concerns.

• 2

  With a doctor's assistance, discontinue any medications that can raise your potassium level. Your doctor may recommend you stop taking specific classes of medication, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs.) You may also need to avoid certain types of diuretics, also called water pills, that cause you to retain potassium. These types of diuretics are relatively rare, for most diuretics will cause you to excrete potassium.

• 3

  Take the medication your doctor has prescribed to lower your potassium level as directed. One of the most common medications prescribed for hyperkalemia is a diuretic that increases the patient's potassium excretion rate. Your doctor might also prescribe other medications that can lower blood potassium level, including albuterol and epinephrine. These medications cause cells to absorb potassium from the blood.

• 4

  If you have been diagnosed with severe hyperkalemia, you may receive intravenous (IV) medication. Injecting medication directly into a vein can often lower a very high potassium level quickly. Therapies for severe hyperkalemia include intravenous glucose and insulin, which can force potassium from the blood and into the spaces between the cells, and intravenous calcium, which can protect the heart and other muscles while the potassium level decreases.

• 5

  Treat the underlying cause of hyperkalemia. Chronic hyperkalemia can be the result of an adrenal disease or kidney disease. If your hyperkalemia is a result of kidney failure, you may require dialysis, especially if other treatments have not been successful.