How to Correct Low Potassium

Potassium is a mineral that is necessary for your body to function. It acts as an electrolyte and works to maintain fluid balance, and is necessary for your heart to beat and pump blood throughout your body. A deficit of potassium in the body is called hypokalemia. There are several ways that hypokalemia can be managed and treated.

Instructions

Treating Hypokalemia

• 1

  Avoid strenuous activities that could lead you to sweat excessively. Potassium is excreted in sweat. If you have low potassium levels, sweating can cause them to dip even lower.

• 2

  Skip the diuretics and laxatives. Prescription and over-the-counter diuretics, or products that cause the body to excrete excess water via urination, or laxatives, which cause the body to have a bowel movement(s), should be avoided if potassium levels are low. If these medicines are the reason your potassium levels are low, try and restore your potassium levels by stopping them. If your medications are prescriptions, consult with your doctor before discontinuing them.

• 3

  Take a potassium supplement. In severe cases of hypokalemia, your doctor might prescribe a potassium supplement to help restore your potassium levels. In less severe cases, taking a multivitamin (if you do not already take one) can help to restore potassium in the body as well, as most multivitamins contain the mineral.

• 4

  See your doctor or make a trip to an urgent care facility. In very severe potassium deficiencies, cardiac rhythm and blood pressure may be affected. If you feel faint or begin to feel your heart beat irregularly, see your doctor immediately. If you have extremely low potassium levels, you may be hooked up to a potassium IV drip and have your heart beat and blood pressure monitored.

• 5

  Follow up with your physician. If you made a trip to the emergency room or urgent care center, visit your doctor for a follow up appointment. If no cause was determined for your potassium deficiency, more testing may be required.