Signs & Symptoms of Low Potassium & Magnesium

Potassium and magnesium are essential for good health. Potassium is an electrolyte that nourishes cells, while magnesium is a mineral upon which every organ is dependent. Without the proper amount of either, your body will experience deficiencies with serious side effects. Fortunately, the signs for each deficiency are distinctive, and may help you to identify the true source of your symptoms.

Muscular Symptoms

• A deficiency in either potassium or magnesium effects your muscles. If you are experiencing a potassium deficiency, you may feel physical weakness in your muscles, particularly in your arms and legs. You may also experience muscle cramps and aches. Muscle cramps are also an early sign of a magnesium deficiency, including contractions and tingling.

Stomach Symptoms

• Deficiency in potassium and magnesium can cause an upset stomach. Nausea, vomiting, cramps, bloating and constipation are all symptomatic of both low potassium and low magnesium. Likewise, irritable bowel syndrome may cause a magnesium imbalance.

Heart Symptoms

• Potassium deficiency can cause irregular heartbeats or palpitations. This can sometimes lead to dangerous deviations from a normal rhythm, called arrhythmia. Abnormal heart rhythms are also symptomatic of magnesium deficiencies.

Emotional and Mental Signs

• Magnesium deficiencies may lead to confusion, insomnia, personality changes and anxiety. Potassium deficiency can lead to these and other symptoms, like psychosis and hallucinations.

Relations

• If you are experiencing deficiencies of potassium and magnesium, the conditions may be related. Magnesium helps control the levels of various nutrients throughout the body, and potassium is one of them. Low levels of magnesium are associated with hypokalemia---low levels of potassium.