Why potassium is high

Your dietitian can recommend foods that are low in potassium that you can eat instead of foods that are high in potassium. Plan ahead if you know you will be eating a meal that is high in potassium. For example, if you are going out for dinner and you know your meal will be higher in potassium, or you know that it will be hard to measure how much potassium is in your meal, plan to eat meals that are low in potassium for breakfast and lunch.

When eating out, choose a restaurant that will make changes or substitutions in their dishes. Bring a list of low potassium foods with you that the restaurant can substitute out for other items. Use this sample potassium log to start tracking how much potassium you eat at each meal. If you are on dialysis or if you have a loved one who is, you know how difficult it can be to find foods that will work with the strict diet that dialysis requires.

Watch our webinar and understand the differences between phosphorus and potassium and learn appropriate food sources of each. You might find it hard to manage high potassium on your own. The good news is that your health care team can help. Use these tips to start a conversation:. Be honest and do not be afraid to start the conversation.

If you are having problems managing your high potassium, tell your healthcare team. Many people struggle with their diet and medicines. Your healthcare team will have lots of experience to help you come up with a plan. Talk about any symptoms you are feeling.

Muscle pains, feeling tired, and other symptoms could be caused by high potassium but there could be other causes. Ask to see a dietitian.

If you are a dialysis patient, you may already have a dietitian you can talk to. If you have kidney disease and are not yet on dialysis, many health insurance plans including Medicare will cover at least a few sessions with a dietitian.

Ask if there is a medicine that could help. Medicines called potassium binders might be able to help you if diet is not enough. Ask your healthcare team if potassium binders could be an option for you. Educational content made possible by Vifor Pharma and AstraZeneca. Donate Now. Usually, people with hyperkalemia do not have any symptoms, which makes it challenging for a doctor to diagnose.

The leading causes of hyperkalemia are chronic kidney disease , uncontrolled diabetes , dehydration , having had severe bleeding, consuming excessive dietary potassium , and some medications. A doctor will typically diagnose hyperkalemia when levels of potassium are between 5. Treatment for hyperkalemia varies according to severity. In acute hyperkalemia, which often results from a particular event, such as trauma, doctors may use dialysis and intravenous medications to flush potassium from the body.

Typically, a person with hyperkalemia does not experience any symptoms, which means that doctors may overlook it until symptoms worsen. Acute hyperkalemia, or significant changes to potassium levels over a short time, is more serious than having chronic hyperkalemia, or regularly high potassium levels.

However, both acute and chronically high potassium levels can be dangerous, potentially causing heart attacks or paralysis. At higher levels , symptoms of hyperkalemia include:.

There are different causes of hyperkalemia:. If there is a risk that a person may develop hyperkalemia, a doctor might recommend limiting foods that contain high levels of potassium. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans , the highest-potassium foods per serving size are:. Hyperkalemia often has no symptoms. This means doctors often find it challenging to diagnose.

You may feel some muscle weakness, numbness, tingling, nausea, or other unusual feelings. High potassium usually develops slowly over many weeks or months, and is most often mild. It can recur. For most people, the level of potassium in your blood should be between 3. If high potassium happens suddenly and you have very high levels, you may feel heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, or vomiting. This is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical care.

If you have these symptoms, call or go to the emergency room. If you have high potassium — or are at risk for getting it — speak to your doctor about the various options you have to manage your potassium levels.

To help keep your potassium levels within normal range, your doctor may recommend the following:. Skip to main content. Six Steps to Controlling High Potassium.

Potassium is especially important for your nerves and muscles, including your heart. While potassium is important to your health, getting too much of the nutrient can be just as bad as, or worse than, not getting enough. Normally, your kidneys keep a healthy balance of potassium by flushing excess potassium out of your body.

But for many reasons, the level of potassium in your blood can get too high. This is called hyperkalemia, or high potassium. According to the Mayo Clinic , a normal range of potassium is between 3.

A potassium level higher than 5. Small variations in ranges may be possible depending on the laboratory. Whether you have mild or severe hyperkalemia, you should get prompt medical attention to prevent possible complications. Several things can cause hyperkalemia, including health problems and use of certain medications. Kidney failure is the most common cause of high potassium. This can lead to potassium buildup. Heavy alcohol or drug use can cause your muscles to break down.

This breakdown can release a high amount of potassium from your muscle cells into your bloodstream. Certain kinds of trauma can raise your potassium levels as well. In these cases, extra potassium leaks from your body cells into your bloodstream.