Aa
Curious
Does any one know what blood pressure medication doesn't make your potassium level drop?
I'm taking hydrochlorothiazide and everytime I get diarrhea I end up in the hospital because of a low potassium level.
I'm taking hydrochlorothiazide and everytime I get diarrhea I end up in the hospital because of a low potassium level.
Best Answer
Just wanted to let you know that I saw my doctor and instead of changing it he says that the hydrochlorothiazide is too high and lowered it to 12.5mg he says that my BP is getting to low and that becoming hypokalemic ( Low Potassium ) might be because the hydrochlorothiazide is to high so he cut my dosage down.
Also another small note I re-read the information on kidney damage and a GFR of 60 is borderline but I still have to be carefull that it doesn't get any lower so far they're ok.
Also another small note I re-read the information on kidney damage and a GFR of 60 is borderline but I still have to be carefull that it doesn't get any lower so far they're ok.
Thank you so much for the information I knew that there are medications that didn't deplete potassium but I couldn't find which ones. right now I'm taking hydrochlorothiazide and Lisinopril and when I started to take the hydrochlorothiazide I kept ending up in the hospital because my potassium level kept dropping mainly because I have had some problems with diarrhea so no matter how much potassium rich foods I hate I couldn't keep my potassium level any higher than 3.5 so when I got diarrhea my potassium level would tank.
So I can't wait to talk to my doctor about it, now that I have some suggestions to give him I see him next week So I thank you again for the information.
So I can't wait to talk to my doctor about it, now that I have some suggestions to give him I see him next week So I thank you again for the information.
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"Many diuretics (sometimes called water pills) decrease potassium in the blood. Diuretics lower blood pressure by helping your body eliminate sodium and water, which reduces blood volume and decreases pressure on your artery walls. When your body excretes excessive amounts of water, it also loses potassium. This can lead to low potassium levels in your blood (hypokalemia).
There are potassium-sparing diuretics that don't cause this problem. These include:
Spironolactone (Aldactone)
Eplerenone (Inspra)
Triamterene (Dyrenium)
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors reduce blood pressure by helping to relax blood vessels. ACE inhibitors usually increase potassium levels in your blood.
If you're taking an ACE inhibitor with a diuretic and getting enough potassium in your diet but your potassium level is still low, your doctor may recommend further testing to help identify the underlying cause. Rarely, low potassium may be due to overproduction of the hormone aldosterone (hyperaldosteronism), which increases potassium loss by the kidneys."
I hope this helps. Have you discussed this with your doctor? Ally