Lifting potassium levels log

[Nina]

Decided to make a log about me attempting to raise my potassium levels and see if it does anything for my symptoms

Current main symptoms:
- Sluggish in morning (low cortisol)
- Burn out from stress easily (low cortisol)
- Constant irritability (PMS-like irritability if that makes it more clear)
- Eczema flare ups on lower legs (used to be treated with hydrocortisone creams as a kid)
- High anxiety levels (pretty sure its high adrenaline due to low cortisol)
- Pallor all over body, especially face
- Constant dilated pupils and fight or flight feeling
- Night sweats & hot flashes. Gets worse with stress
- Mental: Compulsive behavior, frequent racing thoughts. Restless mind.
- Non existent libido. (High adrenaline?). However, when i do have sex, i have some sort of premature ejaculation but the female version? Idk if theres a word for that. Low serotonin/high adrenaline seems to be common with this.
- Stomach and facial bloat after stress
- Slow recovery from stress
- Scalp itch (worse after dairy foods)
- Motion sickness (car)
- Sugar cravings (insulin/serotonin?).
- severe insomnia (sleeping 5 or so hours a night unable to fall back asleep, racing mind).

Bloodtests show the following pattern:
- High progesterone
- Low estrogen
- Low cortisol in the morning and afternoon, highest at night (still too low, but a little higher)
- High prolactin
- Low folic acid, vitamin d and vitamin c.

Potassium supporting supplements i will be taking:

- 500mg magnesiumcitrate (200mg in morning 300mg at night) dont want to go too high on magnesium as it tanks sodium levels. I have high progesterone which apparently already lowers sodium levels by blocking aldosterone.

- nusalt, which is a salt substitute (100% potassiumchloride) Nu-Salt® - FAQ

Aiming for 5000mg of potassium daily (food & supplements).


Not sure if theres anything else to add. I know b6 and zinc both support potassium levels but they also increase progesterone which i don’t do good on at all.

I have tried progesterone cream in the past which caused the following symptoms:
- Bloating
- Mood swings (from rage to crying in seconds)
- Swelling/puffiness in legs, feet, stomach and face.
- Severe depression to the point of suicidal thoughts (never felt that way before, very scary).

Alright, today was day one and i hit all my nutrient goals. Feeling ok. Will try to update every few days. Advice is welcome.

 

[Helen]

I thought you have high cortisol in blood. not low

this is electrolytes protocol . I thought you did electrolytes protocol

 

[Nina]

I thought you have high cortisol in blood. not low

Oh you’re right. Its high in blood but low on urine test.

 

[Helen]

Oh you’re right. Its high in blood but low on urine test.

I thought it was low in saliva not urine?

 

[Nina]

I thought it was low in saliva not urine?

wait. I am not home now i lost our conversation on the forum i think the results are in there if you can check it. I have saliva urine and blood cortisol tests. I’ll post them when i get home

 

[Nina]

Btw @Helen do you think 600mg magnesium will tank sodium levels or will it be ok?

 

[Nina]

I thought you have high cortisol in blood. not low

this is electrolytes protocol . I thought you did electrolytes protocol

I never followed it 100%. Also i did some keto diet trials and i think keto diet severly depleted my potassium levels in body. I felt the worst ever after i came off keto diet.

 

[tanedout]

You've definitely got the right sort of potassium! I was supplementing with potassium citrate for a while, but it made no impact on my bloods (potassium stayed low), but when I switched to potassium chloride it increased to the middle of the range. I find if I take more than I need however then I get a startled/shock thing where I feel like I get a shot of adrenaline to the heart if something startles me. Not a nice, and I only take a tiny bit of potassium now if I feel it's low. Worth watching out for.

Curcumin has possibly helped lower my cortisol (was high, not sure if it still is - getting tested this week), but after taking that for a while I've been sleeping much better, and don't tend to wake in the night so often.

 

[supernature]

@Nina Maybe adding a pattern of poor dream recall, poor morning appetite, white spots on nails to your symptoms ? or all of this is not your case .

 

[Nina]

@Nina Maybe adding a pattern of poor dream recall, poor morning appetite, white spots on nails to your symptoms ? or all of this is not your case .

Poor dream recall yes, others no. Sounds like pyroluria lol

 

[5 alpha]

Decided to make a log about me attempting to raise my potassium levels and see if it does anything for my symptoms

Current main symptoms:
- Sluggish in morning (low cortisol)
- Burn out from stress easily (low cortisol)
- Constant irritability (PMS-like irritability if that makes it more clear)
- Eczema flare ups on lower legs (used to be treated with hydrocortisone creams as a kid)
- High anxiety levels (pretty sure its high adrenaline due to low cortisol)
- Pallor all over body, especially face
- Constant dilated pupils and fight or flight feeling
- Night sweats & hot flashes. Gets worse with stress
- Mental: Compulsive behavior, frequent racing thoughts. Restless mind.
- Non existent libido. (High adrenaline?). However, when i do have sex, i have some sort of premature ejaculation but the female version? Idk if theres a word for that. Low serotonin/high adrenaline seems to be common with this.
- Stomach and facial bloat after stress
- Slow recovery from stress
- Scalp itch (worse after dairy foods)
- Motion sickness (car)
- Sugar cravings (insulin/serotonin?).
- severe insomnia (sleeping 5 or so hours a night unable to fall back asleep, racing mind).

Bloodtests show the following pattern:
- High progesterone
- Low estrogen
- Low cortisol in the morning and afternoon, highest at night (still too low, but a little higher)
- High prolactin
- Low folic acid, vitamin d and vitamin c.

Potassium supporting supplements i will be taking:

- 500mg magnesiumcitrate (200mg in morning 300mg at night) dont want to go too high on magnesium as it tanks sodium levels. I have high progesterone which apparently already lowers sodium levels by blocking aldosterone.

- nusalt, which is a salt substitute (100% potassiumchloride) Nu-Salt® - FAQ

Aiming for 5000mg of potassium daily (food & supplements).


Not sure if theres anything else to add. I know b6 and zinc both support potassium levels but they also increase progesterone which i don’t do good on at all.

I have tried progesterone cream in the past which caused the following symptoms:
- Bloating
- Mood swings (from rage to crying in seconds)
- Swelling/puffiness in legs, feet, stomach and face.
- Severe depression to the point of suicidal thoughts (never felt that way before, very scary).

Alright, today was day one and i hit all my nutrient goals. Feeling ok. Will try to update every few days. Advice is welcome.

Nina,

does low estrogen in a female cause any of the symptoms that you mentioned? it's basic so I am sure you already went down the path of increasing estrogen?

It just seemed like an obvious jump out at me seeing that I am assuming low estrogen for you is like low T for us? and how do you increase estrogen if that was your goal?

 

[Nina]

Nina,

does low estrogen in a female cause any of the symptoms that you mentioned? it's basic so I am sure you already went down the path of increasing estrogen?

It just seemed like an obvious jump out at me seeing that I am assuming low estrogen for you is like low T for us? and how do you increase estrogen if that was your goal?

Im pretty sure low estrogen causes mental symptoms like the OCD type i experience. Low libido probably too, hot flashes, mood swings etc.

When potassium lifts in the cell, estrogen and testosterone become available like Helen has said before.

 

[supernature]

Poor dream recall yes, others no. Sounds like pyroluria lol

Sounds like it yes in combo with more symptoms and signs physical and psychological.

 

[5 alpha]

Im pretty sure low estrogen causes mental symptoms like the OCD type i experience. Low libido probably too, hot flashes, mood swings etc.

When potassium lifts in the cell, estrogen and testosterone become available like Helen has said before.

Interesting...

So you suspect the low estrogen as being the cause to at least a handful of the symptoms and anticipate that if you raise potassium it solves the possible low Estrogen sides by making it more available. Sounds reasonable and like a smarter way to at least try going about it first rather than just throwing estrogen into the mix.

 

[Nina]

Interesting...

So you suspect the low estrogen as being the cause to at least a handful of the symptoms and anticipate that if you raise potassium it solves the possible low Estrogen sides by making it more available. Sounds reasonable and like a smarter way to at least try going about it first rather than just throwing estrogen into the mix.

I think using estrogen supplement would just cause more problems longterm.

 

[5 alpha]

I think using estrogen supplement would just cause more problems longterm.

how long do you plan on shooting for 5000mg of potassium daily for? do you plan on running labs in the middle anywhere? It would be interesting to see if things like estrogen go up while you are running this but than again if it ends up making estrogen work better rather than increase it the labs wont connect a dot with possible improvements. I think running labs before and in the middle of a trial like this is smart either way though. It's not something that we have done a lot of while trying to hack.

 

[supernature]

wait. I am not home now... I’ll post them when i get home

Weekday sleepoveer



More on the Pyroluria topic below:

"lifelong issues with severe inner tension, ongoing anxiety, poor stress tolerance (with added stress of any kind making the symptoms worse), digestive issues and difficulty digesting protein, frequent colds and infections, joint pain or stiffness, acne, eczema or psoriasis, mood swings and reactivity, poor short term memory, and a tendency in many to lean towards being a loner…among many other potential symptoms."

"
If you answer “yes” to 15 or more of these then further testing may be worthwhile:

PYROLURIA QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Little or no dream recall
2. White spots on finger nails
3. Poor morning appetite +/- tendency to skip breakfast
4. Morning nausea
5. Pale skin +/- poor tanning +/- burn easy in sun
6. Sensitivity to bright light
7. Hypersensitive to loud noises
8. Reading difficulties (e.g. dyslexia)
9. Poor ability to cope with stress
10. Mood swings or temper outbursts
11. Histrionic (dramatic) tendency
12. Argumentative/enjoy argument
13. New situations or changes in routine (i.e., traveling) particularly stressful
14. Much higher capability and alertness in the evening, compared to mornings
15. Poor short term memory
16. Abnormal body fat distribution
17. Belong to an all-girl family with look-alike sisters
18. Dry skin
19. Anxiousness
20. Reaching puberty later than normal
21. Difficulty digesting, a dislike of protein or a history of vegetarianism
22. Tendency toward being a loner and/or avoiding larger groups of people
23. Stretch marks on skin
24. Poor sense of smell or taste
25. Feel very uncomfortable with strangers
26. Frequently experience fatigue
27. A tendency to overreact to tranquilizers, barbiturates, alcohol or other drugs (in other words, a little produces a powerful response)
28. A tendency toward anemia
29. History of mental illness or alcoholism in family
30. Easily upset by criticism
31. Sweet smell (fruity odor) to breath or sweat when ill or stressed
32. Prone to acne, eczema or psoriasis
33. A tendency toward feeling anxious, fearful and carrying lifelong inner tension
34. Difficulty recalling past events or people
35. Bouts of depression or nervous exhaustion
36. Prone to frequent colds or infections
"

 

[Nina]

I took 400mg magnesium last night before bed and some extra potassium too. This morning i took some extra potassium also but im not feeling good and slept pretty badly too. Feel like my body is in overdrive but fatigued at the same time. Had intense night sweats and woke up feeling kinda ‘slow’ mentally.

The fact that i feel this way also makes me think again that my respiratory rate is not high enough, or not as high as it should be.

 

[Nina]

I thought it was low in saliva not urine?

Blood cortisol high saliva low in morning and afternoon high at night urine low end of normal range

 

[Canari]

I have to up my K too!
I have received my bulk KCl

You've definitely got the right sort of potassium! I was supplementing with potassium citrate for a while, but it made no impact on my bloods (potassium stayed low), but when I switched to potassium chloride it increased to the middle of the range. I find if I take more than I need however then I get a startled/shock thing where I feel like I get a shot of adrenaline to the heart if something startles me. Not a nice, and I only take a tiny bit of potassium now if I feel it's low. Worth watching out for.

Curcumin has possibly helped lower my cortisol (was high, not sure if it still is - getting tested this week), but after taking that for a while I've been sleeping much better, and don't tend to wake in the night so often.

Intresting as I use curcumin quite a lot…. hoping to help liver… and this is a very good anti-flies to eat outside!

I have no precise scale, how much K to start with? Can I put it in my drinking water? Is it better to take at precise moments of the day?