Too much potassium in your blood, a condition called hyperkalemia, can happen suddenly or because of an ongoing condition like kidney disease. But hyperkalemia can affect your heart and other parts of your body, so it’s important to treat it. Show
Emergency TreatmentsThese medications include:
They start working in minutes by shifting potassium out of the blood and into cells. People with very high blood potassium levels may also need dialysis, which uses a special machine to filter the potassium from your blood. Maintenance MedicationsEven if hyperkalemia isn’t a crisis, you still need to get your potassium levels down. Some medications lower potassium slowly, including:
Adjusting Other Medications, DietYour doctor will look at whether you need to stop taking other medications in order to lower your blood potassium levels, or adjust how much you take. That happens because these drugs contribute to higher potassium. These medications include:
Too much potassium in foods can also contribute to higher levels in your blood if your kidneys don’t work well. So your doctor will ask you about what you eat and drink, and then give you advice on what things you may need to cut back on because they have a lot of potassium. Dialysis TreatmentsYour kidneys help control the balance of potassium in your body, and if they don’t work properly they can’t do that important job. So you might need dialysis to treat your kidney disease -- which also treats hyperkalemia. Mount DB. Disorders of potassium balance. In: Yu ASL, Chertow GM, Luyckx VA, Marsden PA, Skorecki K, Taal MW, eds. Brenner and Rector's The Kidney. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 17. Seifter JL. Potassium disorders. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 109. Last reviewed on: 11/6/2021 Reviewed by: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. If you have kidney disease, your kidneys cannot remove the extra potassium in your blood. Learn how to control, prevent and treat high potassium (hyperkalemia) levels. Medically reviewed byAKF's Medical Advisory CommitteeLast updatedNovember 11, 2021 Jump to
What is high potassium, or hyperkalemia?Everyone needs potassium to survive. Potassium is a mineral and an electrolyte. It helps your muscles work, including the muscles that control your heartbeat and breathing. Potassium comes from the food you eat. Your body uses the potassium it needs. Your kidneys remove the extra potassium from your blood. When you have kidney disease, your kidneys cannot remove extra potassium in the right way, and too much potassium can stay in your blood. When you have too much potassium in your blood, it is called hyperkalemia, or high potassium. Having too much potassium in your blood can be dangerous. Hyperkalemia can even cause a heart attack or death! Unfortunately, many people do not feel symptoms of hyperkalemia until it is too late and their heart health worsens. Manage your potassium levels with diet and treatment. Visit Kidney Kitchen® for kidney-friendly recipes, nutrient information, and guides to help you cook and shop. What causes high potassium?The most common cause of high potassium is kidney disease. Other causes of high potassium include:
If you have kidney disease, you are at risk for high potassium because your kidneys cannot remove the extra potassium in your blood. Instead of leaving your body through your urine, the extra potassium in your blood travels through your kidneys and back into your bloodstream. In time, more and more potassium can build up in your blood. What are the symptoms of high potassium?Many people do not feel symptoms of high potassium. Having too much potassium in your blood can be dangerous. It can even cause a heart attack. If you do feel symptoms, some of the most common are:
If you have trouble breathing or think there could be a problem with your heart, call 911 for emergency help. What are the complications of high potassium?Having too much potassium in your blood can be dangerous. Potassium affects the way your heart's muscles work. When you have too much potassium, your heart may beat irregularly, which in the worst cases can cause heart attack. If you think you are having a heart attack, call 911 for emergency help. Some of the most common signs of heart attack are:
What are the tests for high potassium?The only way to know for sure if your potassium level is healthy is to have a blood test. The test measures how much potassium is in your blood. The blood test is like many other blood tests that you may be familiar with. A small needle is placed into a vein on your arm and your blood is drawn out into a tube. The blood is sent to lab to be tested. Potassium may be called something else in your test results. If you do not see "potassium," look for either:
A potassium of higher than 5.2 millimoles per liter (mmol/L) is usually considered high but your doctor or lab might use slightly different numbers. Talk to your doctor about what your test results mean. Because very high potassium (higher than 6.0 mmol/L) can be dangerous, your doctor or nurse may contact you first if your results are unusually high. In this case, they may ask you to go to an emergency room or hospital. What are the treatments for high potassium?There are two ways to treat high potassium, through diet and/or medicine. Potassium bindersMedicines for high potassium are called potassium binders. A potassium binder works by sticking to the potassium in your body and preventing some of it from being taken into your bloodstream. This helps to keep potassium from building up in your blood. The medicine is a powder, which you can take by mixing it with water and drinking. Talk to your doctor about whether a potassium binder could be an option for you. Manage your potassium levels with diet and treatmentDownload this guide to learn the amount of potassium in many common foods and know which foods are considered low, medium and high sources of potassium. Potassium food guide Educational content made possible by Vifor Pharma and AstraZeneca.Filed under
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Article Glomerulonephritis (Glomerular Disease)Learn about the causes, symptoms and treatment of glomerulonephritis, a type of kidney disease that can lead to serious kidney problems. How do you treat too high potassium?Can Hyperkalemia be treated?. Water pills (diuretics) help rid your body of extra potassium. They work by making your kidney create more urine. Potassium is normally removed through urine.. Potassium binders often come in the form of a powder. They are mixed with a small amount of water and taken with food.. What happens if your potassium is high?Having too much potassium in your blood can be dangerous. Potassium affects the way your heart's muscles work. When you have too much potassium, your heart may beat irregularly, which in the worst cases can cause heart attack. If you think you are having a heart attack, call 911 for emergency help.
Why would my potassium be high?The most common cause of genuinely high potassium (hyperkalemia) is related to your kidneys, such as: Acute kidney failure. Chronic kidney disease.
How can I lower my potassium naturally?There are two easy ways to naturally lower the amount of potassium you eat, which are: avoiding or limiting certain high potassium foods.. coffee.. fruit or vegetable juice (especially passion fruit and carrot juices). cider.. |
What to do if your potassium is high
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