Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) and naproxen (Aleve) are typically taken to relieve fever, pain, and inflammation. They may also raise potassium levels by lowering aldosterone levels.
The most common cause of genuinely high potassium (hyperkalemia) is related to your kidneys, such as: Acute kidney failure. Chronic kidney disease.
Drug-drug interactions that result in increased potassium concentrations occur in up to 10% of hospitalised patients1. The clinically most important effect of hyperkalaemia is cardiac arrhythmias, which can be severe and life threatening.
If hyperkalemia comes on suddenly and you have very high levels of potassium, you may feel heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, or vomiting. Sudden or severe hyperkalemia is a life-threatening condition. It requires immediate medical care.
Your Heart and Other Muscles
Because it's a muscle, your heart needs potassium. It helps cells send the right electrical signals so that the heart pumps correctly. Having too much potassium in the body can alter the heart's rhythm.
Hyperkalemia occurs when potassium levels in your blood get too high. Potassium is an essential nutrient found in foods. This nutrient helps your nerves and muscles function. But too much potassium in your blood can damage your heart and cause a heart attack.
Effects on your kidneys
High potassium doesn't cause kidney conditions, but it's generally directly related to your kidneys. You may be more susceptible to high potassium if you have kidney failure or another kidney condition.
High potassium can be acute (lasting up to a few days) or chronic (lasting a long time). Acute high potassium may go away with short-term treatment. Chronic high potassium requires continual treatment and monitoring by a physician.
Mild cases of hyperkalemia can be treated with prescription medications that increase potassium excretion. Other methods include diuretics or an enema. Severe cases may require more complex treatments. Kidney dialysis can remove potassium.
High potassium levels may be a sign of: Kidney disease. Your kidneys remove extra potassium from your body. Too much potassium may mean your kidneys aren't working well. Addison disease, a disorder of the adrenal glands.
Lower potassium choices: Tea, herbal tea, squash or cordial, water, fizzy drinks. Spirits are lower in potassium than other alcoholic drinks. High potassium foods to limit: Limit milk to ½ pint per day (300ml).
There are limited or no options for at-home kits to test potassium levels. If you are prescribed a 24-hour urine test, you will need to collect your urine wherever you are during the day, including at home. However, this testing is still prescribed by your doctor rather than sold as a separate at-home test kit.
Excessive water consumption may lead to depletion of potassium, which is an essential nutrient. This may cause symptoms like leg pain, irritation, chest pain, et al. 6.
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.
Typical patients with hypokalemia have required a mean of 5 days for return of their serum potassium levels to normal (12,13).
The effect varies with the direction (low potassium intake raises the blood pressure, and high potassium intake lowers the blood pressure) and magnitude of change in potassium intake.
Abnormal blood levels of electrolytes, such as calcium, magnesium, or even potassium, can develop muscle cramps. Although low potassium blood levels occasionally cause true muscle cramps, high potassium blood levels also cause muscle cramps.
Potassium helps keep your heart beating at the right pace. It does this by helping to control the electrical signals of the myocardium -- the middle layer of your heart muscle. When your potassium level is too high, it can lead to an irregular heartbeat.
Studies have shown that potassium supplements may boost sleeping through the night, but good food sources are beans, leafy greens, avocados, baked potatoes, and to a lesser degree, bananas.
When you exercise, your muscles lose potassium. This creates a substantial rise in blood potassium levels. For most people, the kidneys filter out the extra potassium fairly quickly, and potassium levels return to normal within a few minutes of rest.