Benefits, Uses, Side Effects, More

Potassium chloride, or potassium salt, consists of the minerals potassium and chloride. It is used to deal with hypokalemia, a situation of low blood potassium ranges. It could additionally assist decrease blood strain.

Individuals might use potassium chloride as an alternative choice to salt to lower or management their sodium consumption. Improper use may cause unintended effects and probably toxicity.

Your physique wants potassium for kidney, coronary heart, muscle, and mind capabilities. Low or excessive potassium ranges may cause extreme well being circumstances, together with muscle weak spot, irregular heartbeat, and, in extreme circumstances, cardiac arrest.

Potassium chloride is principally used to deal with and handle low blood potassium levels. It may be given orally (by mouth) or intravenously (via injections into the blood) to carry potassium ranges to the conventional vary.

Consuming an excessive amount of sodium (salt) may cause hypertension (hypertension), which might enhance the chance of coronary heart illness and stroke. Individuals eat greater than 3,300 milligrams of sodium each day, considerably increased than the advisable restrict of two,300 milligrams.

Excessive sodium consumption usually comes from processed and quick meals. To assist decrease consumption, many meals producers use potassium salts, together with potassium chloride, to switch some sodium and enhance the potassium content material of their meals merchandise.

There are numerous types of potassium salts containing completely different quantities of potassium, as much as 2,800 milligrams.

Consuming salt substitutes with excessive potassium can increase your danger of hyperkalemia (excessive blood potassium ranges). When you’ve got continual circumstances, together with kidney illness, it’s best to seek the advice of your healthcare supplier earlier than utilizing potassium salts.

You can even lower your sodium intake by studying vitamin details labels. Meals labeled as low sodium ought to include lower than 140 milligrams per serving, whereas very low sodium meals ought to include lower than 35 milligrams per serving.

Each excessive sodium and low potassium consumption can enhance the chance of hypertension. Utilizing potassium salt as a substitute of desk salt or sodium might assist decrease sodium consumption, which may assist lower blood pressure.

A analysis evaluate discovered that potassium supplementation can lower each systolic (high quantity) and diastolic (backside quantity) blood strain in people with hypertension. This was very true if they’d excessive sodium and low potassium consumption and weren’t utilizing blood-pressure-lowering medicines.

The consequences of potassium on blood strain are unclear relating to who may benefit from it and what dosages are efficient and protected.

Potassium chloride is utilized in meals merchandise to imitate the style that sodium offers whereas retaining the sodium content material of meals low. Some meals that will include potassium chloride embody:

• Cereals
• Potato chips
• Baked items
• Frozen or ready-made meals
• Meat merchandise
• Cheese
• Soup
• Sauces
• Sports drinks
• Snack bars

Potassium chloride consists of excessive quantities of potassium and chloride. The primary aim of the complement is to extend potassium ranges, whereas chloride helps with electrolyte steadiness. 

Growing your potassium consumption may help scale back your danger of coronary heart illness and stroke. Satisfactory potassium consumption ranges are established at 1,600 milligrams for ladies and three,400 milligrams for males. Potassium-rich foods embody:

• Dried apricots: 755 milligrams (mg) per ½ cup, 16% of the Every day Worth (DV)
• Lentils: 731 mg per 1 cup cooked, 16% of the DV
• Potato: 610 mg per 1 medium baked, 13% of the DV
• Kidney beans: 607 mg per 1 cup canned, 13% of the DV
• Orange juice: 496 mg per 1 cup, 11% of the DV

You want a prescription for potassium chloride, which is out there in pill, capsule, powder, and injectable kind. The U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) has accredited the next types of potassium chloride:

• Prolonged-release tablets
• Prolonged-release capsules
• Injectables
• Oral options
• Powder for oral options

Your healthcare supplier will prescribe a dosage based mostly in your well being circumstances and blood potassium ranges.

An excessive amount of potassium chloride causes hyperkalemia, or excessive blood potassium ranges. Excessive blood potassium ranges may cause cardiac arrhythmia, which is when your coronary heart beats irregularly and is just too sluggish or too quick.

You should not take potassium chloride when you’ve got a well being situation that may trigger excessive blood potassium ranges, equivalent to chronic kidney disease and adrenal gland issues (like Addison’s illness and Cushing’s syndrome), except your healthcare supplier recommends in any other case.

Potential Drug Interactions

Taking potassium chloride with different dietary supplements or medicine that enhance blood potassium ranges might trigger potassium ranges to develop into too excessive. These embody:

• Potassium-sparing diuretics: This type of diuretic, or water capsule, decreases the quantity of potassium misplaced via urine, which might increase blood potassium ranges. Examples embody Midamor (amiloride) and Aldactone (spironolactone).  
• Antihypertensive medicine: Antihypertensive (blood pressure-lowering) medicine are used to deal with and handle hypertension. The commonest courses of antihypertensive medicine are angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). These medicine additionally deal with coronary heart failure and kidney illness. They enhance blood potassium ranges. Examples embody Lotensin (benazepril) and Cozaar (losartan).

Can You Take Too A lot Potassium Chloride?

It’s attainable to take an excessive amount of potassium chloride. The remedy comprises excessive quantities of potassium, and you may exceed protected limits by taking greater than the advisable dose. All the time comply with your healthcare supplier’s dosage suggestions. Consuming an excessive amount of potassium chloride may cause critical unintended effects.

Basic unintended effects of potassium chloride embody:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Psychological confusion

Potassium chloride may also result in issues like gastrointestinal issues, neuromuscular (nerve and muscle system) issues, and sudden cardiac dying.

Completely different types of potassium chloride might have completely different potential unintended effects:

• Oral potassium chloride options: Gastrointestinal signs equivalent to vomiting and diarrhea
• Tablets and capsules: Ulcerative lesions within the gastrointestinal tract
• Injectable options: Problems within the injection space, equivalent to pores and skin redness, ache, swelling, irritation of the vein, and blood clots

Potassium chloride is a two-mineral compound used to deal with and handle low blood potassium ranges, referred to as hypokalemia. It could assist decrease blood strain. Moreover, potassium salts are generally used as an alternative choice to sodium to decrease general sodium consumption.

Consuming an excessive amount of potassium can result in unintended effects like irregular heartbeat, gastrointestinal signs, and probably dying. Potassium chloride is prescribed and brought below the steering of a healthcare skilled.

To keep up wholesome potassium ranges, you’ll be able to eat a balanced weight loss program that features potassium-rich meals, like apricots, lentils, and potatoes. Potassium is important for bone, coronary heart, muscle, kidney, and mind well being.