Is It Safe To Take Potassium Supplement With Stage 4 Kidney Failure

2015-02-22 03:41

Is it ok for stage 4 kidney failure patients to take potassium supplement? Potassium is a mineral that controls nerve and muscle function. The heart beats at a normal rhythm because of potassium and potassium is also responsible for maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance and PH level. The kidneys help keep potassium at a normal level.

How about the potassium level with stage 4 kidney failure?

As we all know, healthy kidneys remove excess potassium in the urine to help maintain normal levels in the blood. When kidneys fail they can no longer remove excess potassium, so the level builds up in the body. High potassium occurs in people with advanced stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD). For people with stage 4 kidney failure, they are more likely to suffer from high potassium in blood. Some of the effects of high potassium are nausea, weakness, numbness and slow pulse. So patients with high potassium level should avoid high potassium product and high potassium food. In this condition, stage 4 kidney failure patients had better avoid potassium supplement.

How to treat high potassium level?

For people with stage 3 kidney failure, dialysis is necessary to help regulate potassium. Between dialysis treatments, high potassium foods must be limited.

A renal diet for high potassium level includes limiting milk and milk products or replacing with nondairy substitutes, discard liquids from canned fruits and vegetables and avoiding salt substitutes and other seasonings with potassium.

However, dialysis and diet management only lower high potassium level temporarily. The radical way should repair injured kidneys and improve renal function. When damaged kidneys get recovered, they can discharge excess potassium from the body, thus lowering high potassium level fundamentally.

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