Depletes Potassium. This medication is commonly used for Hypertension
Thiazide diuretics can cause potassium to leave your cells. These medications work by making your kidneys flush out water and sodium, but unfortunately, potassium gets swept along too. This raises the risk of a moderate or severe potassium deficiency, called hypokalemia and potassium supplementation should be considered.
Rodenburg EM, Visser LE, Hoorn EJ, Ruiter R, Lous JJ, Hofman A, Uitterlinden AG, Stricker BH. Thiazides and the risk of hypokalemia in the general population. J Hypertens. 2014 Oct;32(10):2092-7; discussion 2097. PMID: 25105457. Odvina CV, Mason RP, Pak CY. Prevention of thiazide-induced hypokalemia without magnesium depletion by potassium-magnesium-citrate. Am J Ther. 2006 Mar-Apr;13(2):101-8. . Low potassium levels from diuretics. January 23, 2017. Harvard Health Publishing.
Potassium (as citrate and gluconate) — 99 mg
Potassium deficiency can destabilize the heart’s electrical system, so hypokalemia is a well‑known trigger for cardiac arrhythmias and can present with palpitations, “skipped beats,” or more dangerous rhythm disturbances even before other symptoms are obvious. As serum potassium drops, characteristic ECG changes (flattened or inverted T waves, ST‑segment depression, prominent U waves, and QT‑interval prolongation) reflect impaired repolarization, which can progress to premature ventricular contractions, atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, torsade de pointes, or even ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest in severe cases. Observational data show that hypokalemia and even low‑normal potassium levels increase the risk of ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in people with underlying heart disease, highlighting the importance of monitoring and promptly correcting potassium deficits in hospitalized and high‑risk patients.
Potassium deficiency can progress from diffuse muscle weakness to flaccid paralysis, and in severe hypokalemia this paralysis may involve the diaphragm and other respiratory muscles, resulting in hypoventilation and acute respiratory failure. In these situations, patients often present with ascending weakness, areflexia, and shortness of breath or an inability to take a deep breath, and may require urgent ventilatory support while intravenous potassium is carefully replaced. Case reports and cohort data show that even admission potassium values just below the normal range are associated with a higher risk of needing mechanical ventilation in hospitalized patients, underscoring the importance of promptly recognizing and correcting hypokalemia before it reaches paralysis‑level severity.
Potassium (as gluconate) by Pure Encapsulations — 200mg