Ellen Campbell Grizzle - Pharmacy Today FROM CONTRIBUTING to the regular heart beat to the quality of semen, potassium plays a role in every major body function. It is a factor in blood pressure control, helps to build and contract muscles and plays a vital role in the control of water balance in tissues and cells.
Low levels lead to dry skin, depression, fatigue, slowed reflexes and severe deficiency can result in high blood pressure, heart failure and coma leading to death. Potassium appears in abundance in all living plant and animal cells and deficiency in healthy persons is rare because the body gets enough of this essential mineral from a balanced diet.
The body loses potassium in sweat and urine and there are circumstances in which supplementation may be needed. Among the group of persons who may need more potassium are:-
patients taking cortisone and some diuretics
athletes
users of Oral Contraceptives
Abusers of alcohol
persons who drink a lot of coffee
patients with anorexa nervosa or liver disease
persons who suffer from chronic vomiting and diarrhoea or those recovering from a severe bout of influenza
Your physician can assess your need, based on blood level tests, and prescribe accordingly. Potassium supplements are sold as tablets, liquids, "fizzies", powders and suppositories.
Jamaican consumers are very familiar with the slow release tablet. This product is made with a particularly tough coating that disguises the unpleasant taste of potassium and protects the stomach from its irritating effect. If the tablet is not properly formulated and made, it will not dissolve and pass out whole in the faeces.
Proper storage is very important to the safekeeping and use of these tablets. They must be dispensed in plastic or glass containers with adequate cotton or drying sachet to protect against moisture. Damp conditions rapidly degrade this product causing the tablets to clump together in a speckled and discoloured mass. Follow these important tips:-
do not store in bathroom cabinets or keep in very hot conditions
do not accept these tablets dispensed in envelopes
make sure that your hands are dry when you open the vial to take your daily dose
always take with a glass of water after meals.
Just the right balance of potassium is needed. Too much potassium can be dangerous and will affect the way that calcium and sodium work in the body. Persons with kidney disease must exercise great care. Excess potassium affects every major body function and can lead to very low blood pressure, irregular heart beat, cardiac arrest and death.
Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is really good advice since these are excellent sources of potassium. Bananas, tomatoes, citrus fruits, beans, the skin of baked potatoes and fish are potassium rich. However, when potassium supplementation is prescribed for you, take the medication as prescribed in order to maintain the right balance.
Always tell your care provider if you are taking herbal preparations so that he can consider possible interactions. Remember, potassium is a vital element in the proper functioning of the body and is found in every animal and plant cell. However, maintaining that delicate balance is very important. If slow release potassium tablets are prescribed for you, protect them from moisture and take them exactly as prescribed. If you want to know more about choosing potassium supplements, ask your pharmacist, you have the right to know!
Ellen Campbell Grizzle, President of the Caribbean Association of Pharmacists (CAP) and Director, Information & Research, National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA), Kingston, Jamaica.
