A friend told Huazi that he suffered from high blood pressure, and after taking antihypertensive drugs for a while, his blood pressure was well controlled, but he always felt that he had no strength in his body, often felt tired and nauseous, and did not know what was wrong with him. Huazi saw that there was hydrochlorothiazide in the antihypertensive drug he used, so he told him that it was best to go to the hospital to check the blood potassium, whether hypokalemia had occurred.
When the blood potassium is below 3.5 mmol/L, it is called hypokalemia and is commonly caused by long-term diuretic medication, excessive dieting, severe vomiting, or diarrhea.
First, low potassium or high potassium will cause big trouble
Biochemical reactions occur in the human body all the time, and it is necessary to rely on the transport of ions with various charges to produce potential differences in order to maintain the normal life activities of cells. In nerves, muscles and other cells, they need to maintain a certain level of potassium ions in order to work properly.
The blood potassium level of the human body is between 3.5 and 5.5mmol/L, which is higher than this range or below this range, which will cause abnormal electrical conduction of nerves and muscles and cause big trouble. For example, in China's lethal injection, when executed, is to inject a large amount of potassium chloride, artificially causing hyperkalemia, causing the heart to stop beating, so that the criminal dies.
Second, long-term use of diuretics is prone to low potassium
Diuretics are commonly used antihypertensive drugs, commonly used hydrochlorothiazide, indapamide and other drugs. By inhibiting the reabsorption of sodium ions and water by the renal tubules, it promotes the excretion of water and sodium, and exerts a hypotensive effect by reducing blood volume and sodium ion levels in the body.
However, in the renal tubules, there is a sodium-potassium exchange mechanism, and when the excretion of sodium ions increases, the excretion of potassium ions will also increase, so when long-term use of diuretics, adverse reactions of hypokalemia may occur.
How hypokalemia occurs:
1, muscle, nervous system: impulse conduction between nerve cells, muscle cell contraction, need potassium ion participation, when the blood potassium level declines, nerve cells, muscle cells activity will decline, there will be fatigue, soft feet symptoms, involving the central nervous system, there may be symptoms such as apathy, drowsiness, sluggishness and so on.
2. Cardiovascular system: cardiomyocytes are very dependent on potassium separation, and when hypokalemia occurs, bradycardia or ventricular premature beats may occur, causing arrhythmias. Insufficient potassium ions will make the pressure increase of sodium ions stronger, resulting in fluctuations in blood pressure.
3. Digestive system: the activity of nerves and smooth muscle cells of the digestive system also requires potassium ions, and when potassium is low, there will be bloating, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, intestinal paralysis and other digestive tract symptoms.
Third, when taking diuretic drugs, beware of potassium deficiency
When taking diuretics for a long time, it is easy to cause the loss of potassium ions and cause hypokalemia, so it is necessary to pay attention to potassium supplementation. Diuretics are not recommended alone, and can be combined with "puly" or "sartan" that has an elevated blood potassium effect, or can be combined with potassium-sparing diuretic spironolactone, which can neutralize the effect on blood potassium while synergistically lowering blood pressure.
Usually you can also eat some foods containing more potassium, such as bananas, grapes, grapefruit and other fruits, potatoes, yams, kelp and other vegetables, as well as lean meat also contains potassium, cooking can use low sodium salt, which use potassium chloride instead of a part of sodium chloride, can supplement potassium ions.
If symptoms of low potassium occur, potassium chloride extended-release tablets can be taken directly for potassium supplementation. For people with normal kidney function, oral potassium supplementation is very safe, and excess potassium will be excreted with urine and will not be excessive. However, people with poor kidney function should limit the intake of potassium to avoid accumulation of high blood potassium.
When taking diuretics, puly drugs, sartans and other drugs that affect potassium ion metabolism for a long time, it is recommended to monitor the blood potassium level every two weeks, adjust your diet according to the blood potassium level, and maintain the stability of blood potassium.
To sum up, people who have been taking diuretic drugs for a long time to reduce blood pressure should beware of hypokalemia if they have symptoms of fatigue, drowsiness, or nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Do a good job of blood potassium monitoring, under the guidance of doctors, drug combination and potassium supplementation are carried out to avoid blood potassium abnormalities. If you have any doubts about medication, please consult a doctor or pharmacist, I am a pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.