| Medication Class | Examples of Common Drugs |
|---|---|
| Diuretics | Acetazolamide Bumetanide Chlorthalidone Ethacrynic acid Furosemide Indapamide Metolazone Thiazides Torsemide |
| Insulin | High dose (overdose) |
| Mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids | Hydrocortisone† Fludrocortisone Prednisone† |
What is the most common cause of hypokalemia?
Low potassium (hypokalemia) has many causes. The most common cause is excessive potassium loss in urine due to prescription medications that increase urination. Also known as water pills or diuretics, these types of medications are often prescribed for people who have high blood pressure or heart disease.
What drugs cause hyperkalemia?
Some of the common drugs that cause hyperkalemia are as follows: Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) - ramipril, enalapril, lisinopril. Angiotensin receptor blockers - losartan, irbesartan telmisartan, candesartan, olmesartan. Potassium-sparing diuretics - spironolactone.
What are 3 causes of hypokalemia?
Hypokalemia is often caused by an excessive loss of potassium in your digestive tract due to vomiting, diarrhea or laxative use. Other causes include certain medications and some adrenal and genetic conditions.
Which 2 drugs can cause fatal hyperkalemia?
II. Causes: Medications Causing HyperkalemiaDigoxin (esp. digoxin Poisoning)Succinylcholine.Aminocaproic acid.Cyclosporine.Tacrolimus.
Can beta-blockers cause hypokalemia?
Some beta-adrenergic blockers (called “nonselective” beta blockers) decrease the uptake of potassium from the blood into the cells, leading to excess potassium in the blood, a potentially dangerous condition known as hyperkalemia.
Which class of drugs is most likely to cause hyperkalemia?
The antihypertensive medication class most strongly associated with hyperkalemia was angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.
Does dehydration cause hypokalemia?
Hypokalaemia can happen if someone becomes dehydrated. Some medications can cause the body to lose potassium, such as diuretics (fluid tablets). You are at risk of developing low potassium levels if you: have vomiting or diarrhoea.
What are the early signs of hypokalemia?
Common signs and symptoms of potassium deficiency include weakness and fatigue, muscle cramps, muscle aches and stiffness, tingles and numbness, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, digestive symptoms, and changes in blood pressure.
What are the seven signs of low potassium?
What Are Symptoms of Low Potassium?Weakness, tiredness, or cramping in arm or leg muscles, sometimes severe enough to cause inability to move arms or legs due to weakness (much like a paralysis)Tingling or numbness.Nausea or vomiting.Abdominal cramping, bloating.Constipation.More items...
Which drug is contraindicated in a patient with hyperkalemia?
Discontinue potassium-sparing diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), and other drugs that inhibit renal potassium excretion.
Do beta-blockers cause high potassium?
Beta blockers, ACE inhibitors can elevate potassium levels.
Why do steroids cause hypokalemia?
Mineralocorticoid excess due to the anabolic steroid use may have led to the potassium loss along with a high carbohydrate/hypercaloric load which led to an influx of intracellular potassium through the effect of insulin which led to his profound hypokalemia.
What is the most common cause of hyperkalemia?
The most common cause of genuinely high potassium (hyperkalemia) is related to your kidneys, such as: Acute kidney failure. Chronic kidney disease.
Which drug is contraindicated in a patient with hyperkalemia?
Discontinue potassium-sparing diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), and other drugs that inhibit renal potassium excretion.
Does beta-blockers cause hyperkalemia?
Beta-blockers, when used in patients with comorbidities such as renal dysfunction or insulin insufficiency, can potentially cause hyperkalemia. As demonstrated in this case report, hyperkalemia can occur in patients treated with cardio-selective beta-blockers with concurrent risk factors.
Do beta-blockers cause high potassium?
Beta blockers, ACE inhibitors can elevate potassium levels.
What are electrolytes?
Electrolytes like potassium are minerals that circulate throughout your body, maintaining the overall balance of fluids in your bloodstream and cells, and helping with the electrical conduction required for muscle contractions (including heart muscle contractions). Major electrolytes in the body include sodium, calcium, and potassium.
What are symptoms of high potassium levels?
The scary truth is high potassium levels (over 5.5) can cause life-threatening cardiac arrest (when your heart stops beating) with no specific warning signs. General symptoms of hyperkalemia include confusion, muscle cramps, and weakness.
Which medications can lower potassium levels?
Diuretics. Diuretics like furosemide, bumetanide, hydrochlorothiazide, and chlorthalidone are the main medication-related cause of low potassium levels. These medications are commonly used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure, and lower extremity swelling.
Which medications can raise potassium levels?
ARBs (angiotensin II receptor blockers). ARB medications including losartan, telmisartan, valsartan, and irbesartan may raise your potassium levels. These medications are used to treat high blood pressure, but can cause your kidneys to retain potassium instead of letting it flow out with your urine.
Why does potassium drop in urine?
Low potassium (hypokalemia) has many causes. The most common cause is excessive potassium loss in urine due to prescription medications that increase urination. Also known as water pills or diuretics, these types of medications are often prescribed for people who have high blood pressure or heart disease. Vomiting, diarrhea or both also can result ...
Why does potassium lose?
Causes of potassium loss include: Alcohol use (excessive) Chronic kidney disease. Diabetic ketoacidosis.
What is hypokalemia?
Hypokalemia is a low level of potassium in your blood. Potassium helps control how your muscles, heart, and digestive system work. Hypokalemia occurs when your body loses too much potassium or does not absorb enough from food.
How is hypokalemia diagnosed?
An EKG test records your heart rhythm and how fast your heart beats. It is used to check for an irregular heartbeat.
How do you know if you have hypokalemia?
You may have any of the following if it is more severe: Fatigue. Constipation. Frequent urination or urinating large amounts. Muscle cramps or skin tingling. Muscle weakness. Fast or irregular heartbeat.
What foods are high in potassium?
Foods that are high in potassium include bananas, oranges, tomatoes, potatoes, and avocado. Pinto beans, turkey, salmon, lean beef, yogurt, and milk are also high in potassium. Ask your healthcare provider or dietitian for more information about foods that are high in potassium.
What causes hypokalemia in young adults?
Young patients who present with recurrent weakness and hypokalemia can be due to hypoka-lemic periodic paralysis (HPP) due to mutations of ion chan-nels in the muscle sarcolemma.1 HPP includes thyrotoxic periodic paralysis that is associated with hyperthyroidism, familial periodic paralysis and sporadic periodic paralysis that is not associated with family history or thyrotoxicosis. Drugs that promote transcellular shift of potassium include β2-agonists, nasal decongestants and insulin.2 Muscle weak-ness due to hypokalemia can also occur after profuse diar-rhea, excessive vomiting, apparent mineralocorticoid excess due to licorice ingestion.1,3 Cocaine and heroin are widely abused substances. Cocaine can affect multiple organ systems and may cause cardiac arrhythmias, seizures and intense sympathetic stimula-tion causing tachycardia, hypertension, dilated pupils, and increased psychomotor activity.4,5 Increased sympathetic stimulation leads to increased sodium-potassium ATPase activity that causes an increased shift of potassium into intracellular space resulting in hypokalemia.2 Cocaine’s potential effect on potassium channels has also been sought as alternate mechanism. Various case reports have shown that cocaine use can result in hypokalemia and muscle weakness.6-8 Patients with potassium level between 3.0-3.5 mEq/L are often asymptomatic but patients with potassium level below 3.0mEq/L can present with malaise, muscular weakness, restless leg syndrome and myalgia.9 When potas-sium level is lower than 2mEq/L, frank rhabdomyolysis can occur with markedly elevated serum creatinine kinase and myoglobinuria.9 Rhabdomyolysis has been reported to occur with cocaine and may lead to renal failure. Transient weak-ness with elevated creatinine kinase following use of cocaine in the absence of hypokalemia has also been reported with postulated mechanisms.8,10-13 Cocaine can block transient inward flux of sodium across the cell membrane during the depolarization, increasing intracellular calcium, resulting in
What happens when you have low potassium?
Low plasma potassium level can cause muscle weakness, lassitude, constipation as well as rhabdomyolysis and arrhythmias, when severe. In muscle, low plasma po-tassium increases resting membrane potential (hyperpo-larization) of myocytes that tend to make muscle more refractory to excitation, leading to muscle weakness. Hy-pokalemia can be associated with a myriad of causes in-cluding drugs of abuse. We present a case of hypokalemia and muscle weakness following use of cocaine and heroin.
