Potassium supplements symptoms and conditions

I have been on Lisinopril 2.5mg for HBP for a few months now. Not thinking it had anything to do with anything, I started to develop severe muscle and joint pain in my hips all the way down to my feet. I was starting to think I had arthritis or RLS. The pain is really bad and I have taken ibuprofen and used muscle rubs without success. I went on vacation for a week and accidentally forgot to pack the med. Well I had no problems until when I came back and started back on it. The pain has gotten so severe that I called my MD. She recommended I stop taking it and see her in a week. I even ordered a tens unit and started taking potassium supplements. I see on some posts not to take the potassium so I will set that aside for now. As for the coughing, I am a smoker and cough and hack my brains out anyway. So I can't really say its making me cough. This pain though has kept me up at night and I toss and turn because of the pain. I hope now that I stopped taking the med these pains will subside soon.

July 8, 2009
I took Lisinopril for 2 months and began noticing soreness and stiffness cramping in my legs. Joint pain and general muscle weakness. Biggest indicator was my inability to ride road bikes (bicycle) nearly as much as normal. I did not have the muscle strength or stamina to ride like before. On one ride I had such sever cramping I had to get pick up, first time in 18 yrs of bicycling. It also states to not use sodium or potassium supplement while on this medicine, which I was doing for cramping. Also because I was borderline hypertension I did not notice any decrease in BP while on this. I have stopped taking this medicine. nn

I'm 57, female and have been taking Lisinopril since July. The cough appeared quickly, then the fatigue. Now I am experiencing the joint pain mainly in my fingers, shoulders, knees and toes. Occasionally I get shortness of breath and the fluttery heart palpitations . My blood pressure is way down though and I've been feeling more light headedness lately. I'm going for a follow up with the doctor and will discuss these symptoms with him and see what he says. My dosage is 12.5mg.

Took it for 7 days (of a 14-day course) and after 4 days I was getting weaker and weaker, and developing pain and stiffness in my muscles and joints. I started sleeping excessively and felt that all of the life had been drained from me. I finally went to the doctor, and he said he'd never heard of these side-effects from Levaquin. He told me to stop the medication, which I already had, and said maybe I had PMS??? I am gradually getting better, but think I might need to take potassium supplements for a while, since I believe that the Levaquin caused low potassium - if you read the leaflet that comes with the med, you'll see that one of the warnings relates to taking Levaquin if you have a history of low potassium. I won't take this antibiotic again.

the mood swing side effect is very real. I'm currently taking a very small dose of prozac to counteract it. it doesn't effect everyone that way, and from what I understand, it can be just a temporary side effect due to the titration. once you stablize on a dose, it should lessen I'm told. after I nearly bit the head off a produce guy at nearby market for no reason at all, I knew I didn't want to wait and see, lol.

i've been on it for about 10 months now and i've had plummeting potassium levels, so much so the doc prescribed prescription potassium supplements and a excellent quality multivitamin plus minerals. that seems to be doing the trick.

I am showing hair loss and extreme weight loss too (so far over 30lbs), problems with gums. I can treat the gum problem with biotene, but the hair loss is a problem and the weight loss, well, i can stand to lose a few lbs.

I also have night sweats which are just weird and have problems with body temperature regulation.

all this on a whopping 45 mg a day!

still, I love my topamax. it's the only thing that's eliminated most of my every other day migraines.

Okay, so I think I may have stumbled on something more.....for all of you out there who have expeirenced the irregular heart rhythms....here's more on what I found in research about potassium. I learned that this was one of the greatest risks of Yasmin...but had no idea I was at 5.7 in blood tests just confirmed this morning after 3 months of being off of Yasmin and just last Dec. 2005-it was 4.7? So now, I am starting to wonder if my Adrenal Glands may not be doing their job as noted below to the release of adolsterone?

Why is the Test Performed?

Potassium (K+) is the major positive ion within cells and is particularly important for maintaining the electric charge on the cell membrane. This charge allows nerves and muscles to communicate and is necessary for transporting nutrients into cells and waste products out of the cell. The concentration of potassium inside cells is about 30 times that in the blood and other fluids outside of cells.

Potassium levels are mainly controlled by the steroid hormone aldosterone. (For more information see the aldosterone test.) Aldosterone is secreted from the adrenal gland when levels of potassium increase. Aldosterone, in turn, causes the body to rid itself of the excess potassium.

Metabolic acidosis (for example, caused by uncontrolled diabetes) or alkalosis (for example, caused by excess vomiting) can affect blood potassium.

Small changes in the potassium concentration outside cells can have substantial effects on the activity of nerves and muscles. This is particularly true of heart muscle. Low levels of potassium cause increased activity (which can lead to an irregular heartbeat), whereas high levels cause decreased activity. Either situation can lead to cardiac arrest in some circumstances.

In normal people, taking potassium supplements or potassium-containing drugs is of no consequences, because the kidneys efficiently dispose of excess potassium.

I've been taking 10mg of Lisinopril since 1/06 just before going to bed. I, too have experienced dizziness and fainting. Many nights when I've awakened to urinate, I've felt like I've been drunk (and I have not had any alcohol). However, last Friday night I woke around 1am extremely dizzy. I fainted after urinating. I've since readjusted my schedule of Lisinopril and am now taking it early in the morning. I'm also taking it with a full glass of water, have STOPPED taking potassium supplements and I am trying to drink more water during the day. I've not had an incident since I've readjusted, but remain concerned about the drug.

I began taking Yasmin 4 years ago, about 7 months after I had my first baby. My ob-gyn suggested Yasmin because of it's ability to prevent water weight gain, and since I had just gained 10 pounds postpartum with Depo-Provera (very scary drugi ndeed!!), I agreed to try Yasmin. I was 30 at the time and had been on BCPs since I was 18, so I didn't think Yasmin would be any different. (Wrong!) Because I was a new mom, I attributed my negative side effects (lethargy, awakening to go pee every night, dark circles under my eyes that prompted people to ask me if I felt ok all the time because I looked worn out, depression, not feeling at all like my normal self, waist/hips/thigh size expanded, hair trigger temper, or crying easily, feeling as though I was in a dazed state or sometimes about to explode, increase in blood pressure, massive hair loss during showering, increased thirst, and problems with severe incapacitating diarrhea along with a resulting weight loss of 10 pounds in less than 2 days, and or vomiting periodically, low potassium levels for which I was prescribed potassium supplements, and anxiety) to motherhood. Unfortunately, I could not find any info on these side effects until recently, so I thought I would just have to live with my problems and hope I would get better. Then, I saw on a website that Yasmin was on a list of drugs that should be banned by the FDA, and I searched for negative side effects, and found this website. That day in March 2006 I threw out my remaining pack of Yasmin, and I'm happy to report 3 months later that I am feeling so much better! I now sleep through the night, my blood pressure has returned to normal. I am anxiety-free. My vomiting /diarrhea has resolved much in part to daily yogurt consumption. But the best part is that I'm no longer angry (bitchy) at everyone and everything and I don't cry like a pregnant woman would. I can concentrate and I don't have spaced out feelings. My hair loss has returned to normal. I recognize the person looking out from a mirror as me now. Last but not least, I have lost 3 inches so far from my waist and 3 pounds of weight. Yay! What is truly scary about this drug is how it effects the kidneys and adrenal glands in a negative manner. I do hope I haven't done any irreversible damage to my organs. Yasmin is toxic and should be banned by the FDA. As someone who works in a medical laboratory setting, I wonder how the drug was approved in the first place. I guess as usual, women don't get the repect of the pharma industry. We have to fight for our rights for safe birth control methods. I am currently using the PG/53 fertility tester as my birth control and so far have been pleased with it. Thanks for allowing me to share my story!

I am a 58 year old male diagnosed with heart failure and afib in Jan 2004. I have been taking a combination of Lipitor, Topral, Hyzaar, Pacerone and Magnesium and Potassium supplements since then. CoQ10 was added by myself since my cardiologist feels it is of little value. My body felt like it had turned to lead and my arms and legs like dead weight. My joints hurt to move. I took myself off the 80mg Lipitor two weeks ago and felt better in 24 hours. I find the Topral causes weight gain and I am a tall big fellow, but 80lbs in two years while eating like a rabbit is too much.