Potassium Levels: What You Need to Know About Low and High Potassium

When your body’s potassium levels, a vital electrolyte that helps nerves and muscles work, controls heart rhythm, and balances fluids. Also known as serum potassium, it’s not something you hear about often—until something goes wrong. Too little or too much can sneak up on you, causing fatigue, cramps, irregular heartbeat, or even worse.

Low potassium, called hypokalemia often shows up after heavy sweating, vomiting, or taking diuretics. You might feel weak, notice muscle twitches, or get strange heart palpitations. On the flip side, high potassium, or hyperkalemia, is more dangerous and often tied to kidney problems, certain blood pressure meds, or too many potassium supplements. It doesn’t always cause symptoms—but when it does, it can stop your heart.

What connects these two extremes? Electrolyte imbalance, a disruption in the minerals your body needs to function. It’s not just about potassium alone. Sodium, magnesium, and calcium all play a role. Many of the posts below show how drugs like diuretics, antibiotics, or blood thinners can throw off this balance. Even something as simple as a kidney issue or a change in diet can shift your numbers.

You won’t find a magic number that works for everyone. Normal potassium ranges from 3.5 to 5.0 mmol/L—but what’s safe for one person might be risky for another. If you’re on heart meds, have diabetes, or take NSAIDs regularly, your risk goes up. That’s why routine blood tests matter. And if you’re taking supplements, especially potassium pills, you’re playing with fire unless your doctor is watching you.

What you’ll find here isn’t guesswork. These are real cases: someone who spiked their potassium after eating too many bananas while on ACE inhibitors. Another who collapsed from low potassium after a bad bout of diarrhea and didn’t realize it was the cause. These aren’t rare. They happen every day in clinics and ERs. And they’re preventable—if you know what to look for.

There’s no one-size-fits-all fix. Sometimes it’s a diet tweak. Sometimes it’s stopping a medication. Sometimes it’s fixing the root problem—like kidney disease or hormonal imbalance. The posts below cover exactly that: how drugs interact with your potassium, what foods help or hurt, and what labs your doctor should check when things go off track. No fluff. Just what you need to stay safe and understand what’s really going on inside your body.