What Drugs Can Cause High Potassium Levels?

Which medications can raise potassium levels?

• ARBs (angiotensin II receptor blockers).
• ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitors.
• Spironolactone.
• NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).
• Cyclosporine and tacrolimus.
• Heparin.
• Propranolol and labetalol.

What is the main cause of high potassium?

The leading causes of hyperkalemia are chronic kidney disease, uncontrolled diabetes, dehydration, an injury causing severe bleeding, consuming excessive dietary potassium, and some medications.

What can cause falsely elevated potassium levels?

Falsely Elevated K (Pseudohyperkalemia)
Pseudohyperkalemia from in vitro hemolysis is the most common cause of falsely elevated potassium, and it is most often caused by pressure gradients created during draws, often with a syringe or from an indwelling catheter.

What should I do if my potassium is high?

Emergency treatment may include:

1. Calcium given into your veins (IV) to treat the muscle and heart effects of high potassium levels.
2. Glucose and insulin given into your veins (IV) to help lower potassium levels long enough to correct the cause.
3. Kidney dialysis if your kidney function is poor.

What does high potassium indicate?

Hyperkalemia occurs when potassium levels in your blood get too high. Potassium is an essential nutrient found in foods. This nutrient helps your nerves and muscles function. But too much potassium in your blood can damage your heart and cause a heart attack.

When should I be concerned about high potassium levels?

If hyperkalemia comes on suddenly and you have very high levels of potassium, you may feel heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, or vomiting. Sudden or severe hyperkalemia is a life-threatening condition. It requires immediate medical care.

How can I lower my potassium level?

Home remedies for reducing potassium

1. Reduce your potassium intake. One of the easiest ways to lower your potassium levels naturally is to reduce the amount of potassium in your diet.
2. Check your salt substitutes. Some salt substitutes are also high in potassium.
3. Drink more water.
4. Avoid certain herbs.

Can high potassium be a lab error?

Errors in potassium measurement can cause pseudohyperkalemia, where serum potassium is falsely elevated. Usually, these are recognized either by the laboratory or the clinician. However, the same factors that cause pseudohyperkalemia can mask hypokalemia by pushing measured values into the reference interval.

Can stress raise potassium levels?

Studies have found that anxiety increases adrenal hormones, which can decrease blood potassium [17]. Avoid or manage stress.

Can blood pressure medication increase potassium levels?

Some medications used to treat high blood pressure may also increase your potassium level. They include angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) and renin inhibitors.

Can dehydration cause high potassium?

The body becomes dehydrated when it loses more fluids than it consumes. When the body doesn’t have enough fluids, it can’t process potassium properly, and potassium builds up in the blood, which can lead to hyperkalemia. Symptoms of dehydration include excessive thirst, less frequent urination, and darker urine.

What medications reduce potassium?

Some medications lower potassium slowly, including:

• Water pills (diuretics), which rid the body of extra fluids and remove potassium through urine.
• Sodium bicarbonate, which temporarily shifts potassium into body cells.
• Albuterol, which raises blood insulin levels and shifts potassium into body cells.

Are eggs high in potassium?

One large egg contains about 63 mg of potassium. 1 Eggs are considered a low-potassium food, but check with your doctor or dietitian to find out how often you should eat them.

Can vitamin D raise potassium levels?

Vitamin D₃ tended to increase retention of both potassium and sodium in the body.

Does acetaminophen affect potassium levels?

Conclusions: Acetaminophen appears to cause a concentration-dependent reduction of potassium concentrations and an elevation of creatinine concentrations of short duration (<24 h) after overdose.

Does potassium affect sleep?

Potassium significantly increased actigraphic Sleep Efficiency (p less than 0.05) due to a reduction in actigraphic Wake after Sleep Onset (WASO) (p less than 0.05). No effect of potassium on actigraphic sleep phase was observed. Side effects were minimal and not significantly different between treatment conditions.

Can high potassium levels cause anxiety?

And, again, kidney dysfunction can elevate potassium levels as well. As for your symptoms, it’s possible that the high potassium levels led to an abnormal heart rhythm, which in turn led to panic.