Discharge Instructions for Hypokalemia

You have been diagnosed with hypokalemia. This means you have a low level of potassium in your blood. Potassium helps your nerve and muscle cells work as they should. These cells include the cells in your heart. A low level of potassium in the blood can cause serious problems, such as abnormal heart rhythms and even heart attack.

Diet changes

Eat more potassium-rich foods:

• Bananas

• Oranges and orange juice

• Tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato juice

• Leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, kale, salad greens, collards, and chard

• Melons (all kinds)

• Pomegranates

• Peas

• Beans

• Potatoes

• Sweet potatoes

• Avocados, including guacamole

• Vegetable juices, such as V8

• Fruit juices

• All nuts and seeds

• Fish, including tuna, halibut, salmon, cod, snapper, haddock, swordfish, and perch

• Milk, including fat-free, low-fat, whole, chocolate, and buttermilk

• Soy milk

Other home care

• Take a potassium supplement as directed by your healthcare provider.

• After strenuous exercise or any activity that causes you to sweat a lot, grab a beverage high in potassium. This includes chocolate milk, coconut water, orange juice, or low-sodium vegetable juices.

• Be sure to eat foods or drink fluids that contain potassium if you are having diarrhea or vomiting.

• Have your potassium levels checked regularly.

• Take all medicines exactly as directed.

• Tell your healthcare provider about all prescription and over-the-counter medicines you are taking. This includes herbal products.

• Avoid foods that are high in salt. Avoid canned and prepared foods that are high in salt.

Follow-up

• Make a follow-up appointment as directed by our staff.

• Keep all follow-up appointments. Your healthcare provider needs to monitor your condition closely.