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On Potassium Citrate. Is It Safe To Take?

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Posted on Wed, 28 Aug 2013
Question: Hi how are you? I'm on potassium citrate 99 mg tablets per day and I take them everyday. A doctor on this Site recommended that I take no more than three of them per day but on their container it says take 1-5 tablets daily. Doesn't thatmean that I can take upto five of them safely per day? Thanks bye
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Answered by Dr. Shehzad Topiwala (5 days later)
First you need to be sure as to why exactly you are taking potassium citrate. In modern allopathic medicine there are only a few conditions that require an individual to necessarily take potassium supplements. Otherwise, such supplementation can cause problems such as a dangerously high blood potassium level. The human body regulates it's potassium balance very well in normal health.

So for example, people who are on diuretics ('water pills'), may need potassium supplements as water pills can cause potassium loss in the urine.

Then those who have kidney stones, may be advised by their doctors to take potassium citrate to increase the citrate levels in the urine. This helps prevent stone formation.

Then there are other less common disorders that result in potassium loss. Affected individuals take potassium in some form such as potassium chloride.

So to answer your question, I would not recommend simply taking potassium citrate without a valid medical reason, as it is unsafe to do so



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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Shehzad Topiwala

Endocrinologist

Practicing since :2001

Answered : 1663 Questions

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On Potassium Citrate. Is It Safe To Take?

First you need to be sure as to why exactly you are taking potassium citrate. In modern allopathic medicine there are only a few conditions that require an individual to necessarily take potassium supplements. Otherwise, such supplementation can cause problems such as a dangerously high blood potassium level. The human body regulates it's potassium balance very well in normal health.

So for example, people who are on diuretics ('water pills'), may need potassium supplements as water pills can cause potassium loss in the urine.

Then those who have kidney stones, may be advised by their doctors to take potassium citrate to increase the citrate levels in the urine. This helps prevent stone formation.

Then there are other less common disorders that result in potassium loss. Affected individuals take potassium in some form such as potassium chloride.

So to answer your question, I would not recommend simply taking potassium citrate without a valid medical reason, as it is unsafe to do so