low potassium

So last week after calling my GI about upper abdominal bloating and a twitching feeling around my belly button his PA prescribed Entocourt thinking that I was flaring. I've been taking the Entocourt 3x a day since last Thursday. On Tuesday I had my annual bloodwork and found out I was once gain low on potassium. Thinking back two years ago after a colonoscopy I had the stomach twitching and was worried it was an aneurysm which was ruled out by a CT scan. I did find out I was low on potassium at that time too. I have an appointment with GP next week to discuss medicines, but I also have a call into my GI to see if I still need to take the Entocort. I haven't seen much improvement in a week and the bloating and twitching seem to be most noticeable in the evenings and overnight. I am extremely tired and don't know if it is from the low Potassium or the Entocort. Any ideas?

Also I am just reading about how it might not be such a great thing to be on a PPI long term. I think I've been on Prilosec for almost 15 years. Could this be causing some of the upper GI problems? I've read that it is very difficult to quit the PPI's. Any one successful at doing this and how did you do it? I'd asked my GI about it previously but he didn't seem to think long term use was a problem. I'm just getting so tired of medicines and I think I'm getting quite depressed about the whole thing.

Your low potassium is most likely caused by diarrhea.

Entocort isn't very effective for UC, do you have Crohn's?

Ugh, sorry Sue. Yes, this and all of the meds are so tiresome..helps one thing, hurts something else. If you are looking for weaning off PPI advice (not saying if you should or shouldn't) but there is a lot of advice about that on the Gerd/Heartburn forum. You can search it too. I would however be more inclined to think that the low potassium would be from the diuretic.(if medicine related).

Pls continue to keep us posted.
B

Entocort is useless for proctitis. The med does not reach the area of inflammation. Proctitis can be constipating so that does make sense with your symptoms of bloating.

Bellybutton "twitching" is often referred genitourinary pain. Are you well hydrated? Are you having any urinary symptoms (frequency, urgency, trouble going, etc)?

Why are you taking prolisec? I do not think it is good to take that long term. The vitamin and mineral deficiances it causes are not good. The also put yopu at higher risk for a bunch of things including C. diff infection. Azulfidine has a very high rate of adverse reactions involving GI symptoms. These can happen after years of use. I got into a roller coaster 20 years ago of using PPIs and other GERD/heartburn meds where I felt like I just produced more acid to counteract the meds. I weaned off them, quit smoking and lost 60 lbs. Did not have a problem again until I gained weight this past year. I am on prolisec now but won't stay on it for more than a month while I get the weight off. You do need to wean off them after long term use or your symptoms might come back much worse.

Have you been check for H. Pylori if you have gastitus or ulcers? Better to get the root cause than treat a symptom.

I actually got low potassium from night sweats and fever from taking Azulfidine.

Osteoporosis is not a disease of only Asian women. The finer your bones the less bone you can afford to lose. Many Europeans have fine bones and above average rate of bone loss like my mothers side of the family. Calcium deficiency will cause it in anyone if it goes on long enough.

Quincy, I don't have my lab results yet but will get them next week at my GP appointment.

AZY I did have H.Pylori years ago for which I did the triple antibiotic treatment. Right after that it was discovered that my gall bladder was no longer functioning so I had that removed. The following summer was one of hell with diarrhea, nausea, fissures and a trip to the KU medical center. The doctor there recommended a colonoscopy and that's when I received my diagnosis of UC. The doctor at KU put me on Questran which ended the diarrhea and I started on Azulfidine after that. I think I did go off the PPI after about 8 weeks but the upper abdomen distress came back and I was diagnosed with gastritis and put back on them.

Guys, PLEASE!!!!!

Again the number one cause of low potassium in people (when you are taking diuretics) is always diuretics!!!!!!!!!

That's why they make potassium sparing diuretics.....this has nothing to do with the PPI's.......


She has NO diarrhea, the gastric stomach itself does not regulate potassium, we are waaaaay off base here guys.......I know this is a UC board and we are all tying to help, but if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck....

......especially if that duck takes a diuretic......