HIGH POTASSIUM
Potassium is needed for the heart to beat normally. When the kidneys are weak, or with some of the very medicines that protect them, it can build up in the blood. Too much potassium can upset the heart rhythm without any warning.
We check it 24 hours a day in our laboratory, with an ECG in the same building, and stock the potassium binder Gimliand at Caspian Pharmacy.
| Blood potassium (mmol/L) | What it means |
|---|---|
| 3.5 to 5.0 | Normal. Your report may show a slightly different range for that laboratory |
| 5.1 to 5.9 | Raised. Needs a repeat test and a review of medicines and diet, usually within days |
| 6.0 or more | High. Needs an ECG and treatment the same day |
A potassium can read falsely high if the blood sample was shaken, delayed or taken with a tight tourniquet. A single unexpected high result is often repeated before anything is changed.
For years the usual answer to a high potassium was to stop the kidney-protecting medicine. The potassium came down, but the protection was lost, and the kidneys and heart did worse.
Today the aim is different: bring the potassium down and keep you on the medicines that protect you. A potassium binder is one of the ways to do that, along with diet changes and adjusting other medicines.
Gimliand is Sun Pharma's brand of sodium zirconium cyclosilicate. It is the same medicine as Lokelma, which is made by AstraZeneca and sold by both companies in India under these two names.
It is a powder that stays in the gut and is not absorbed into the blood. It traps potassium in the bowel, which then leaves the body in the stool.
It starts lowering potassium within hours. It is not an emergency treatment: a dangerously high potassium needs hospital treatment first.
Adults with a high potassium, including people who need to stay on kidney or heart medicines that raise it. It is prescription only. Your doctor decides the dose and how long you take it.
Stocked at Caspian Pharmacy, open 24 hours, in the same building. For the price, call the pharmacy on +91 85198 41154.
Tell your doctor before starting it if you have severe constipation or a blocked bowel, or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Many healthy foods are high in potassium, such as coconut water, bananas, oranges, dry fruits, tomatoes, potatoes and dals. If your potassium is high, you do not need to give them all up. You need the right portions, and some simple cooking methods that remove part of the potassium from vegetables. Our nutritionists plan this with you, built on what you already eat.
Call 108 or come in straight away if you have:
We can do an ECG and a potassium test at any hour. A potassium high enough to need urgent dialysis is transferred to a hospital with an ICU and dialysis.
Bring your latest potassium and kidney reports, the old ones too so we can see the trend, and the list of every medicine you take.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Khizer Hussain Junaidy, Diabetologist & Bariatric Physician, Telangana State Medical Council 04937. Last reviewed 11 October 2026. General information for patients of Caspian Healthcare: your own doctor's advice comes first.