This is an educational list of interactions tied to a public source. It is not a complete medication review and it is not medical advice. Ask a pharmacist, or the clinician who prescribes the medicine, before you start, stop, or change a supplement. A pair that is missing here is not a safety clearance. SupplementScore takes no ads, sponsorships, or affiliate income. How this site is funded.
Blood pressure medicines are not one group. A potassium pill that is reasonable with a water pill that wastes potassium can be dangerous with a medicine that holds potassium in. Licorice root is a separate problem for people who already have high blood pressure.
Do not stop a potassium prescription because it appears on this page. Some people are told to take potassium. The warning is about adding it on your own.
Names people search: Lisinopril, losartan, amlodipine, metoprolol, hydrochlorothiazide, furosemide, spironolactone
Ask before you combine
Ask before you combine
Potassium supplements can raise potassium too high with ACE inhibitors and ARBs
NIH ODS says ACE inhibitors (such as benazepril) and ARBs (such as losartan) reduce how much potassium the kidneys spill into the urine, which can lead to hyperkalemia, a high blood potassium. Experts recommend checking potassium in people on these drugs, especially if the kidneys are not working well. In people who cannot clear potassium normally, even a modest potassium intake can be too much. Do not add a potassium pill or a potassium salt substitute unless the prescriber told you to.
Potassium-sparing diuretics plus a potassium pill can cause hyperkalemia
NIH ODS says potassium-sparing diuretics such as spironolactone and amiloride reduce potassium loss in urine and can themselves cause hyperkalemia. Adding a potassium supplement on top raises that risk further, especially if kidney function is reduced. Some people are prescribed a carefully watched dose. Starting one from a bottle, without that plan, is the problem.
Licorice root can be dangerous if you already have high blood pressure
NCCIH says glycyrrhizin in licorice root can cause serious effects, including irregular heartbeat, especially in large amounts or with long-term use. Even small amounts have been linked to severe effects in people with high blood pressure, heart disease, or kidney disease, and in people who eat a lot of salt. Oral products with the glycyrrhizin removed (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) are discussed separately and are not given this warning. Tell the prescriber before you use licorice root.
Some water pills waste potassium, and a supplement is sometimes prescribed
NIH ODS says loop diuretics such as furosemide and thiazide diuretics such as hydrochlorothiazide increase potassium loss in urine and can cause low potassium. Experts recommend checking potassium and starting a supplement if it is needed. This flag is the opposite of a "stop" warning. It is a reason to ask whether your level has been checked, not a reason to start potassium because a website suggested it.
NIH ODS says some medicines, including diuretics, can affect magnesium status. That is a reason to ask whether a level should be checked. It is not an order to start or stop a magnesium pill on your own, and it is not evidence that magnesium "cancels" the blood pressure medicine.