Food and medication
Potassium and medication
Some medicines make your body hold on to potassium. Too much can affect the heart, so very high-potassium foods and salt substitutes need care. Ordinary portions are usually fine unless you have been told otherwise.
2 medicines on our checker are affected. Tap a medicine for every food and drink that matters with it.
Take care potassium with these medicines
- ACE inhibitors · ramipril, lisinopril, perindopril
ACE inhibitors raise potassium. Normal portions are usually fine; avoid salt substitutes and very large amounts.
- Spironolactone · aldactone, potassium-sparing diuretic
Spironolactone makes your body hold on to potassium. Normal portions are usually fine; avoid salt substitutes and very large amounts.
Foods and drinks that count as potassium
- Bananas
- Potatoes
- Chips
- Sweet potato
- Tomatoes
- Dried apricots
- Raisins
- Dates
- Dried figs
- Avocado
- Spinach
- Beans
- Lentils
- Chickpeas
- Coconut water
- Yoghurt
- Milk
- Salmon
- Mushrooms
- Melon
- Nuts
- Chocolate
- Beetroot
- Butternut squash
- Parsnips
- Kiwi fruit
- Orange juice
- Pomegranate juice
- Salt substitutes
- Potassium supplements
- Plantain
- Yam
- Fresh apricots
- Prune juice
- Tomato juice
- Black treacle
- Dried fruit
- Soya beans
- Pumpkin seeds
- Brussels sprouts
- Jerusalem artichoke
Common questions
- Which medicines does potassium affect?
- 2 medicines on our checker: ACE inhibitors (take care), Spironolactone (take care).
- Which foods count as potassium?
- Bananas, Potatoes, Chips, Sweet potato, Tomatoes, Dried apricots, Raisins, Dates, Dried figs, Avocado, Spinach, Beans, Lentils, Chickpeas, Coconut water, Yoghurt, Milk, Salmon, Mushrooms, Melon, Nuts, Chocolate, Beetroot, Butternut squash, Parsnips, Kiwi fruit, Orange juice, Pomegranate juice, Salt substitutes, Potassium supplements, Plantain, Yam, Fresh apricots, Prune juice, Tomato juice, Black treacle, Dried fruit, Soya beans, Pumpkin seeds, Brussels sprouts, Jerusalem artichoke.
General information from NHS medicine pages and drug labels, not medical advice. Always follow your prescriber, pharmacist or the leaflet with your medicine. How we check.