NOW Foods, Potassium Gluconate, 99 mg, 100 Tablets

Why Every Brand's Potassium Supplement Says "99mg" — This Isn't a Coincidence

If you've ever noticed that virtually every over-the-counter potassium supplement on the market, regardless of brand, is dosed at exactly 99mg per tablet, there's a genuine reason behind it, not a marketing coincidence: regulatory authorities restrict non-prescription solid oral potassium supplements to no more than 99mg of elemental potassium per dose. This limit exists because higher single doses of solid potassium supplements were historically associated with small bowel lesions in some cases. This is exactly why the label directs you to take 1 tablet up to 5 times daily in separate servings, rather than a larger dose all at once — spreading intake across the day, rather than concentrating it, is the deliberate safety mechanism behind how this entire category of supplement is dosed.

What Potassium Actually Does

Potassium is genuinely essential and widely found in fruits and vegetables, though modern food processing can reduce how much survives in a typical diet. It's critical for maintaining normal whole-body and cellular fluid balance and acid-base balance, and it's necessary for proper muscle contraction, healthy heart function, and the transmission of nerve impulses — a mineral with a direct, fundamental role in how your heart and muscles actually work, which is exactly why supplementing it carries real considerations alongside its benefits.

The Manufacturer's Own Caution, Expanded With Specific Context

NOW Foods' label states: consult a physician if pregnant or nursing, if you're taking any medications — especially those that may affect kidney function or blood potassium levels — or if you have a medical condition, especially a heart or kidney condition, or diabetes. We think it's worth being more specific about what this covers in practice: medications that commonly affect potassium levels include potassium-sparing diuretics (such as spironolactone), ACE inhibitors and ARBs (common blood pressure medications), and certain other heart or kidney-related prescriptions. Combining any of these with a potassium supplement can raise blood potassium to unsafe levels, a condition called hyperkalemia, which can seriously affect heart rhythm. If you're on any medication in these categories, or have any diagnosed heart, kidney, or diabetes-related condition, please don't start this product without your doctor's direct involvement.

A Practical Dosing Note

The label specifically recommends taking this with food and at least 8 oz of water or another beverage, and splitting your intake across separate servings throughout the day rather than taking multiple tablets at once — consistent with the regulatory reasoning behind the 99mg-per-dose limit described above.

A Simple, Vegetarian Formula

This tablet uses cellulose, stearic acid, silica, and magnesium stearate (all vegetable-sourced) — fully vegetarian and vegan, with no animal-derived ingredients.

Ingredient Breakdown

Vegetarian/Vegan. Non-GMO. Not manufactured with wheat, gluten, soy, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nut, or sesame ingredients.

Dosage Chart