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Eat an alkaline based diet. Eat more green vegetables and cut out sugar, starches, and processed food. This also means artificial sweeteners. It will take several months for your body chemistry to become more alkaline but you'll be healthier. Stop taking the potassium citrate if you're having a reaction. Have your blood tested to see if you are deficient in potassium. You may not need it.
Extreme thirst and increased urination has been linked to diabetes. It may be caused by your high intake of potassium. Get your lab work done before you start putting supplements in your body. If you don't need something, it can be very dangerous to take them.
I hope you didn't imply that high intake of potassium would cause diabetes... maybe it's the wording of the first 2 sentences in your last paragraph that confused me...
The one relationship I've always seen between potassium and blood sugar disorders is that it tends to drop. I did a search and found this forum for nurses which addresses that: help! Besides insulin, why is potassium given to lower blood glucose? - Medical-Surgical Nursing The posts by EricJRN explain why. So in my modest opinion the "extreme thirst and increased urination" may be due to either insufficient water or sodium intake; this last one can happen to people who choose to not use salt in their foods, have reduced it, and/or work or play sports outside and those who perspire a lot (and that now it's summer it would make a lot of sense...).
Testing for potassium may not always be accurate as even the posts in that forum imply. Moreover, imbalance of magnesium and potassium are common in people with thyroid problems and/or hypoglycemia (both of which I have), so in self-treating I've gone by my symptoms and the fact that I really like my salt, and too much sodium will also push potassium out of the cells.
Thank you asking that. No, I did not mean for it to sound as the potassium could lead to diabetes. After re-reading my statement, I can see how it would. My apologies. What I should have said is that excessive thirst and frequent urination are symptoms attributed to diabetes. However, the symptoms could be due to the potassium intake or something else, altogether different. Without a doctor fully evaluating blood work, you really don't know. I'd like to say that if anyone is experiencing those symptoms, it's advised to see a physician, have some lab work done to see just where the glucose, electrolytes, thyroid, lipids, Etc. There are so many things it could be. Don't try and guess what it might be. Find out. A blood workup will give you a pretty good idea. Don't take the words of someone online as concrete. Every human body is different with different chemistry. What is good for one person, isn't always good for another.
I researched potassium carefully before deciding to supplement and have been doing it for quite a few years without any adverse effects that I know of, actually, to the contrary, when I don't take it I get numbness in my hands/wrists when sleeping, which causes me to wake up and not be able to go back to sleep. I also can get so run down and nauseous that I've had to go back to bed, and have had to take my modest dosage of potassium twice, so I really believe I am on the right track. As you can see here in hypoglycemia potassium is lost from the cells: Hypoglycemic Health Association of Australia - What is Hypoglycemia
This thread is really long and I'm not going to read past page three. So far it's sort of a distillation of everything else online. Here's my story. I refuse to take a daily prescription med like allopurinol. Too many side effects. Life is too short to stop eating meat, mushrooms, tomatoes, shellfish and everything else that tastes good. I've tried all the home remedies and toughed out episodes with no medication to see if there's a difference. There isn't. That's the problem with anecdotal evidence. "I took baking soda three times a day and my gout was gone in three days". Who's to say it wouldn't have resolved in that time anyhow?
Colchicine? Really? Directions say to take it until you get diarrhea. I'll pass thanks. The best prescription med I've found is a four day course of oral prednisolone. If you start the pred at the first sign, you can nip it in the bud. If you wait, forget about it. I keep a box in the fridge just in case. My doctor refuses to write me a scrip for any NSAID, and has told me flat out that he opposes ANY use of over the counter NSAIDs like Ibuprofen. Kidney failure isn't pretty and the overuse of Motrin will do it to you.
Two years ago I was suffering monthly gout-bouts. In between sessions, I happened to be reading about Curcumin, the extract of the Turmeric spice. It's a powerful anti-inflammatory that is being investigated for it's positive effects on a number of health issues including cancer and arthritis. At that time I was taking daily Ibuprofen for arthritis pain in my upper spine that caused chronic headaches. When my doc found out how much I was taking he came unstuck. Told me I was killing myself.
I decided to put myself on a Curcumin regimen. There was little dosing information available but I have figured out my own dosage over time. I take an extract that also contains black pepper extract to increase absorption. Curcumin by itself is poorly absorbed. I also take 3 grams of vitamin C a day.
I stopped taking Ibuprofen cold turkey and toughed out the headaches. After about three weeks on the Curcumin regimen my headaches were virtually gone. Neck stiffness was greatly relieved. Functionally, I no longer have gout. I went from monthly episodes two years ago to having had 2 mild episodes in the last two years. Interestingly, both episodes happened when I failed to re-order my curcumin supply and went a week or ten days without it. I nipped those with Prednisolone. Now I have it on auto order with Amazon.
Obviously this is anecdotal evidence. There's no science. But it works for me and works well. I drink as much beer as I want and am not afraid of big, rare salty steaks. YMMV
Just wanted to add that gout patients who take diuretics for high blood pressure should look into alternatives, since 'water pills' can raise uric acid levels. I've also read that other common treatments such as niacin and baby aspirin may do this as well.
Lastly, I applaud all of the people on this forum for sharing natural treatments. In the past, I've suffered from terrible pain from degenerative discs ( a form of arthritis) in my back. I also suffered from some generalized aches in my body. An allopathic doc could only advise anti-inflammatory drugs and physical therapy which did nothing for me long term. I began a regimen of 2,000- 4,000 mgs of MSM (natural sulfur), 2,000 mgs of fish oil, 500 mgs of curcumen and 400 mgs of magnesium. This formula has completely eliminated pain and inflammation. I believe that the MSM, in particular has been nothing short of a miracle. This may work for gout patients, as well.
Thanks, LaylaM. I've also heard from others about the benefits of MSM. Good to know it has worked for you. I really think that there are people who lack certain nutrients in their body and have found great improvement when they supplement them. The thing is, and I've said this before, no two people have the same body chemistry. Of course, we can inherit certain health issues from our family but it's really important to find out what a person can take safely before heading into a full-blown regimen of supplements.
As for gout, I inherited this from my father's side of the family. I have found great relief from eating dark cherries, drinking (occasionally) red tart cherry juice (without sugar) and taking a concentrated capsule of tart cherry extract.
About your comment regarding diuretics. I have to agree with you about them raising uric acid levels ... at least, in my case. It was a particular drug that elevated my uric acid in the first place and set me off with gout flare ups. Since I stopped that medication and began using tart cherry, I haven't had any gout attacks. The great thing about tart cherry is that there are no side effects, unless a person is allergic to cherries. That is something a person should know before eating or taking anything suggested as a natural cure.
FWIW, I am completely off of my Allopurinol meds...I was at 500mg/day.
What am I doing? Every morning before brushing my teeth I drink about 4oz of pure lemon juice followed by 8oz water, then I brush my teeth and get ready for the day.
It turns out that lemon juice while being acidic actually turns alkaline in your system.
I also eat 2-3 kiwis everyday and generous amounts of broccoli and brussel sprouts and many other foods on the alkaline end of the spectrum.
If a person has gout it is very important that the person actually get to the reason for the gout instead of simply covering up the symptom.
Most people think that gout is simply diet related, but this is not the case. Various factors contribute to gout issues including cancer, hypothyroidism, liver or kidney problems, dehydration, certain pharmaceutical drugs, hemolytic anemia, intake of caffeine or high fructose corn syrup, etc. If people simply try to deal with the symptoms they could end up in more trouble in the long run by overlooking potentially life threatening reasons for the gout such as cancer or hemolytic anemia.
That being said, if the cause is known here are some things that can be done to help lower uric acid levels.
-Drink more water. Not coffee, tea, juice, or whatever. I mean water.
-Avoid alcohol. Alcohols all inhibit uric acid secretion and some such as beer increase uric acid production.
-Check your medications to make sure these do not have side effects of elevating uric acid.
-Avoid foods high in purines including meats, yeasts and seaweeds.
-Avoid high fructose corn syrup containing products since it will increase uric acid levels.
-Tart cherry juice is an old time remedy for getting rid of gout. The active component in tart cherry juice is malic acid, which dissolves uric acid. I prefer magnesium malate as a malic acid source. The tart cherry juice does also contain anti-inflammatory anthocyanins.
-Celery juice and seed also decrease uric acid levels.
-Nettle leaf is great for reducing uric acid and supporting the thyroid, liver and kidneys. Nettle leaf also supports the adrenal glands, which produce the body's anti-inflammatory corticosteroids.
-Juniper berry stimulates the excretion of uric acid. Make sure to have a little something in your stomach since juniper berries also drop blood sugar like crazy. And DO NOT pick your own unless you know what you are doing. Some species are poisonous.
-Avoid all nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which include aspirin, ibuprofen, celecoxib, naprosyn, etc. NSAIDs can lead to liver or kidney damage. This is not just from long term use or overdose. Liver or kidney failure have been reported numerous times even with a single, recommended dose in some people.
-Heat can help dissolve uric acid by making it more soluble. Heating pads or hot water soaks are good ways to apply heat to affected areas.
-Some people will ingest baking soda, which works by providing sodium that converts the uric acid to the more soluble sodium urate. But ingesting baking soda can lead to numerous other health problems in the long run. A better choice would be potassium gluconate supplementation, which forms potassium urate that is more soluble than sodium urate. And the potassium will not dangerously neutralize stomach acid the way sodium bicarbonate will.
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I really think that there are people who lack certain nutrients in their body and have found great improvement when they supplement them. The thing is, and I've said this before, no two people have the same body chemistry. Of course, we can inherit certain health issues from our family but it's really important to find out what a person can take safely before heading into a full-blown regimen of supplements. 
