Water makes me sick, what should I drink?

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  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    Cold water sometimes makes me queasy, especially first thing in the morning. I'm not sure why but I'm pretty sure it has more to do with temperature than anything. I have reflux so it may be related.

    I generally prefer hot drinks, eg herbal tea, I find that's more comfortable if my stomach is feeling delicate.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Try mixing your water with a packet of gastrolyte. If this works I’d get your electrolyte balance checked. In the meantime drink tea, coffee, milk and diet colas.
  • FlyingMolly
    FlyingMolly Posts: 490 Member
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    SolotoCEO wrote: »
    If it's water that makes you ill - coffee, tea, soda, flavored waters, etc. still are water based and thus would still make you sick. Absolutely seek medical advice on this. In the mean time - eat lots of veggies since they have a high water content.

    This is a good point: how watery can a liquid be before it makes you sick? What needs to be present in it to avoid that reaction?

    I know it’s woo-y, but lately I love maple water. Fewer calories and sugars than coconut water, a very light, refreshing taste, and although no one will tell me what exactly it’s supposed to have in it I find it very restorative. Herbal teas, hot and/or cold, would be a good option as well. I mean, buy a potted verbena plant, steep a few leaves each morning, and drink it all day if that’s something your system will go for. If carbonation solves the problem, you can get a SodaStream and carbonate to your heart’s content with no additives at all...but again, it all kind of hinges on what your body does or does not consider “water.”
  • ThaydraR
    ThaydraR Posts: 3 Member
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    First off - as many others have urged- I would bring this up with your doctor.

    That said- have you tried altering the temperature of the water? I have found that cold water, and even cool water, can make my stomach hurt. However, I've started drinking warm water (think tea temperature) with a quarter of a lemon (or less, depending on my mood or how big the lemon is). I've noticed that it doesn't hurt my stomach, keeps me warm, and I drink SO much more water! You could also try putting a couple of mint leaves in there if you've no aversion to mint (with or without the lemon).

    Good luck!
  • Poisonedpawn78
    Poisonedpawn78 Posts: 1,145 Member
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    This has to be more mental than physical. If you were actually physically sick from ingesting water, you would be sick until you dehydrated and died. There may be something IN the water that is making you sick if its not clean enough though. Perhaps try boiling some water, cooling it and then seeing if you can drink it.

    If its a taste thing then as others have suggested, diet pops, water additives ect should help with the taste.
  • pamfgil
    pamfgil Posts: 449 Member
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    Peppermint tea, you can drink it hot or chilled
  • RandomName25
    RandomName25 Posts: 6 Member
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    BeauHg wrote: »
    I want to lose weight and need to find a substitute to the milk/soda I normally drink. I can’t drink water though. It’s strange because I can drink lemonade (too sugary) but it still hurts my stomach a little.
    Drinking any kind of water makes me physically ill and has even caused me to throw up several times. What can I drink instead?

    Adding those sugar packets to the water helped me stop drinking anything but water.
  • BeauHg
    BeauHg Posts: 9 Member
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    Poisonedpawn78 wrote: »
    This has to be more mental than physical. If you were actually physically sick from ingesting water, you would be sick until you dehydrated and died. There may be something IN the water that is making you sick if its not clean enough though. Perhaps try boiling some water, cooling it and then seeing if you can drink it.

    If its a taste thing then as others have suggested, diet pops, water additives ect should help with the taste.
    It’s not mental, it’s been like this since I was little. And I’ve tried all variations of plain water under the sun, nothing works
  • BeauHg
    BeauHg Posts: 9 Member
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    FlyingMolly wrote: »
    SolotoCEO wrote: »
    If it's water that makes you ill - coffee, tea, soda, flavored waters, etc. still are water based and thus would still make you sick. Absolutely seek medical advice on this. In the mean time - eat lots of veggies since they have a high water content.

    This is a good point: how watery can a liquid be before it makes you sick? What needs to be present in it to avoid that reaction?

    I know it’s woo-y, but lately I love maple water. Fewer calories and sugars than coconut water, a very light, refreshing taste, and although no one will tell me what exactly it’s supposed to have in it I find it very restorative. Herbal teas, hot and/or cold, would be a good option as well. I mean, buy a potted verbena plant, steep a few leaves each morning, and drink it all day if that’s something your system will go for. If carbonation solves the problem, you can get a SodaStream and carbonate to your heart’s content with no additives at all...but again, it all kind of hinges on what your body does or does not consider “water.”
    It seems to be if it’s over 50% I think (just guessing) but anything like lemonade or tea still makes my stomach hurt, I just don’t throw up
  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
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    BeauHg wrote: »
    FlyingMolly wrote: »
    SolotoCEO wrote: »
    If it's water that makes you ill - coffee, tea, soda, flavored waters, etc. still are water based and thus would still make you sick. Absolutely seek medical advice on this. In the mean time - eat lots of veggies since they have a high water content.

    This is a good point: how watery can a liquid be before it makes you sick? What needs to be present in it to avoid that reaction?

    I know it’s woo-y, but lately I love maple water. Fewer calories and sugars than coconut water, a very light, refreshing taste, and although no one will tell me what exactly it’s supposed to have in it I find it very restorative. Herbal teas, hot and/or cold, would be a good option as well. I mean, buy a potted verbena plant, steep a few leaves each morning, and drink it all day if that’s something your system will go for. If carbonation solves the problem, you can get a SodaStream and carbonate to your heart’s content with no additives at all...but again, it all kind of hinges on what your body does or does not consider “water.”
    It seems to be if it’s over 50% I think (just guessing) but anything like lemonade or tea still makes my stomach hurt, I just don’t throw up

    But soda is anywhere from 95 to 99% water, so that's why none of this make sense, especially if your doctors don't have an answer for you. It has to be something besides the water...
  • jenna_nicolo
    jenna_nicolo Posts: 62 Member
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    Crystal Light is my saving grace. Most people don't understand this because it's such an uncommon thing, but I also can't drink plain water on an empty stomach/first thing in the morning and there are a few other situations in which it makes me nauseated. The Crystal Light is 10 calories a packet and it's helped me SO much in drinking more water. I used to get headaches often from what I think now was mild dehydration.. it's mostly stopped at this point. Water is so crucial for a body's homeostasis. Try things out and see what works best for you.
  • greyparks206
    greyparks206 Posts: 165 Member
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    mikeb4bjj wrote: »

    Are you sure it's not psychosomatic? I mean, we literally die WITHOUT water. Definitely talk to an MD.

    I’d like to second this question. Psychosomatic associations can be VERY powerful. I was unable to eat mashed potatoes (and foods with similar textures) until I reached my Kate 20s because the texture made me gag. It took A LOT of “mind over matter” willpower and tiny, tiny bites to get past it. I would talk to a doctor for sure, but this may be something you have to work yourself up to very, very slowly.

  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    The real point to take away from this is that there's no need to drink plain water and you can really drink anything you want as long as it fits your calories and other health goals.

    The message that plain water is necessary is really just to encourage people to avoid high calorie drinks - it's not an absolute rule.

    What do you like to drink?

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