Warning to Others - Drinking Too Much Water Can Be Deadly and this is real.

marymickaela
marymickaela Posts: 190 Member
edited November 20 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm telling you this as I sit feeling very scared right now. I found out yesterday I have water toxicity or hyponutremia and all because I was drinking too much water and could start having seizures at any minute.

Background. Finally got motivated after gaining so much weight back the last few years and started the Sugar Smart Diet 3 weeks ago. 22 days later I am completely off all sugur, diet drinks, my 1 Sprite, all junk food and crap food I'd been binging on. So so proud of myself. Also had purchased a YETI cup which holds 30oz of water and was drinking probably 3 of those a day on top of my 2 some cups of decaf coffee and misc 100+oz of water a day. Had physical last Friday and my Dr's nurse called yesterday to say was sodium was dangerously low. So low I was close to being sent to ER for IV fluids. Dr. thought it was one of my meds. When I told her about my diet and water intake the nurse said "that's it" and to now drink no more then 64oz a day and gave me tons of food I could eat to bring sodium level up and come back in a week for a blood recheck.

Well she conveyed what I told her to my dr. as she called again last night to say my doctor is beyond extremely concerned. I have water toxicity and I could start having seizures at any minute. I am to immediately stop drinking all free water, coffee of any kind. Start drinking Gatorade, Propel, things to bring my sodium level up and eat foods from the list, like potato chips (LOL!!)). I even put her on speaker so H could hear convo and take it seriously as she sounded deadly serious. I now have to go back in 3 days for a blood recheck. It was a very long convo as she tried to convey the seriousness of water toxicity, which is also called "hyponatremia", which after I looked it up is common in runners.

My youngest d is an ICU nurse and when I told her she said what were your #'s? 123. She said "Jesus Christ" If you had gone to ER they would have admitted you.

I don't want this to get to long so am giving you the white washed version, but I had already been having some health issues. Like my legs hurt badly trying to walk esp. up stairs, nauseous, no appetite, headache, terrible memory problems. Plus, had had my physical last Friday and gotten a pneumonia vaccine and had a severe reaction to it. I'm 66. Have 3 d's and 7 grandkids and they were all here for the weekend so no time to go to ER for arm for that which is another story. Thyroid levels came back normal thou.

Last night I was feeling extremely scared and numb emotionally. I was so stressed words can't describe and the funny thing is, in the past I would have reach for a bag of kettlecorn or chocolate (esp. Fanny Mae Tutles, or ice cream - but sugar is no longer a temptation and I'm not going to change that any time soon although I did much on a few potato chips last night since they're salty and have no sugar, but still had no appetite so not many.

Found all this out yesterday and it's now the next morning and am feeling more optimistic. ICU nurse d said to only sip on the Propel. I am starting to feel dehydrated after stopping all the water I'd been drinking.

I have been so proud of myself for trying to get healthy. Getting off all the massive amounts of sugars and junk food emotional eating that consumed my life and I felt was ruining my life. Too many healthy problems to describe get into. They are constantly stressing the important of drinking lots of water. Well, I guess too much can be deadly.

Today I'm going out to look for some Electrolyte solutions I can put in water. My girlfriend and support person in my sugar detox recommended something called "Ultima Eletrolyte Replenisher", so will try to find some.

That's about it for now. Just wanted to share info about "water toxicity" and the dangers of drinking too much water.
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Replies

  • Morgaen73
    Morgaen73 Posts: 2,817 Member
    edited August 2017
    Interesting. I'm glad you are ok.

    I've been drinking 152 ounces of water a day (over and above coffee and protein shakes) for the last 2 years and this has never happened to me ... I also don't usually add salt to my food and I don't drink any "sodas" or anything similar to Gatorade.

  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    by the OP's math - It sounds like she was doing close to 200oz of water a day (3 yeti cups, plus misc 100+oz, plus her coffee) - so I can see how this could be an issue...
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    Sorry that happened to you. That's a pretty unfortunate situation. I drink over 100 fl oz of water daily on top of a cup or two of coffee and I've never had this happen either. They say a good rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in water, but I'm 114 pounds and I'd go absolutely mad if I only drank 57 fl oz of water per day. I keep my sodium below 2000 to 2500mg too and exercise daily. Hmm, something to think about I guess.
  • Morgaen73
    Morgaen73 Posts: 2,817 Member
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    Morgaen73 wrote: »
    I've been drinking 152 ounces of water a day (over and above coffee and protein shakes) for the last 2 years and this has never happened to me ...

    if you get adequate sodium with your food you may be ok - the problem I observe when people start eating healthy is that consumption of sodium also goes down which can cause this issue

    I don't usually add salt to my food or if I do I add very little.

    I tend to get dehydrated and then constipated if I drink any less.
  • Morgaen73
    Morgaen73 Posts: 2,817 Member
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    by the OP's math - It sounds like she was doing close to 200oz of water a day (3 yeti cups, plus misc 100+oz, plus her coffee) - so I can see how this could be an issue...

    oh ok. We don't use the imperial system so I get a bit confused lol
  • Unknown
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  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    This is why the "drink a gallon a day of water" is unnecessary especially by people who aren't supporting electrolyte replenishment.
    Personally I just drink water ALONG with my diet Pepsi's and Gatorade lite. Oh and I don't care about sodium either.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

    30*3+ 16-48+ 100=over 250

    250+ oz is nearly 2 gallons.
    marymickaela wrote: »
    Background. Finally got motivated after gaining so much weight back the last few years and started the Sugar Smart Diet 3 weeks ago. 22 days later I am completely off all sugur, diet drinks, my 1 Sprite, all junk food and crap food I'd been binging on. So so proud of myself. Also had purchased a YETI cup which holds 30oz of water and was drinking probably 3 of those a day on top of my 2 some cups of decaf coffee and misc 100+oz of water a day. Had physical last Friday and my Dr's nurse called yesterday to say was sodium was dangerously low. So low I was close to being sent to ER for IV fluids. Dr. thought it was one of my meds. When I told her about my diet and water intake the nurse said "that's it" and to now drink no more then 64oz a day and gave me tons of food I could eat to bring sodium level up and come back in a week for a blood recheck.

    It sounds like you're prone to extremes. And you cut your sodium radically while drinking a little too much water.

    The traditional rule is 500 ml per hour with an allowance of up to 1L per hour when exerting and potentially for a short period 1.5L per hour with appropriate electrolyte supplementation(salt tablets) Not to exceed 8L in 24 hours
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    by the OP's math - It sounds like she was doing close to 200oz of water a day (3 yeti cups, plus misc 100+oz, plus her coffee) - so I can see how this could be an issue...

    That was the math I did as well. I could probably sustain that level(I don't) of water consumption, but I'm not remotely low sodium.

    Daily rate isn't the only consideration... time density is also a factor. Most people can only safely metabolize(through the kidneys) 1 Liter per hour or a Gallon over 4 hours... and that's a peak. So drinking a 30 oz yeti in half an hour followed by a coffee and a cup of water isn't necessarily a big deal, but doing that for 2-3 hours in a row is enough to begin messing with your electrolyte balance and you'll need 1-2 hours to recover if you're getting adequate sodium. If you do that for a couple days or 4-5 hours straight, you're in the danger zone very quickly. At which point the symptoms described set in... extreme thirst... except drinking more water is exactly the wrong thing to do. And it snowballs. often fatally.
  • orangegato
    orangegato Posts: 6,572 Member
    Significant hyponatremia can make you feel very tired, weak and even confused. Seizures can occur at levels below 125, but most people will not have seizures unless they go to 118. The sodium needs to be corrected very slowly when hyponatremia is severe. You mention sugar a lot so I was wondering if you are a diabetic and if your blood sugars are high? Elevated blood sugar can give a falsely low level of sodium and there is a formula to correct for that. I assume that your doctor will send you for repeat lab tests to make sure your sodium is going up?
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    there was also a case in the US, where a radio station was giving away a Wii when they were first released and did a competition called "hold your pee for a Wii" (or something similar) and the woman died from hyponeutrimia
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    Scary!

    How much were you visiting the bathroom everyday OP?? You must've been living in there with all the water you were drinking!
  • LauraInTheWater
    LauraInTheWater Posts: 477 Member
    Why didn't they tell you to go to the hospital if they were so worried about you having seizures? I'm sorry but I have epilepsy and I don't go to the hospital when I have a seizure but for a person who has never had one it can be VERY dangerous. That was irresponsible of the doctors.

    I hope you laid down and that you are feeling much better now.
  • its_whisper
    its_whisper Posts: 112 Member
    that's scary because yesterday I drank at least 84 oz of water. I was bloated and sweaty so i thought it was a good idea. I didn't feel sick or anything but maybe if i had drank more that could of easily been me

    Hope you're better!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,687 Member
    its_whisper wrote: »
    that's scary because yesterday I drank at least 84 oz of water. I was bloated and sweaty so i thought it was a good idea. I didn't feel sick or anything but maybe if i had drank more that could of easily been me

    Hope you're better!

    2.5 litres is all right ... as long as you are consuming some salt with it.

  • Katiebear_81
    Katiebear_81 Posts: 719 Member
    You can add some salt and "no salt" (potassium) to your food until your levels are back to normal. You're not required to drink gatorade if you're really against having that much sugar (you should, however, check with your doctor to see if they agree, especially because you are already under medical care).

    I do some water fasting, but always have chicken stock or an electrolyte mix to make sure I keep my sodium/potassium levels up.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    What about in a hot climate? I've got a water bottle I refill several times a day at the moment (usually 4) which holds 500ml. I have a protein shake for breakfast on top of that, then a coffee, a green tea and continue sipping on my water, plus I have another drink of 250ml with my lunch. It sounds like loads but it's 30+ degrees indoors and I was in the gym this morning too doing cardio.

    Should I cut down? I always use salt on my food (usually lo salt) but don't use anything else to replenish electrolytes. There's a drink they sell here called Aquarius, I could start drinking that instead of some of the water but the calorie free version.

    A few years back I thought I was eating too much salt and cut it out completely and started feeling dizzy/weird so I stopped.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    JAT74 wrote: »
    What about in a hot climate? I've got a water bottle I refill several times a day at the moment (usually 4) which holds 500ml. I have a protein shake for breakfast on top of that, then a coffee, a green tea and continue sipping on my water, plus I have another drink of 250ml with my lunch. It sounds like loads but it's 30+ degrees indoors and I was in the gym this morning too doing cardio.

    Should I cut down? I always use salt on my food (usually lo salt) but don't use anything else to replenish electrolytes. There's a drink they sell here called Aquarius, I could start drinking that instead of some of the water but the calorie free version.

    A few years back I thought I was eating too much salt and cut it out completely and started feeling dizzy/weird so I stopped.

    add something with electrolytes - pedialyte, nuun, Gatorade, etc - there are lots of things you can use
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    You definitely should add electrolytes especially if you are sweating a lot
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    You don't need "Ultima Eletrolyte Replenisher". If my doctor said that unconsciousness is a real possibility, I'd be dumping salt on all the foods. Salt and potassium are your two most important electrolytes.

    Here's another electrolyte solution:
    http://chealth.canoe.com/drug/getdrug/gastrolyte

    Talk to your pharmacist. They can steer you to the best products available.

    Even if you aren't feeling that well and aren't that hungry, get that salt in!

    Even if you are thirsty, don't drink more than ordered!
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    You don't need "Ultima Eletrolyte Replenisher". If my doctor said that unconsciousness is a real possibility, I'd be dumping salt on all the foods. Salt and potassium are your two most important electrolytes.

    Here's another electrolyte solution:
    http://chealth.canoe.com/drug/getdrug/gastrolyte

    Talk to your pharmacist. They can steer you to the best products available.

    Even if you aren't feeling that well and aren't that hungry, get that salt in!

    Even if you are thirsty, don't drink more than ordered!

    If I risk unconsciousness I would high tail it to the ER for fluids. I have gone for fluids (when not at as criuical position as you are) and it's not a big deal.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    Yup. People have legit died of this before, like in stupid water chugging contests sponsored by radio stations. This sort of thing is why I don't advocate pushing extreme amounts of water drinking but rather to let thirst and moderation be the guide. The electrolyte imbalance can get you, or excess water can actually flood the lungs and suffocate the person. I hope you make it through this without anything super serious happening. Our bodies do need salt. Not loads, but cutting back to almost none isn't good either. Wishing the best for you!
  • DamieBird
    DamieBird Posts: 651 Member
    JAT74 wrote: »
    What about in a hot climate? I've got a water bottle I refill several times a day at the moment (usually 4) which holds 500ml. I have a protein shake for breakfast on top of that, then a coffee, a green tea and continue sipping on my water, plus I have another drink of 250ml with my lunch. It sounds like loads but it's 30+ degrees indoors and I was in the gym this morning too doing cardio.

    Should I cut down? I always use salt on my food (usually lo salt) but don't use anything else to replenish electrolytes. There's a drink they sell here called Aquarius, I could start drinking that instead of some of the water but the calorie free version.

    A few years back I thought I was eating too much salt and cut it out completely and started feeling dizzy/weird so I stopped.

    If you feel fine, you probably don't need to change anything. You've already recognized how you feel if you cut out too much sodium in the past, so just be attuned to that and if you start feeling like that again, make sure you eat something salty. If it's super hot in the summer and I'm drinking a ton of water (like - a LOT over my normal consumption) I may have a drink in the morning that is warm water with a tsp of salt and some lime juice. Sounds weird, but I kinda like it and I've never had any issues with high sodium, so I don't worry about it.
  • nevadavis1
    nevadavis1 Posts: 331 Member
    Scary. Thanks for sharing this. I massively reduced sodium due to my blood pressure--the dr didn't tell me to, I just did it as part of my diet plan--and last time I saw the cardiologist he told me I wasn't getting enough salt and to start eating more salt. I asked "I thought salt was bad for blood pressure?" and he answered that mine wasn't caused by salt in the first place and I never actually needed to reduce it. Luckily it was not life-threatening though.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Good reminder, way too many people think that drinking a lot of water is a magical solution for weight loss on these boards. Get better!
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