"Water Toxicity" or "Hyponatremia". Drinking too much water can kill you!
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Sorry, double post!0
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If I were in your shoes I'd never drink plain water again. Every cup would be doctored with gastrolyte.
....and why the obsession with increasing your water? It. Is. Not. Good.
I really never felt I was obsessing. Remember I only started increasing the water the 20th and the physical was the 28th so a very short period of time. And I guess my thinking is "was it just the Trileptal?" Thus, the only way to find out is by increasing my water. It was a momentary laspe in judgment and as I said I'll wait to see what kidney specialist says and follow his orders.
I am trying to add a fluid with electrolytes into my daily intake.1 -
marymickaela wrote: »If I were in your shoes I'd never drink plain water again. Every cup would be doctored with gastrolyte.
....and why the obsession with increasing your water? It. Is. Not. Good.
I really never felt I was obsessing. Remember I only started increasing the water the 20th and the physical was the 28th so a very short period of time. And I guess my thinking is "was it just the Trileptal?" Thus, the only way to find out is by increasing my water. It was a momentary laspe in judgment and as I said I'll wait to see what kidney specialist says and follow his orders.
I am trying to add a fluid with electrolytes into my daily intake.
Or maybe not add some self prescribed item to the mix and listen to medical professionals.9 -
jgnatca wrote: »
Or maybe not add some self prescribed item to the mix and listen to medical professionals.
Well last week I had 4 medical specialists all giving me different advice so how do I handle that?
Internist-"stop all free water and only drink Gatorade or start having seizure."
Neurologist-"Oh, you're fine".
ICU Nuse d who sees the worst of the worse-"mom, stop drinking so many fluids".
Internist-"Don't listen to ICU nurse d regarding limiting fluids, drink as much as you want as long as it contains electrolytes and eat lots of salty foods like potato chips, in fact salt all food".
ICU Nurse d-"you should follow your dr's instructions."
Kidney Specialist "Limit fluids of any kind, drink 1.5L of free water and eat normal well balanced diet and d was right and Internist was wrong."
Psych doc-"it's the Trileptal, not the water."
So which medical professional do I listen to?2 -
Are you still drinking a couple Yetis of pure water a day?
Pure water is not good for you.12 -
get them all on a call or email chain and deconflict...when you got all this advice - did you tell them the alternating advice that you got?
were the internists different and 2 trips to the ICU (2 different nurses?)3 -
I was posting on Facebook last week and friends were all giving me outrageous advice. My ICU nurse d is a very private person. She doesn't even want people to know she had a C-Section. However, she reads all the advice I'm getting. Such as "eat pickles, watermelon, or drink Tequila with salt chaser of course" and this is what she posts.
“Everyone, please stop giving advice. Mary is under doctors instructions. Some of the advice I've read here could kill her. I understand you all have good intentions but stop. You are not physicians and have no idea what medications she is on nor what medical conditions she has.”
Of course I wasn't going to take any of their advice and was cracking up and heading to Mexico to seek real medical care, get a cottage on the beach with my own Cabana Boy, drink lots of strawberry margaritas/with lots of salt of course." NO, I was seriously losing it due to all the advice I was getting from all these different doctors.2 -
marymickaela wrote: »I had been restricting my water per dr's instructions, but after I got new blood test slowly started increasing my water intake. Yesterday I really overdid it drinking 4 of my 30oz YETI's (120oz + my coffee) and this morning the TV menu is blurry again
WHY did you go back to drinking so much water, now that you know how badly it messes you up?
The "experts" have told us for years to Drink More Water. At least 64 ounces a day, or an amount in ounces equal to your body weight in pounds, whichever is more. Double that if you're trying to lose weight. Other liquids "don't count" as fluid and are supposedly even dehydrating, so also drink a glass of water for each serving of other drinks. After all, you can't trust your sense of thirst--or so the "experts" claim--and most Americans are therefore walking around in a constant state of dehydration.
Combine that with the "experts" preaching that more than a bare minimum of salt/sodium is bad and we should all Eat Less Salt, and we have a recipe for water poisoning.
Of course, this is nonsense. Science has never supported the 8 glasses of water a day minimum. Studies have shown that people tend to take in a total of about 64 oz. of fluid from all sources, including the food they eat. Studies also show that, for most people, eating more salt doesn't raise blood pressure or overwork the kidneys.marymickaela wrote: »I should have slowly increased my water intake, going from drinking very little water, Diet Pepsi's, Sprite, LaCroix to the 100+oz of water was not smart.
NO. Too much water is still too much water. You don't NEED that much fluid, I don't care what your friend tells you. Listen to your daughter the nurse.
I just caught on to what you said about a psych dr...
My husband worked for years at a state mental hospital. There was an entire ward of patients who had polydipsia (overdrinking), due to their mental illnesses. Their fluid intake was strictly monitored, and they were weighed several times a day, to keep them from making themselves physically ill by drinking too much water.
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deannalfisher wrote: »get them all on a call or email chain and deconflict...when you got all this advice - did you tell them the alternating advice that you got?
were the internists different and 2 trips to the ICU (2 different nurses?)
Yes, I was keeping them all up to speed, which is why it was driving me nuts. I told Neurologist day after Internist telling me about danger of having seizures. She downplays it. Of course, my ICU nurse d is in the loop. Wed - I inform my Internist of the new advice and she responds I'm to listen to her, not d. See kidney specialist and he's up to speed as I've sent all my records and a 2 page letter before appt. So kidney spec says limit water. My d was right and Internist was wrong. See psych dr next day and he was up to speed as he said he got my 9 min voice mail before appt. He says "it's the Trileptal, not the water."
Now, kidney specialist is on vacation and my only Internist has turned this over to him instructing me to follow his directions since it involves my kidneys.
So, Yes. That's why I was cracking up last week.0 -
castlerobber wrote: »[quoteI just caught on to what you said about a psych dr...
My husband worked for years at a state mental hospital. There was an entire ward of patients who had polydipsia (overdrinking), due to their mental illnesses. Their fluid intake was strictly monitored, and they were weighed several times a day, to keep them from making themselves physically ill by drinking too much water.
I have done much research on this and boy have learned a lot regarding "water toxicity" topic. Regarding the mental patients I read that there are people that have a mental illness where they can't stop drinking water. However, that's not my problem. I take too many meds due to seeing a psych dr. I do trust this doc as he's the one that finally got me stable 7 years ago after taking over my care. Working together we're slowing getting me off so many meds. It's a slow process and it truly is a detox process as each time I lower the med dose my body has to readjust. I may not feel well for a few weeks until I stabilize and can make another cut.
Even here on MFP they stress increasing water intake. And this may be well known to many, but sure wasn't to me.
Thank you for taking the time for your insightful post to me.3 -
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marymickaela wrote: »Oh My Goodness, I didn't even look at this until this morning and didn't realize how many people knew about this problem. So much happened last week it would have taken a novel to tell you. I know as looking back I don't know how a few friends even wallowed thru my emails.
OK, here was my warped reasoning. Physical, July 28th. Was at dr's office Monday, 31st about bad reaction to pneumonia vaccine given at physical (not the sodium), saw NPrac. My dr's nurse calls me back in before I get to leave to discuss low sodium, says my dr. (off that day) called and thinks it was due a my Trileptal med. But when I say "well I did start drinking all this water on the 20th." .Nurse say that's it, you're flushing all the sodium from your body" and proceeds to give me instructions. It was only later Monday I get the 2nd call back that when my dr. found out about the water I was told I had "water toxicity" and could start having seizures at any min.
I hadn't been to the Dr. since March, which was the last time labs were done. It was purely coincidence I just happened to have 2 specialists appt also last week (Neurologist and Psych). See Neurologist for my RLS, but see his PA Tuesday (next day) and she totally downplays entire seriousness, dismissing my Internist's concerns, but says "let's repeat labs". Get a call Wed early AM "ah, you're sodium's still really low, maybe you should go to ER." I proceed to tell her off and she profusely apologizes. Put call in to my Internist. Should I go to ER?
Meanwhile my d is an ICU nurse and has put her cap on. Badgering me "you're drinking how much?" I'm getting non-stop lectures from her that I'm still drinking too much although I reassure her Internist said I'm to drink Gatorade (too much sugar so G2), Propel, or Pedialyte. When I mean lecturing, she's is on me 24/7 she's so worried and says "if you were in the hospital you'd be on IV's with nothing by mouth." Internist's nurse finally calls me back later Wed to say although sodium's still seriously low I'm to follow dr's instruction and ignore my d.
Get in to Kidney spec Thurs (8/3) who explains what happened re:increasing my water combined with med causing my kidneys to start flushing sodium/retain water and gives me the 1.5L instructions. Also says my d was giving me correct advice and my Internist was wrong saying Gatorade is basically water with very little sodium. Of course my d loved that. Takes labs.
Last Friday had my 3mo psych dr appt and he's the one prescribing the Trileptal. Immediately says "it was the Trileptal." Has had it happened to a few other patients, one to the point she was passing out. Cuts dose in half. However, after that 1st initial talk, where my Internist's nurse mentions it might be the Trileptal, I had started to cut my daily dose by 1/4 and so when my labs came back early 8/4 with sodium 136 psych and I were convinced it was due to Trileptal and NOT WATER.
Which leads to my current situation. Last Sunday, 8/6 eyesight dramatically improves. However, how am I to know if it was just the Trileptal, just the water, or both? Most recent labs came back this past Monday 8/7, sodium was now 134 so had dropped slightly below normal. Kidney spec's on vacation and nobody in office will tell me if it's ok to increase my water. My Internist has now turned the sodium problem over to him. Her nurse msgs me my dr did look over my labs and felt sodium was fine, but also won't give me permission to increase water either, must ask kidney spec, who's on vacation.
I never stopped using salt while detoxing off the sugar. I no longer follow the Sugar Smart Diet as I stopped it when this sodium crisis happened. However, luckily for me I had been off sugar products of any kind long enough that I now have zero desire for anything with sugar and that includes: pasta, pizza, bread, and of course any free sugar. I do eat some type of rice and steel cut oatmeal, and I eat a very healthy diet, including lots of fruits, but that's healthy sugar and ok. Have never limited my salt even before sodium crisis. I have continued to lose weight (down 10lbs) which of course inspires me to continue with my healthy eating. I did cut back the water yesterday, drinking only 2 (30oz) YETI's, my coffee, and a Lacroix, so am hoping eyesight improves again. It was seriously bad yesterday after drinking so much water on Thursday. Internist doesn't think eyesight improving is related to sodium and I have call into my Retina Spec. but haven't heard back, but how can it be pure coincidence after months of blurriness?
I reconnected with a best friend after losing touch for over 20yrs in the spring. She's been cheerleading me on my journey to detoxing off all sugar. Of course she was also encouraging me to keep drinking that water. But who knew. I'm now leading a MFP member on and Paying it Forward. She's on Day 4 and we text daily, even posting progress pics. She thanks me for my help, but I tell her that she's helping me just as much as I continue to eat healthy. I look back at how seriously poor my eating habits were and I won't even go there in this post.
Sorry this got so long, but I just wanted to explain my thinking. I didn't feel I was being reckless, but damn that water just tastes so good, esp. out of my 30oz YETI cup, which I think I'm being buried with. I've been so over the moon happy after getting sodium levels stable I just can't contain my happiness.
Thanks for all the great responses and insight. I knew people on MFP would be knowledgeable. So smart.
I *have* read the entire thread, but the bolded above from your previous post jumped out at me.
Firstly, why are you on Trileptal, which is an anti-seizure medication? Do you have seizures? Yes, it can also be used in conjunction with other psych drugs as a mood elevator, but that's not intended as a primary use. Are you on other pysch meds with the Trileptal as an add-on?
Secondly, you state that your psych doctor cut your dose in half, but then it appears that - on your own and without medical advice - you decide to further reduce it to 1/4?
Am I following this correctly?
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We're heading into town to the Farmer's Market to buy fresh green beans and see what other good healthy foods I can find. Hope they're not out of the free range eggs. They go fast.
I also eat tons of fresh blueberries everyday. Lots of eggs, non-fat Greek yogurt mixed with all natural chunky peanut butter, grilled chicken bacon ranch salad from McD's for lunch yesterday and loving my "Instant Pot". :Husband made us this great stew last night using hamburger, tomatoes, zucchini from our garden, and other wonderful veggies. I had that over a bowl of basmati rice and was stuffed.
Honestly, once I got the sugar cravings out of my system I can look at a brownie and have zero desire for it or anything sugary. I'm lovin it! I stopped logging after the sodium crisis, but the weight's still coming off since I got off the junk food and non-stop emotional/stress eating. Trust me, with all the stress I went thru last week it would have been so easy to fall back into my older pattern of stress eating, but I didn't. Very proud of myself. Please don't "rain on my parade!"2 -
marymickaela wrote: »We're heading into town to the Farmer's Market to buy fresh green beans and see what other good healthy foods I can find. Hope they're not out of the free range eggs. They go fast.
I also eat tons of fresh blueberries everyday. Lots of eggs, non-fat Greek yogurt mixed with all natural chunky peanut butter, grilled chicken bacon ranch salad from McD's for lunch yesterday and loving my "Instant Pot". :Husband made us this great stew last night using hamburger, tomatoes, zucchini from our garden, and other wonderful veggies. I had that over a bowl of basmati rice and was stuffed.
Honestly, once I got the sugar cravings out of my system I can look at a brownie and have zero desire for it or anything sugary. I'm lovin it! I stopped logging after the sodium crisis, but the weight's still coming off since I got off the junk food and non-stop emotional/stress eating. Trust me, with all the stress I went thru last week it would have been so easy to fall back into my older pattern of stress eating, but I didn't. Very proud of myself. Please don't "rain on my parade!"
Don't see anyone raining on your parade. Everything I've read on this thread has been about people taking time out of *their* day to try and help you as well as doing their best to sort out what's a *very* confusing situation.
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Just watch this. Even 8 glasses of water a day as gospel is woo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWASUMMQjj8 2 -
K I looked up a G2 nutrition label.
https://www.gatorade.com/products/g-series/low-calorie-thirst-quencher
160 mg sodium, 7g sugar
Compared to a gastrolyte sachet.
https://gastrolyte.com.au/products/orange-flavour-electrolyte-powder-sachets/
470 mg sodium chloride, 4g sugar
Both will work.0 -
I work in health care. Every doctor that prescribes Trileptal should discuss possible side effects of the medications with their patients, especially possible hyponatremia, and should also be monitoring sodium levels on a regular basis. Of course you had no idea it could do that, because you were not given proper education about the medication.4
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Don't see anyone raining on your parade. Everything I've read on this thread has been about people taking time out of *their* day to try and help you as well as doing their best to sort out what's a *very* confusing situation. [/quote]
I am truly grateful for all of you taking time to respond. Was just trying to be light hearted about what's been a very stressful last week. Also, just watched "Funny Girl" my all time favorite movie of all time. So please don't think I don't appreciate all this insight. I do, and thank you!!! I also was heading to Mexico last week trying to make light due to all the stress so apologized later for people thinking I was truly losing but I was.
Mary
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orangegato wrote: »I work in health care. Every doctor that prescribes Trileptal should discuss possible side effects of the medications with their patients, especially possible hyponatremia, and should also be monitoring sodium levels on a regular basis. Of course you had no idea it could do that, because you were not given proper education about the medication.
Totally agree! Someone dropped the ball for sure.
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K I looked up a G2 nutrition label.
https://www.gatorade.com/products/g-series/low-calorie-thirst-quencher
160 mg sodium, 7g sugar
Compared to a gastrolyte sachet.
https://gastrolyte.com.au/products/orange-flavour-electrolyte-powder-sachets/
470 mg sodium chloride, 4g sugar
Both will work.
Txs! Will definitely check this out!1
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