Water Toxicity....and Don't argue with me

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  • alerica1
    alerica1 Posts: 310 Member
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    "Endurance sportsMarathon runners are susceptible to water intoxication if they drink too much while running. This is caused when sodium levels drop below 135 mmol/L when athletes consume large amounts of fluid. This has been noted to be the result of the encouragement of excessive fluid replacement by various guidelines. This has largely been identified in marathon runners as a dilutional hyponatremia.[5] Medical personnel at marathon events are trained to suspect water intoxication immediately when runners collapse or show signs of confusion"
    But are you a marathon runner? This evidence would only apply to them since they are running for more than 2 hours straight without any consumption of food. And as mentioned electrolyte balance is off.
    Yours sounds different than this.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition


    What I said was, I MADE A MISTAKE. I'm not going to argue with you or anyone else.....I MADE A MISTAKE and I want others to learn from MY personal experience. I have been poked and prodded and wheeled from floor to floor at a major hospital in Ohio. Ever heard of the Cleveland Clinic?
  • adjones5
    adjones5 Posts: 938 Member
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    I'm so sorry to hear this, get well soon. I wish you the best.
  • adjones5
    adjones5 Posts: 938 Member
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    I'm so sorry to hear this, get well soon. I wish you the best.

    By the way, I have heard of this too when I used to do bikram yoga classes in 105 degree heat. You must replenish electrolytes when sweating that much.
  • ChrisStoney
    ChrisStoney Posts: 479 Member
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    I am glad you posted this!! I see people all the time challenging other people to drink 30 -40 glasses of water per day.. that is crazy!! Overhydration can cause you to feel light-headed, dizzy, water intoxication leads to change in mental status, possible siezures and passing out. I work in a prison and we have inmates who do this to get high.

    I think keeping good hydration varies from person to person and the best way to gauge it is the color of your urine... if it is concentrated, drink, if it is clear, your overhydrated. Your urine can tell you alot about your health, read up on it...keep some salt around, if you think you drank too much eat some...

    I think the OP is very sensitive to this though, and some people are- that what makes it dangerous to advocate excessive water intake---kind of like being in a fraternity and doing beer shots per minute..... every-once and a while someone will try to increase the size of the cup, and someone ends up in the Hospital or dead....
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,453 Member
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    Hi thanks for posting - I hope you feel better soon!

    One question - do you remember feeling different before passing out? Dizzy, tired, any symptoms? Just curious and I'm sure it might help others too.
  • dlcam61
    dlcam61 Posts: 228 Member
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    It's not dehydration, as you all know, it was over hydration of water without electrolytes. I drink about the same amount a day, but I count everything fluid that goes down the trap, coffee, tea, almond milk etc. You are lucky to be alive, there is no cure for water toxicity as it's really a severe electrolyte imbalance (Mainly sodium, but other too). When you put too much water in, it pushes all the electrolytes out of your cells to try and create an equilibrium between the cells level of water & electrolytes, and the outside extra cellular environment. At the same time your kidneys cannot excrete all the extra water out fast enough into your urine which dilutes your blood electrolyte level. Result is toxicity, or hyponatremia.

    Here's what I have learned about water intake from research & studying about human physiology & anatomy in college. First off, don't drink purified, distilled water. Ever. That is the worst possible thing to drink. Why? It lacks vital nutrients and minerals (yes, unpurified water has minerals & nutrients that contribute to electrolyte balances). That's not to say drinking treated water or bottled spring water is bad, they have the minerals. Secondly, we don't need to increase our water intake unless we are sweating a lot. If it's hot, or if we are working out hard, then we need to add back what we lose. Another tip I found (but can't locate the source at the moment) is to calculate your actual water needs. A good recommendation is to take your body weight & divide it by half. That is the number of ounces per day you should drink. If you are working outside, sweating a lot, don't forget you need to replenish the fluid that is lost through perspiration. We sweat all the time, either sensible (the kind that you feel) or insensible (the kind you don't feel) and we exhale water vapor with every breath.

    I am in no way arguing with the original poster. I am agreeing with you, and adding more information for those who want to disagree. I'm all for drinking water, but I am a huge advocate for educating people on the danger water poses when they flood themselves with it. Thank you for sharing your story, I'm so sorry that happened to you. I hope this is a good warning to others to be mindful about hydration and the dangers of over doing it. Take care of yourself :flowerforyou:
  • alerica1
    alerica1 Posts: 310 Member
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    Hi thanks for posting - I hope you feel better soon!

    One question - do you remember feeling different before passing out? Dizzy, tired, any symptoms? Just curious and I'm sure it might help others too.


    I fell asleep on the couch watching tv. When I woke up I turned the tv off and bent down to unplug my Christmas tree and felt light-headed. I thought I had gotten up from the couch too quick (something that everyone has done at one time or another). I then walked from my family room to my kitchen (to get to my bedroom down the hall) and I felt light-headed again and passed out hitting the kitchen counter with my hand and that's the last thing I remember. Apparently, I was able to get up and walk down the hall and passed out cold outside of my 17 year old daughter's bedroom door. The next thing I knew she was shaking me and screaming "MOM, MOM, WAKE UP, PLEASE WAKE UP". I remember saying just get me to my room and when she was able to get me up and help me to my bed I passed out again and fell into my nightstand with my chest. Was then taken to the emergency room Tuesday night and was finally discharged last night (Friday night) after a series of tests, blood tests, EEG, EKG, CT scan of brain, Spiral CT of chest, ultrasound of heart....the list goes on and on. Final diagnosis....Water Toxicity.
  • alerica1
    alerica1 Posts: 310 Member
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    It's not dehydration, as you all know, it was over hydration of water without electrolytes. I drink about the same amount a day, but I count everything fluid that goes down the trap, coffee, tea, almond milk etc. You are lucky to be alive, there is no cure for water toxicity as it's really a severe electrolyte imbalance (Mainly sodium, but other too). When you put too much water in, it pushes all the electrolytes out of your cells to try and create an equilibrium between the cells level of water & electrolytes, and the outside extra cellular environment. At the same time your kidneys cannot excrete all the extra water out fast enough into your urine which dilutes your blood electrolyte level. Result is toxicity, or hyponatremia.

    Here's what I have learned about water intake from research & studying about human physiology & anatomy in college. First off, don't drink purified, distilled water. Ever. That is the worst possible thing to drink. Why? It lacks vital nutrients and minerals (yes, unpurified water has minerals & nutrients that contribute to electrolyte balances). That's not to say drinking treated water or bottled spring water is bad, they have the minerals. Secondly, we don't need to increase our water intake unless we are sweating a lot. If it's hot, or if we are working out hard, then we need to add back what we lose. Another tip I found (but can't locate the source at the moment) is to calculate your actual water needs. A good recommendation is to take your body weight & divide it by half. That is the number of ounces per day you should drink. If you are working outside, sweating a lot, don't forget you need to replenish the fluid that is lost through perspiration. We sweat all the time, either sensible (the kind that you feel) or insensible (the kind you don't feel) and we exhale water vapor with every breath.

    I am in no way arguing with the original poster. I am agreeing with you, and adding more information for those who want to disagree. I'm all for drinking water, but I am a huge advocate for educating people on the danger water poses when they flood themselves with it. Thank you for sharing your story, I'm so sorry that happened to you. I hope this is a good warning to others to be mindful about hydration and the dangers of over doing it. Take care of yourself :flowerforyou:


    Hypernatremia or hypernatraemia (see American and British English spelling differences) is an electrolyte disturbance that is defined by an elevated sodium level in the blood.[1] Hypernatremia is generally not caused by an excess of sodium, but rather by a relative deficit of free water in the body. For this reason, hypernatremia is often synonymous with the less precise term, "dehydration".

    Sorry to disagree....hypernatremia or hypernatraemia....a/k/a Dehydration.
  • alerica1
    alerica1 Posts: 310 Member
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    I'm signing off for the day. I guess I'm feeling a little testy and defensive. I hope everyone has a great day. I need to go back to bed now. :/
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    This sounds like an awful ordeal. The eye looks painful. Hope for a speedy recovery.

    The lesson here, everything you drink, and most things you eat, are water for hydration purposes. Never try to force feed yourself plain water on top of everything else you may eat and drink.

    Also, the "if you're thirsty you're already dehydrated" thing is a myth. Drink when you are thirsty, if you aren't thirsty, don't drink. Urine should be pale yellow, clear means you are drinking too much.
  • CoraGregoryCPA
    CoraGregoryCPA Posts: 1,097 Member
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    Please ignore the ones that make you feel like you are being attacked or trying to argue. They may not be trying to attack you or trying to argue.. although it always seems to be the same people on here.

    I, on the other hand, am totally confused. I'm sorry for what happened to you and thanks for sharing your story. I drink lots of water a day, sometimes 10-12 glasses of water a day. I drink 2 glasses of coffee and may drink wine. I eat aprox 1400 calories a day. I don't intake that much sodium or potassium. I do take a multivitamin. My urine is usually clear but sometimes can be dark (usually in the morning after drinking wine the night before or the morning after the day of drinking only 6 glasses of water-very rare). I wonder if something like this will happen to me.. I wonder if it's something I should be concerned with. I'm confused by your story. I wonder how many calories you eat or if you drink anything else throughout the day. I always feel thirsty... so confused here.
    "Endurance sportsMarathon runners are susceptible to water intoxication if they drink too much while running. This is caused when sodium levels drop below 135 mmol/L when athletes consume large amounts of fluid. This has been noted to be the result of the encouragement of excessive fluid replacement by various guidelines. This has largely been identified in marathon runners as a dilutional hyponatremia.[5] Medical personnel at marathon events are trained to suspect water intoxication immediately when runners collapse or show signs of confusion"
    But are you a marathon runner? This evidence would only apply to them since they are running for more than 2 hours straight without any consumption of food. And as mentioned electrolyte balance is off.
    Yours sounds different than this.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition


    What I said was, I MADE A MISTAKE. I'm not going to argue with you or anyone else.....I MADE A MISTAKE and I want others to learn from MY personal experience. I have been poked and prodded and wheeled from floor to floor at a major hospital in Ohio. Ever heard of the Cleveland Clinic?
  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
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    Not arguing or attacking, but I see from the OP's post history that she is taking thyroid medication, some of the side-effects of which are light-headedness and excessive sweating. Both (or either) of which could have contributed to her situation.

    In normal cases, the amount of water she was drinking would not be sufficient to cause hypernatremia.

    OP: Hope you're feeling better.
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
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    I hope you feel better soon. I recently had a conversation with my doctor about how water affects my digestive system. Apparently, if I don't drink enough water, it makes it really hard for me to poop. That might be more than you want to know, but honestly, drinking 2-3 quarts of plain water each day makes me function better.
  • alibyouss
    alibyouss Posts: 129
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    So how much water should you drink to best support your health?

    see below

    http://drbenkim.com/drink-too-much-water-dangerous.html
  • JeSuisPrest
    JeSuisPrest Posts: 2,005 Member
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    Oh boy....hope you are feeling better. Might be helpful to open up your diary as well, so others may learn from your mistake.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,526 Member
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    What I said was, I MADE A MISTAKE. I'm not going to argue with you or anyone else.....I MADE A MISTAKE and I want others to learn from MY personal experience. I have been poked and prodded and wheeled from floor to floor at a major hospital in Ohio. Ever heard of the Cleveland Clinic?
    No need to get defensive. My point was that if you post evidence relating to marathon runners, then most here wouldn't worry about too much water consumption because they don't exercise to that extreme. Which means they could make the same mistake. That's the reason I brought it up.
    It's like say you tore a muscle from lifting weights hard, then using bodybuilders who use massive amounts of resistance and steroids (which can lead to weakened tendons) who have the same happen to them as evidence.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • VinVenture
    VinVenture Posts: 290
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    Ouch! I know this can happen, which is why I only drink when I'm thirsty (or kind of hungry, to test if actually hungry or just thirsty). When I lived in Spain, my parents gave us crisps or salty snacks for really warm days so we wouldn't overhydrate.

    Water poisoning is an actual, horrible phenomena. It can happen to anyone (my aunt actually 'drowned' this way, she had diabetes and nobody figured. She drank four pints in two hours and promptly, erm, died. A mix between sad and funny.) It's basic chemistry, with poles and sodium and the works. I'd explain it in detail, but people probably don't want to hear it.
  • IvoryParchment
    IvoryParchment Posts: 651 Member
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    When we say "dehydration," we mean, "not enough water."

    When doctors say "dehydration," they mean "not enough sodium." Your kidneys will dump any water you drink if it exceeds the amount of sodium you eat.

    The CONCENTRATION of sodium in your blood test may be high, low or normal yet the amount of water in your body can be low. If it is too high or low, it affects the brain cells and makes you light headed.

    You can get out of balance with sodium and water if there is too much antidiuretic hormone in your body (SIADH). Some people do that for no reason, but it can also happen if you have lung problems, heart problems, or vomiting.

    Some blood pressure drugs lower pressure by removing sodium. The water is lost in response, and the pressure comes down. If you're eating less salt, you may no longer need that type of medication, and your sodium level could drop.

    If you have episodes of irregular heart beat or other problems that cause transient increased pressure in the atria of your heart (like a blood clot in your lungs), you can produce a hormone called atrial naturietic hormone that causes you to lose a lot of water fast. It could all be over by the time you get to the hospital. If it happened while you were sleeping, and if you are overweight, make sure you don't have sleep apnea. That can cause episodes of atrial fibrillation.
  • stevwil41
    stevwil41 Posts: 608 Member
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    First of all, I hope you're feeling better. Secondly, while I'm sorry you've been ill, it doesn't make a lot of sense to post this and then get so defensive when people are asking questions and talking about it. It's a public forum. That's what happens on these things no matter what the original post is about.

    I'm a 6'1 guy and I only drink about 10-12 glasses of liquid a day so for my size I'm not close to the same proportions you were but I am curious. What were you eating on an average day? Your diary isn't open so we can't look at it. If your calories and thusly your intake were extremely low then I could see this amount of water maybe causing problems. You're not particularly specific about that and unless there are some other factors involved the same thing would be happening to innumerable people across the world every day. Are you new to drinking this much water on a daily basis? I believe you said you are 50ish. Have you had similar problems at any other time in your life?

    I'm not trying to be combative, just trying to get a better grasp of your situation. Once again, I hope you feel better soon.
  • FatassFairy
    FatassFairy Posts: 166 Member
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    Addison's?

    first thing that popped in my mind

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