whm1974

So I was in the Hospital twice now, the last a few weeks ago, about a month previously, due to one of my mental health medications causing my sodium levels to drop. If I knew this I would have tried to follow a low sodium diet to begin with. Turns out the lot's of plain coffee I was drinking was causing high blood pressure. And leaching out the salts...

So if I'm riding for long trips and it is hot out, how do ensure I stay hydrated properly? In the past I always carried a 2L bottle of water and plenty of snacks.

shelbyfv

MoAlpha

Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) is relatively common with psych meds, as you now know, and can be deadly in combination with inappropriate rehydration. If your providers didn't stop that medication, following internet advice on how to manage this condition will be a good way to end up back in the hospital or the morgue.

soyabean

I've never truely understood bodies with a low-sodium problem when it's so easy for me to binge up on salty foods that are part of my regular diet: bacon, fries, cheese, salted bbq peanuts, soy sauce (actually a ton of sauces, I love all sauces).

That's why I am disgusted with all energy drinks and gels, the only thing I love during cycling is just water. Am I doing something wrong by skipping out "electrolytes"?

I don't bother with insulated bottles anymore as those have less holding capacity. I am so often quenched for thirst that I am just glad to get any water at all, even if it's summer very lukewarm water.

At the end of my ride, I am famished hungry. Then my salt comes from the food list above.

whm1974

I stopped the medication. If I knew it cause that would have never have followed a low sodium diet to being with. Now I have deal with weight gain with a new antidepressant. Going have a my provider give me something else. Stop taking that one for now.

If I just going around town, don't have to worry as much as staying hydrated until summer or when going on longer trips.

noimagination

If your issues have been serious enough to land you in the hospital, IMO you have no business asking this question on this forum.

You should be talking to a doctor, not random people on the internet.

soyabean

Nonsense.

Strangers on the interweb is the bestest place to get life-altering medical advice and retirement financial wealth from bitcoin.

Iride01 

You should always stay hydrated. Even if you are just going around town. It should not be something you worry about. Just something you do.

I don't have an issue with hydration on the bike since I take a gulp or two of water or my mix every ten minutes that I ride a bike. Whether a long ride or a short ride around town. However when I mow the lawn or work outside, I tend to not have water readily available and I loathe to stop what I'm doing and go get a drink. So after such work I'll sometimes find myself extremely tired. Sometimes for more than a day. I think it's because I don't hydrate well for those activities.

And it's worse for me now in the mild temps we currently are having. When it gets hot, I'm a little more like to stop and get that drink of water. Though when cycling, long or short rides, I don't get tired for more than a few minutes as my energy levels recover quickly since I stay well hydrated.

As far as electrolytes, barring any issues from medications, don't get the idea that if a little is good that a lot is better. Too much is just as bad as too little. If you aren't flushing your body out with many bottles of water in a very short time, then hyponatremia won't be an issue.

KerryIrons

Add to this that sodium levels are very individual. Sodium in sweat has been measured from 115 to 2300 mg per liter. The amount of salt you need to take in can thus vary widely, and essentially has to be learned through your own "experiment of one."

shelbyfv

Don't forget best Call Girl tips.

whm1974

Well guys I'm to see my Doc when I can. I do have the Zero Sugar Gatorade straws and use that. Other then just adding salt to my foods, and not drinking gallons of water, not much more then that.

base2 

As a random meaningless anecdote:

I've always had "high blood pressure." Which, if for me is normal, then as far as I'm concerned, is "normal" blood pressure. It's been 150/75 since I started playing with the arm cuff machine at the pharmacy in 7th grade. Way back when 150/whatever was the actual clinical definition of "normal."

Coincidentally, I've always been thirsty & frequent urination (as frequent as hourly) was often the result. I've been prescribed various anti-depressants. I was on anti-psychotics. I've been hospitalized for "a reaction" that became Toxic Epidermal necrolysis, Steven Johnsons Syndrome, Toxic Shock Syndrome. Each hospital admission worse than the last. The cause of each incident remains unidentified. Random cramps, especially after bike rides were a daily/nightly thing for me.

That is until I started making a deliberate conscious effort to intake a proper amount of potassium into my diet. Low Sodium V8 or store brand low sodium vegetable juice usually gets the salt flavor by replacing salt with potassium exclusively. 20% of your RDA can be had with a single 8 ounce glass. You have to read the label. I consume 16 ounces per day.

Potatoes are rich in Potassium.

Nu-Salt is a salt substitute found in the supermarket. As is No-Salt (available in 11 ounce cans.) I've made the switch to prioritizing the salt substitutes in all of my home cooking.

Why am I typing this? Because of the sodium transport mechanism across the membrane in the kidneys. For the body to transport & excrete sodium out of your body, it needs a potassium ion to trade places with. In its absence, things go haywire & all sorts of hydration/electrolyte/nervous system & intracellular function issues can develop as the body tries to compensate & make-do with the resources available. There is so much Sodium in the typical American diet & so little Potassium, it stands to reason a person could get depleted as every available ion gets pulled from every possible place to help achieve & maintain proper balance. Being that the two ions are so similar it's reasonable a person could carry on for quite some time with the effects becoming chronic, generalized & non-specific as the actual deficiency is difficult to sus out with generalized doctors office tests. "Get less Sodium" should often be paired with "Get more Potassium." Instead, it's paired with "eat your veggies" which so misses the point it is often ignored.

The interesting thing is is how absolutely necessary Potassium is for your health, general well-being, & nervous system function. Of which your brain (where you reside) is dependent.

Go to your doctor. Do not listen to me. All I am offering is an anecdote about dietary changes largely related to not getting a proper amount of vegetables in my diet & how I ensure I get them through vegetable juice with a label that has been read to ensure it contains the ingredient I want. I do genuinely feel better and there is no further need for the various medications I was prescribed. My blood pressure is within guidelines.

At the very least, "eat your fruits & veggies" has been standard advice for as long as I've been alive. Maybe there's something to it?

whm1974

I've eating been my veggies for years, but I do need to get some potatoes. I also ave started putting spinach on sandwiches and consuming more broccoli which I hate. Just need to remember to add salt when I cook.

whm1974

I went biking twice today, and the first time I went out I brought along a 28 oz bottle of Gatorade.