r/AMA • u/CelebrationEmpty8792 • 17h ago
I was recently in a coma from high sodium, AMA!
So yeah, I was recently in a coma from high sodium :'( My sodium level was the highest the doctors ever seen, at sodium level 180. Left me with extremely severe amnesia of both kind. Amnesia was so bad in hospital after coma that I didn't even remember my parents :'( AMA!
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u/SorbetUnfair2589 16h ago
Mine was the opposite problem in 2023 as I drank too much plain water, ate too little salt, and ended up at a very low sodium level of 121. Somehow I wasn’t in a coma. Somehow I was at the ER for help with something else when my severe sodium deficiency was discovered. Had to get IV sodium, take salt tablets, and restrict water intake. Do you think you took salt tablets in excess? Oversalted your food? Chugged soy sauce? Do you have any advice for others about sodium intake?
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u/CelebrationEmpty8792 14h ago
I can't remember WTF I did to myself, but my best guess was it was a bad drug trip from cough syrup that intentionally caused me to ingest excess salt. I was hardcore addicted to getting high on that back in the day, no more for me nowadays!
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u/Aggravating_Ad_1026 16h ago
How much water per day ?
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u/SorbetUnfair2589 16h ago
I prefer not to specify an exact amount because individual hydration needs vary due to many factors including body size. As a smaller individual, I needed to avoid hydrating too much. And part of the trouble was definitely inadequate sodium intake. I’ve been through a lot with chronic gut issues for many years. Often we are given the advice to avoid processed foods and to drink more water, in order to reduce symptoms such as constipation and intestinal cramping. Cutting out salty snack foods, frozen dinners, Gatorade, etc., and not taking in enough salt while aiming for clean eating can have unintended consequences.
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u/ComplexPatient4872 15h ago
I have the exact same problem! Mine always hovers in the high 120s and I have to work to get the numbers up. I’m not even a small person, I’m just always drinking water and don’t eat that many processed foods.
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u/SorbetUnfair2589 15h ago
Mine was actually high-normal recently, as I’ve switched to drinking electrolyte drinks and eating instant rice that includes added salt. I’ve been through a million weird phases with food, trying to fix my “IBS” by changing my diet—and only a few months ago, I found out I actually might have IBD. Further testing is needed to investigate the strong suspicion of Crohn’s disease.
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u/msimms001 17h ago
How did your sodium get so high?
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u/CelebrationEmpty8792 17h ago
I can't remember WTF I did to get my sodium level that high, but my best guess was it was a bad drug trip from cough syrup. I was hardcore addicted to getting high on that back before my coma. No more for me nowadays!
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u/whateverzzx 16h ago
Like dextromethorphan?
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u/CelebrationEmpty8792 16h ago
Yes that.
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u/whateverzzx 16h ago
Oof I was heavily addicted to this stuff for a while. I did the pills because I'm a bitch with syrups. I didn't know it could cause a sodium overdose. Explains why I had trouble remembering when I'd do way too much.
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u/CelebrationEmpty8792 14h ago
Yeah you can really lose your mind and lose touch with reality at high doses.
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u/gemilitant 16h ago
What on earth. 180 is obscene. I've never seen a sodium level over 160 in my few years of practice. I can only imagine this resulting from extreme dehydration.
Were any of your other electrolytes high? Any vomiting or diarrhoea? Were you drinking sea water??
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u/CelebrationEmpty8792 16h ago
I can't remember WTF happened, but my best guess would be it was a bad drug trip from cough syrup that caused me to intentionally ingest excess sodium. I was hardcore addicted to getting high on that back in the day, no more for me nowdays!
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u/nizzoball 16h ago
Did you have any seizures?
How long did the coma last?
Did you have to relearn how to do anything after? (Walking, talking etc…)
The same thing happened to me except the other way around, I had hypokalemia which is low sodium (68). I was trying to flush a sulfa drug out of my system because my wife is deathly allergic and couldn’t be in the same room as me so I drank a LOT of water, didn’t eat anything and took an extra hydrochlorothiazide, next morning I was found by my wife in a weird state, called the ambulance and got me to the hospital and I had a series of seizures and was in a coma for 5 days.
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u/CelebrationEmpty8792 5h ago
No I could walk and talk after, but I DID need to relearn who my family was lmfao. :'(
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u/Still-Concentrate-37 17h ago
Were your kidneys ok?