See also Dehydration.
What is a Dehydrating Event
A dehydrating event is an action or actions that create dehydration. This includes colds, flus, viruses including COVID, vaccines, medications that create dehydration (list below), excess vitamins, extreme exercise without hydration, and extreme sweating are the most common.
Medications that Cause Dehydration
Dehydration is common for OTC medications as well as prescribed medications. Included in this list are diuretics, laxatives, antacids, antihistamines, NSAIDS, blood pressure medicine, antibiotics, Metformin, steroids. This GoodRX article has a detailed list of dehydrating medications.
Supplement Research and Dehydration
Excess supplements can also cause dehydration too. One of the first research article that started our vitamin dehydration research was this military study. Notice that under Conclusions that 16% listed dehydration as an adverse effect. Also notice under Adverse Effects the symptoms were abdominal pain, breathing difficulty, chest pain, dehydration, diarrhea, dizziness, heart attack, heat stroke, loss of consciousness, muscle cramping, nausea/vomiting, numbness in extremities, palpitations, tremors.
Symptoms of Dehydration
Unfortunately, the word “dehydration” is not clearly listed in the side effects for any of these common pills, powders, etc. You have to search for the consequences of dehydration in the side effects. These are dry lips, dry mouth, dark urine, headache, tiredness, dizziness, weakness, high heart rate, low blood pressure, flushed skin, swollen feet, muscle cramps, heat intolerance or chills, constipation, (symptoms from Cleveland Clinic 2024).
Dehydration Research is Lacking
We know through research that very little is known about dehydration. In Barry M Popkins, et al, Water, Hydration, and Health published in 2010, his summary includes these two paragraphs.
“Little work has been done to measure total fluid intake systematically and there is no understanding of measurement error and the best methods of understanding fluid intake. The most definitive US and European documents on total water requirements are based on these extant intake data. The absence of validation methods for water consumption intake levels and patterns represent a major knowledge gap. Even varying the methods of probing in order to collect better water recall data has been little explored.”
“On the other side of the issue is the need to understand total hydration status. There are presently no acceptable biomarkers of hydration status at the population level, and controversy exists about the current knowledge of hydration status amount older Americans. Thus, while scholars are certainly focused on attempting to create biomarkers for measuring hydration status at the population level, the topic is currently understudied”.
In conclusion, the scientific community does not know enough about dehydration, yet many medications and supplements that are used daily create dehydration. We are not suggesting you stop your medications. Medication dehydration awareness is our goal. If your medications cause dehydration then work with your doctor to keep hydrated and/or substitute another less dehydrating medication. If you are taking supplements without Western medicine blood work to show deficiency then you will want to rethink this excess.
Member Story about Dehydrating Event
Erica W.
“I am fairly new and incredibly grateful for all the work Beth Smarzik and the rest of the admin team puts into this group! I got the worst flu of my life Dec 13 and suffered an extreme dehydration event. I had taken B Complex for years and there have been a couple of times where I had leg aches including after I took Ciproflaxin.
I could not shake the flu and began to feel incredibly unwell. On Jan 3, I went to the hospital as I was suffering pins and needles in my hands and all down my legs. I thought I might be having a stroke. I could walk but I couldn’t feel my legs while walking. They ran a series of tests and told me to follow up with a neurologist and even offered to admit me. I opted to do outpatient as I could still walk (barely).
I found a neuro and was able to make an appointment a few days later for my initial visit. I’m entirely grateful she took so much time as I went through a list of symptoms that never made any sense to me. She immediately said she wanted to run tests and kept asking if I took a B supplement as I put it down on the sheet of drugs. I said yes and she said she wanted me to do a test on B vitamins. I feel ashamed saying this now but I thought she was wrong. Her assistant forgot to get me the bloodwork sheet and I went on several weeks feeling worse every day.
It got to the point I could barely walk. My equilibrium was totally off. I didn’t have vertigo but it was like I was on a boat. Rock bottom was when I was shopping by myself and thought my knees were going to buckle. I kept thinking omg I’m going to go down right here, right now. I managed to get out of the store and followed up for the blood test. It took a week for Quest results.
My levels were 80.7 out of a range 2.1-21.7. My B12 was low which explained the slight fatigue I was feeling. I googled B6 toxicity and found myself here. Thank you to everyone for your advice. I didn’t have a follow up with the neuro until nearly a month later. He confirmed the toxicity and told me my levels were significant. I got really emotional leaving as the hospital thought it might be MS. I did a nerve conduction study, xrays and other blood work. It was a relief to know this was something within my control.
I have followed the protocol and stopped taking my supplement. I drink gatorade zero and one small vita cocoa in the morning, one in the afternoon. It’s been almost 4 weeks and am in recoil. The first day of my period was probably the worst day so far. I got it early and I felt awful. Some days are better than others. But somehow I managed from going from 3,000 steps a day to nearly 10,000.
I’ve always metabolized drugs and vitamins differently than other people. I often have to take partial doses. For instance my blood pressure throughout this ordeal got to 200/125 when I was in the hospital. I only take 5mg of Propranolol and it brings my blood pressure right down. My blood pressure has come down considerably since detoxing.
I think some of us may process vitamins differently because my vitamin B was only 5mg. I was pounding Emergen-C and had a very high B6 diet. I wish I would have pushed myself to get the test done sooner. I had no idea about B6 but am so grateful for all the advice. I literally thought I might have to quit my job and subsequently my medical insurance at the worst of it.
I asked the neurologist if he was seeing a lot of patients coming in for B issues. He sternly looked at me and said yes. It is very common and people should not be taking multi vitamins. I feel the vitamin industry is doing a disservice if there are all these people sick with vitamin toxicity but perhaps that rant is for another time.“
Stay tuned for more information on B6 toxicity and dehydrating events. We will update subscribers with completed sections in our Newsletter. Subscribe to our newsletter.