Low Sodium

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Elsie

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I've had my lab work done. I see my sodium has tested 130. If the range is the same as last year's testing (this batch of test results didn't have ranges noted on the computer report I printed out) it is 135 - 145. So, not very low, but a little. I wonder what the symptoms of low sodium (almost borderline) would be.

Been feeling puny anyway. Low energy, wanting to sleep a lot. I'm so scared dr. will want to switch me to another medicine. EGads. I don't dare try kepra. I already have pretty bad anger issues I try to keep a lid on and awful anxiety. I expect a call from dr. soon, if not I'll call her.

My sodium is lower than it was last year. I'm on trileptal 150mg in morning but night dose has been raised to 300 at night. Now it's low, but at least in the good range. Maybe that's why my sodium went down this time.

Anybody else have the same? Gee, I don't need another thing to worry about.
 
Elsie said:
I've had my lab work done. I see my sodium has tested 130. If the range is the same as last year's testing (this batch of test results didn't have ranges noted on the computer report I printed out) it is 135 - 145. So, not very low, but a little. I wonder what the symptoms of low sodium (almost borderline) would be.

Been feeling puny anyway. Low energy, wanting to sleep a lot. I'm so scared dr. will want to switch me to another medicine. EGads. I don't dare try kepra. I already have pretty bad anger issues I try to keep a lid on and awful anxiety. I expect a call from dr. soon, if not I'll call her.

My sodium is lower than it was last year. I'm on trileptal 150mg in morning but night dose has been raised to 300 at night. Now it's low, but at least in the good range. Maybe that's why my sodium went down this time.

Anybody else have the same? Gee, I don't need another thing to worry about.
Click to expand...

I frequently have low sodium. My biggest problems from low sodium are seizures and horrible cramps. Cramps in my feet, hands, calves , inner thighs, etc.
 
As MAB says, low sodium can cause cramps and seizures. Sometimes it can also make you feel tired, confused or cranky, and it can cause headaches and nausea.

Trileptal can cause low sodium, so it sounds like that would be the cause. You should check with your neuro about what to watch out for and what to do -- you might need to reduce how much you fluid you take in. If it keeps being a problem, there are AEDs other than Keppra that you could try, ones that aren't known to cause mood-related side effects.
 
Well, I am more nauseous than usual. Not bad just yuck. Not sure I get confused but I sure can get cranky. Would be nice to have something medical to blame that on instead of just poor personality. I do try to keep to myself when I'm feeling cranky. I wonder what number it would go down to when I should really start to worry. I read some pretty bad things about low sodium.

MAB, what do you do when your sodium is low to bring it up?

In reading around about it yesterday, also see that hypothyroid can cause it also. Double whammy for me. Oh, and I don't think it's fluid intake. I'm not one of those people who walk around with a water bottle. If anything, I'd suspect I don't get quite enough. Oh well.
 
Elsie. it sounds like your sodium is cause by your medicine. Mine is caused overhydration. Doctor said to mix 1/4 teaspoon with a bottle of Powerade. The cramps stop with the first 2-3 gulps.

I also have low blood pressure and have to take high blood pressure medicine so she warned me to use a lot of salt.
 
I know I don't drink too much. For a couple days I will measure what I drink. I'm glad caffeine isn't a trigger for me, I usually have coffee with me... I just feel like I'm all messed up right now. My cholesterol tested way up. My RBC has been low every time I've been tested for at least 3 years. She never tells me to do anything about that. Now this sodium thing. Also, my weight has crept up. I had to increase trileptal because that was low few months back. I just feel unable to cope with so much stuff.

I'm begging DH to retire because we work long hours and the stress is killing me. I don't have the mental "bandwidth" to deal with it all. I honestly don't know how the rest of you live with the medical problems you have. Mine are so mild in comparison, so I appologize. Just recently, I feel like a volcano ready to explode. 20 years without a vacation, takes a toll I guess.
 
Elsie, no need to apologize. It's good to vent.

I know I feel like I have nothing to complain about. I have only had SPs, so I have never hurt myself and I am allowed to drive so I have much to be thankful for. Still I vent too because my memory and spelling are so bad and I get so confused after a lot of partials. I make too many mistakes at work but since I work alone I am able to cover a lot of them so no one knows. Also I sometimes worry that since no one notices my SPs but me and somwtimes my husband people don't believe me.

Don't be afraid to vent here. Everyone is very nice and we all vent from time to time.
 
Drinking too much water could cause your sodium to be low. This is why I drink Gatorade. One has to be careful not to drink too much Gatorade or you could wind up on the other side of the equation. But one would have to drink quite a bit of Gatorade to put their electrolytes back into danger territory.
 
Good idea, but I really really hate the taste of Gatorade! I don't drink soda either. Still haven't heard from dr. Does she even read these lab results she gets?
 
Elsie said:
Good idea, but I really really hate the taste of Gatorade! I don't drink soda either. Still haven't heard from dr. Does she even read these lab results she gets?
Click to expand...
Try a pinch of salt on your tongue. wash it down with water. I use pink salt.
 
i just talked to my dr. about my blood test. he sayed my sodium is low . it could be from the tegretol. my head has been aching.[not a headache]. i got very confused thur. night with my mom. they are the only symptoms ive had
 
My neighbor had a seizure a few years ago, the only one in her life, and it was determined that her low sodium level was the cause of her seizure.
 
Once when I was house-sitting for some friends in a very remote fishing village in Mexico, I gat a really bad intestinal bug due to some elderly unpasteurized local goat cheese in 103 degree summer weather. I won't TMI you with the details.

I couldn't even keep water down and I might very well have died if not for the intervention of the local "curandera" or medicine woman. It had been five days since I had eaten and three since any water had stayed down and I was starting to see things that weren't there.

She mixed up this drink for me that I later realized was just the all natural version of gatorade. It was sea salt, baking soda, lime juice, honey, and water. Like Gatorade but without all the fake chemicals and colorants etc.

That got my whacked out electrolytes back in balance enough to get rehydrated and then start eating a few days later.

It was a weird experience.
 
Aaah! I have night cramps, sweat until my bed sheets are soaking & my partial seizures think they're partying. I'm going through the 'change'....at 47! Because of all this sweating, maybe my sodium levels are at an all time low, although I'd have to wait a fortnight until I see my Dr (here in the UK). Drinking far too much coffee doesn't help, so I might start drinking these 'athletic' drinks....see if they help. The night cramps don't help with my sleep either, which can lead to depravation....= seizures. AND! I'm on Keppra & Sodium Valproate. Elsie, MAB is right, you've no need to apologize, we're all with you....& probably sailing in the same boat. x
 
If you don't have high blood pressure, instead of waiting to see the doctor , try a pinch or 2 of salt, directly on your tongue or a couple tablespoons of pickle juice.
 
:agree: with MAB

People have gotten way too salt-phobic.
You are right that the excess coffee isn't helping the situation any, just dehydrating you more..
The best "athletic drink" ever invented before humans is coconut water. You could use it as a base and add a bit of salt and some baking soda. The C-nut water is a little sweet naturally. It also has a lot of natural potassium and magnesium in it. Good for cramps.

Somebody should patent that and sell it.
 
I have vey low blood pressure and never use salt this thread given me something think about..I been drinking up to 2 litres of fresh orange juice a day I jet so thirsty.i going try these things.
you learn so much from others on this site so helpful..I started drinking C-juice do it have natural salt.i also live near sea I wondering if tea spoon of sea water a day could help me
 
Coconut water is often used as an IV solution for hydration during medical procedures in remote places in the world where sanitary water is hard to come by. Just add a little salt.
 
The reason some people are salt-phobic, (I am) is because of the risk of heart disease. In my case, salt can directly contribute to heart palpitations and afib. The channel blockers that were prescribed for me were I think primarily to treat heart conduction defects associated with MMD2. The channel blocker was suppose to be selective, meaning that it would kick in only if the cascading chemical reactions became too pronounced, leading to a prolongation of the rhythm in the primary and/or secondary (also backup) pacemaker chambers.
 
Salt causes problems in a heart that is already not healthy, no doubt.

The thing I think they got wrong from there is assuming that the salt caused the heart to *become* unhealthy in the first place. There is absolutely no evidence of that.
 
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