Headache after taking lots of water. What to do?

Resolved question:
My boyfriend weighs 280 pounds and this morning he drank about 4 bottles of water within an hour. Later he got a really bad headache but also didn't eat all day. He took some ibuprofen and went to sleep but when he woke up he still had a slight headache. Should we be concerned?

Submitted: 4 Days
Category: Internal Medicine Specialist

Expert:  Dr. Jaydeep Tripathy replied 4 Days.

Hello,
Thank you for your query at DoctorSpring.com
I understand your concern.
Did he have any episode of loose stools or diarrhea before he drank 4 liters of water? Or any history of dehydration?
Headache could be due to stress/ dehydration/ migraine/ secondary to long periods of work.
Does he have any medical history of cardiac ailments/ hypertension?
Feel free to discuss further,
Regards

Ask Your Own Medical Question >

Patient replied :

No he has none of any of those questions you asked me. He just wants to make sure he doesn't have water intoxication.


Expert:  Dr. Jaydeep Tripathy replied 3 Days.

Hello,
Thank you for your follow-up.
No, you need not worry about water intoxication/ dilutional hyponatremia.
Even though not a lot of research has been done in this condition, but available papers suggest that a man will be at risk of dilutional hyponatremia, if he consumes 6 liters of water within 30 minutes, and his weight is not more than 150-180 pounds.
So considering his body weight, it should not be a problem.
Feel free to discuss further,
Regards.

Ask Your Own Medical Question >

Users who read this, also read: