What Are the Treatments for Water Intoxication?

Most people know that drinking too little water can lead to dehydration, which presents a health risk. Drinking too much water can also be dangerous because it can lead to water intoxication. Treatments for water intoxication focus on restoring the body's fluid levels to their proper balance.

The Facts

• Water intoxication occurs when a person drinks large quantities of water and does not excrete the water through urination or sweating. Symptoms include headache, mental confusion, nausea and fatigue. Those who experience water intoxication may experience low sodium levels in the blood to the point of developing hyponatremia. This can lead to dangerous swelling of the cells of the body, which can lead to swelling of the brain. In extreme cases, this can lead to coma or death. Water intoxication is treated through fluid restriction, the administration of IV fluids, diuretics and suppression of the vasopressin hormone.

Fluid Restriction

• The first step to treating a patient with water intoxication is to restrict her fluid intake. In mild cases, this is all the treatment needed to reverse the effects of drinking too much water. The patient's kidneys will process the excess water in her system and she will recover on her own.

IV Fluids

• In more severe cases of water intoxication, a physician might need to administer medical treatment in order to restore a patient to health. If water intoxication has triggered hyponatremia, it is essential that the patient's electrolytes be put back into balance. An IV can be administrated to increase the low levels of sodium in the patient's blood. This must be done slowly in order to avoid the risk of over compensating and raising sodium levels too high.

Diuretics

• Doctors can also prescribe diuretics to a patient suffering from water intoxication. This treatment is most effective when used for a patient who has experienced some kind of physical stress that has caused the kidneys to decrease function in order to conserve water. Diuretics stimulate the kidneys to process the water in the body and excrete it more quickly. This is usually done in combination with other treatments.

Vasopressin Suppression

• When a person undergoes physical stress, his body can produce a hormone called vasopressin. Vasopressin is also called the antidiuretic hormone because it depresses kidney function. When vasopressin is present in the body and a person drinks an excessive amount of water, water intoxication can result. Sometimes treatment with diuretics is not enough to overcome the effects of the hormone. In that case, a doctor needs to administer medication that counteracts vasopressin directly to successfully treat water intoxication.