I have never been so thirsty in my life. It's hot out these days, so maybe that's the reason, but this seems out of the realm of normal. I'm so thirsty that my stomach is literally bloated now with water that I drank - and although my stomach says I'm full and if I drink anything else I'll get sick, my mouth and throat are still screaming for more!

I've been thirsty like this now for about 3 or 4 days. What gives?

Have any of you gone through this? Any idea how to quench the thirst?

What are you drinking?

Your body needs electrolytes as well as fluid. There are sports drinks that address both of these needs.

Are you diabetic? Is there a history of diabetes in your family history at all?

If this continues, I would see the doctor.

Is your polydipsia (excessive fluid intake) associated with excessive urination? If so you have to determine which causes which. If you're simply drinking too much water, your kidneys will excrete the extra water, pulling your sodium down little by little and upsetting other blood chemistry. A "sports drink" like Gatorade may be better than water here.

But if something else is causing the kidneys to make more urine (diabetic with high blood sugar, for instance) then dehydration and thirst will result.

If you're simply dehydrated to begin with (hot environment, excessive perspiration, inadequate fluid intake, elevated body temperature, et al.) then your urine would be of lower volume with darker color.

Are you drinking cold water? Try switching to room-temperature water instead. You may be enjoying the satisfying feeling of drinking cold liquids on a hot day, to the detriment of your physiology! Warmer water is not as easy to "binge" on.

I only mention diabetes because it classically shows up as thirst with excessive urination. Just something to think about. If you know any chronic diabetics, maybe have them do a quick check of your urine (dipstick) or blood (fingerprick).

Sorry, Sherasi, I didn't realize you posted ahead of me.

Thanks, Professor and Sherasi. I'm drinking lukewarm water - carrying a bottle around with me (like a waterholic!). My urine isn't dark. I'll switch to Gatorade and see if that helps.

My niece has type 1 diabetes, so that did occur to me. The only thing is that I'm an adult (29 years old) which I think rules out type 1 diabetes, and I'm not overweight or close to being overweight, so I don't think it's likely that I have type 2 diabetes. I don't know anyone nearby who is diabetic so I can't do a self-check.

First, I'm going to try switching to gatorade. I'd hate to go to the doctor for this, so I definitely won't go for a while unless something drastic happens. I just went to the doctor about a week ago thinking I was pregnant, and I'm embarrassed to say that I wasn't and I'm sure the doctor would think I'm a terrible hypocondriac if I were to return now wondering if I'm diabetic!

The only thing left to say is maybe you are eating something which is making you thirsty. For example, I get thirsty from eating a bit too much cheese or anything else which has a bit too much salt in it for my palate.

Also, instead of reaching for the water, try something a trifle sweet, perhaps something akin to a Life Saver, excuse the pun.

I found out recently I have diabetes and that was what gave me the clue.....excessive thirst that nothing really cured, and then excessive urination. Only it came on gradually rather than all of a sudden. Even though you have none of the risk factors other than a family history---I certainly had the risk factors---I'd get it checked out. I would rather be safe than sorry.

I know it's really rare Sarai but a friend of mine was diagnosed with type 1 when he was 29.

Another friend drank a ton of water when she visited Egypt. She ended up in the hospital because she lowered her sodium level to the point that she passed out. Try the gatorade but do go to a doctor if this continues.

does anyone in your family have diabetes?
I think you should check in with your doctor.

Thanks, all! I never did go get checked out for diabetes, but the thirst disappeared after a couple of days, so I think I'm okay. That was really strange- I wonder what caused it.

For future reference... you should drink drinks with electrolytes added such as gatorade or other sports drinks. Too much water can give you water intoxication (this is usually after gallons of the stuff though) and that CAN kill you.

Drinking excess water in the absence of dietary sodium results in hyponatremia, an overdilution of sodium in the blood plasma, which in turn causes an osmotic shift of water from the blood plasma into brain cells. The brain cells swell as result of osmotic pressure, and will ultimately cease to function. Also, many other cells in the body may undergo cytolysis, where the cell membranes unable to stand the osmotic pressure explode, killing the cell. Initial symptoms typically include light-headedness, sometimes accompanied by nausea, vomiting, headache and/or malaise. Plasma sodium levels below 100 mmol/L (2.3g/L) frequently result in cerebral edema, seizures, coma, and death within a few hours of drinking the excess water. As with an alcohol overdose, the progression from mild to severe symptoms may occur rapidly as the body continues to absorb water from the stomach.

interesting .. some serious stuff