Does eating salt help rehydrate you on stims?

[Harambulus]

I read on the net in various places how you should take a spoon of salt and mix it in water if you are dehydrated as a DIY alternative to costly sports drinks.

In the past I've done this when I feel dehydrated- been pissing alot and felt that dry scratchy throat etc you get when stimming and boozing and it seemed to provide some relief IIRC. I did so just just now it seemed to wake me up a bit and make me feel a bit replenished but find it hard but I was also jsut coming up offf a redose find it hard to say for sure if it provided any positive benefit or just that I was getting high again.

Is there any basis to this?

 

[gaktattack]

Absolutely not. Hyrdrate (to add H20) can only be achieved by drinking water. The reason you add salt to a sports drink is to replace what you lost as sweat because an ionic imbalance can lead to all sort of issues. If you want to make homeade gatorade, get liquid centrum, put some in koolaid and add a dash of salt.

 

[gaktattack]

Alcohol is a diuretic and will make you piss out your water and electrolytes (magenesium, sodium, potassium, and calcium). Stimulants will cause sweating and you will lose your electrolytes and water that way. Stims also usually mean you are not eating and that contributes to an imbalance. I have found that when I was geeked out really bad, and I got extremely tired, it was because i had tapped by glycogen stores and needed to eat. When I finally did eat, I would get high all over again as it would cause my metabolism to crank up all over again and get that much needed sugar back into my brain. A sports drink would give you sugar, and replace the ions you lost. The most important electrolyte, especially for alcys and motorheads, is magnesium. The average american diet is already deficient of magnesium , and it is good to supplement it anyway. Also, if you are into opiates, take magnesium supplements instead of milk of mag, as it will still loosen up your stool. Calcium will bind you up, and if you have ever experienced opiate induced fecal impaction, you will always want to use preventative medicines from then forward.

 

[Harambulus]

Ok, I just realized I felt ill -I've concluded- because I banged a load of alcohol in short order. As a little had given me reduced anxiety I falsely thought more would reduce it even more but it just made me feel sick and dysphoric. Ive felt better as soon as I stopped it and drank alot of juice and a cup of tea.

 

[gaktattack]

As long as you are feeling better. Remember to stay hydrated, especially to save your teeth.

 

[DooMMooD]

Ya only water hydrates you.

They say add a bit of salt to H20 IN PLACE OF SPORTS DRINKS, because those are expensive as fuck and theyre basically a sweetened version of salt water. But those are only good to replace electrolytes you lose via sweat. They are also good if lets say you drink a gallon of pure water, as drinking obscene amounts of water alone will imbalance your electrolyte and salt levels. In a very short summary, you need certain concentrations of these things to mediate sodium potassium gates in your nerve system. So too much water fucks up the concentration.

So if you were lets say drinking a 2 gallon jug of water at a rave, it'd be good to add a bit of salt, because you dont want water intoxication. If you just exercised, and are going to drink that much water, a pinch of salt would be good too. If you plan on eating with it though, its not necessary (if your food contains sodium or potassium).

Water is good, but too much and you lose your electrolytes (salt).

If you need to hydrate yourself water alone

 

[Harambulus]

Ok, cheers. Will stick with water then :D.

 

[pally pete]

Ok, cheers. Will stick with water then :D.

I think Tonic Water is particulary good for rehydration and also from stopping you getting cramps and things associated with dehydration. I think it has something to do with it containing Quinine....

Somebody please correct me if im wrong.

 

[gaktattack]

It sure is delicious when mixed with gin. I don't see why one water is any more likely to hydrate than another, especially tonic water which is sweet. Quinine can potentiate opiates though, but there isn't enough quinine in tonic water anymore to really do anything

Wiki: is a natural white crystalline alkaloid having antipyretic (fever-reducing), antimalarial, analgesic (painkilling), anti-inflammatory properties.

 

[effie]

^ I have no idea about tonic water but something isotonic (same concentration of solutes as the blood) will rehydrate you better than something hypotonic (less concentrated, like plain water - which is as hypotonic as you can get) which is why sports drinks are often isotonic, as well as for replacing electrolytes lost in sweat.

Water is absorbed faster in the gastro-intestinal tract if it contains carbohydrate (usually in the forum of sugar). Also, if you absorb electrolytes alongside the water it stops the blood from becoming less concentrated, which would cause the kidneys to expel more water to restore equilibrium and counteract some of the rehydration.

However, for most purposes, just drinking some water would do the trick; as DooMMooD says though if you are exercising/raving for hours then you want to replace the lost electrolytes as well as prevent water intoxication (especially important if you are on stims/MDMA) so it's good not to drink loads of just plain water in that situation - add some diluting juice or salt/sugar, or get a soda from time to time, or some food if you can.

 

[Foreigner]

I slightly disagree with the above.

Water hydrates you, yes, but without electrolyte salts in your blood, you will piss all of that water right out of you. Your body needs these salts to hold water, but table salt won't cut it. You need potassium, sodium, glucose, and water ideally.

I've discovered that the best way to hydrate while on stims is pure coconut water. Comes in a can. Blue Monkey is the most common brand. Contains all the electrolytes and sugars you need in perfect balance, and when it's served cold it's AMAZING. Trust me on this one.

 

[gaktattack]

^ I have no idea about tonic water but something isotonic (same concentration of solutes as the blood) will rehydrate you better than something hypotonic

The act of swallowing it will basically shift it to isotonic anyway, it will pick up up saliva and whatever is in the stomach. I doubt you could really measure a difference in absorption rates as the concentration will normalize by the time it gets to the SI. Isotonic is really only a big deal when used on certain mucosal tissues like the eyes or the sinuses, or when injected directly into the bloodstream. I doubt any tissues can be damaged from the mouth to the gut when ingesting a hypotonic solution.

 

[effie]

^^ Which bit do you disagree with? The consensus in the thread or my post in particular? Because I agree with you that something other than plain water rehydrates you best and replacing electrolytes other than just sodium and chloride is important, I just don't think that it is a major concern unless you are dancing/exercising lots without regular meals or are very dehydrated (eg with diarrhoea). I suppose stims do raise your body temp and increase sweating actually and a lot of people don't drink enough on them - I'm slightly obsessive about that and always have a drink on the go, and I tend to drink meal replacement/protein shakes if I can't eat, so it's not something I tend to worry about personally.

edit: ninja gaktattack

Would swallowing a bit of saliva and mixing with stomach contents really make it isotonic?

I'm not saying hypotonic is bad or dangerous to the GI tract; obviously with IV use haemolysis would be a risk but not to the enteric mucosa. The main factor in why isotonic rehydrates better, afaik, is adding electrolytes to the blood so that the water can be accomodated there too; as such a narrow electrolyte concentration is maintained, adding a load of plain water to the circulating volume will result in it either moving into the tissues or being removed by the kidneys. I'm not 100% sure about the dynamics of water absorption into the bloodstream but I would imagine this would be impaired too if the blood was starting to dip below it's usual electrolyte concentrations, even if purely due to reduced osmosis.

Fluid/electrolyte balance is immensely complicated though and renal physicians have to work hard to get their heads around it so I may well not be quite right here..

 

[pally pete]

Ok anyway.

Quinine does help with cramps (A symptom of Dehydration)

Besides..... My Mum told me.. and she is the worlds leading Dehydration expert. So there!

 

[gaktattack]

Effie, you must be referring to Foreigner with that last post...

My issue with the electrolytes is that by strict definition, the best way to rehydrate is to consume pure water. As salty as the average American diet is, I don't think there are too many occasions where we need salt added to our drinks.(Thus, I agree with you Effie). The only part I disagree with is the isotonic water bit... Wait, were you mentioning isotonic/hypotonic because of "tonic water"? Tonic water is a carbonated sweetened water with quinine that comes from the british colonization of Africa. They drank quinine in their drinks because it is a malaria treatment, they liked the taste of it when mixed with Gin, and that is why it has become a staple of bars across the english speaking world.

 

[gaktattack]

Ok anyway.

Quinine does help with cramps (A symptom of Dehydration)

Besides..... My Mum told me.. and she is the worlds leading Dehydration expert. So there!

But Pete, Midol isn't factored into dehydration... Anyhow, I am a science guy. I have my bachelors in the stuff. Perhaps I am holding you all to a higher standard than I should. So sure... dehydration + midol+salt=rehydration....

 

[effie]

Effie, you must be referring to Foreigner with that last post...

My issue with the electrolytes is that by strict definition, the best way to rehydrate is to consume pure water. As salty as the average American diet is, I don't think there are too many occasions where we need salt added to our drinks.(Thus, I agree with you Effie). The only part I disagree with is the isotonic water bit... Wait, were you mentioning isotonic/hypotonic because of "tonic water"? Tonic water is a carbonated sweetened water with quinine that comes from the british colonization of Africa. They drank quinine in their drinks because it is a malaria treatment, they liked the taste of it when mixed with Gin, and that is why it has become a staple of bars across the english speaking world.

I was, you posted as I was writing mine. I've edited my post to answer you too though

I wasn't mentioning isotonic/hypotonic because of the tonic water haha but that made me laugh :D hadn't spotted that..

 

[Captain.Heroin]

If your heart rate/blood pressure are high, i.e. stimulant use, it's a good idea to stay away from salt.

Stick to water.

 

[i are spectre]

as mentioned before, too little salt will cause just as many problems. osmosis helps RETAIN the water in our body.

 

[Steps]

I'd also like to throw in a little tip here...

Milk is probably the best thing you can consume during an amphetamine binge
It has calories, it has fat, it has carbs, it has a LOT of protein, it actually has electrolyte, it has many vitamins, it has INCREDIBLE nutritional value, and it is a liquid (so you can force it down way easier than food)