Is it normal/common to constantly feel thirsty? I feel like I drink all day long. I get PLENTY of salt and I take .1 mg Florinef, but I feel like I'm always dehydrated. And I don't drink dehydrating beverages such as coffee, tea, soda, etc. Just lots of water & a couple huge proteins shakes.
Wondering if there might be something else going on or if this is a common symptom of this condition? Maybe I ought to increase the Florinef?
Some people with Addison's do require higher doses, like .15 mg Florinef, but of course that should be discussed with your Dr. One way to know is to ask for your serum osmolality to be checked, as well as electrolytes. The osmolality tells you if you are dehydrated. That is a little more sensitive than BUN/creatinine ratio or urine specific gravity. Both of those are high in dehydration, as is the osmolality. I would record a typical day's fluid intake for 24 hrs, and if the total is over 2.5 liters or quarts, you are probably a little off balance (dehydrated).
It could also simply just be the fact that you are taking in a lot of salt and protein. Its quite normal that someone would become very thirsty with excessive sodium and artificial protein shakes.
thank you both very much for your replies. Ladybug, I will check with my doc about the testing you suggested. Funny I've told him frequently about the constant thirst and he just blows it off. Probably time to find a new endo .. I've seen so many docs and they've all been so "in the box" regarding this condition. You learn to sort of be your own doc.
And Knickerbocker .. I've been sort of thinking that maybe I'm so thirsty because I take in so much salt. But I crave it. I can barely taste anything that isn't salty, and I have chronically low BP. I'm also extremely underweight at the moment due to some digestive problems/malabsorption, and so I have a protein shake everyday. The digestive issues could also be tied to the dehydration. However, I do NOT have diarrhea.. more close to the opposite. My digestive problems are liver/gallbladder related.
And there's nothing artificial in the products I use: sprouted brown rice protein powder, egg white protein powder, and fermented soy ... and they are all free of sweeteners. Do you know if there is anything about protein powders in general that is dehydrating? Hope not. I crave them ..
Thanks again for your responses. Greatly appreciated.
Make sure your blood sugar levels are OK.
Last time I experience sever thirst I was on Dexemethasone (sp?). It gave me crazy blood sugar readings (as high as 25!).
Take care!
The fact that your BP is chronically low may be a result of insufficient aldosterone, (Florinef) which makes you lose sodium and water thru kidneys. That would make you crave both. Since the Addison's is autoimmune, have you considered another autoimmune disorder- celiac disease, that might be related to your malabsorption and low weight? I would get checked for that, as many people with one AI disorder have more than one. Your PCP or a GI doc could check for that.
