Electrolyte Warnings

Electrolytes have really help with my long COVID symptoms, but I have discovered a couple of cautions.

Gas and Bloating

I experienced gas and bloating caused by a stale electrolyte drink.

The instructions for Trioral say the mixture should be consumed within 24 hours. Nearly all electrolyte mixtures have a similar directive because they contain sugar, which can grow bacteria.

I was lax on the consumption time restriction, especially since I was storing the mixture in the refrigerator. If I left the mixture too long, say 36 hours, it tasted like sour milk. The electrolytes taste so bad in general that I just ignored the sour taste. However, I discovered that if I drank the mixture when it tasted like that, I got gas and bloating.

Now I consume the mixture within about 12 hours and I clean the pitcher with soap and water every day. I have not found a difference storing the mixture at room temperature versus the refrigerator.

B6 Toxicity and Liquid IV

This one I have not experienced, but a doctor recommended Liquid IV to me. When I read the nutrition facts, I saw that Liquid IV contains B6. There is a common belief that B6 is difficult to overdose, but that may not be true.

In the U.S. ME/CFS Clinician Coalition testing guidelines, page 9, they suggest testing the B6 level of patients who have neuropathy or take B6 supplements. They say that neuropathy can be caused by a “deficiency or overdose” of B6. (Read more about this coalition.)

Starting at 37:39 in this Bateman Horne Center video on long COVID supplements there is a discussion about B6 toxicity. There is a theory that sedentary patients are more likely to experience B6 toxicity because the B6 builds up in their unused muscles.

I also found a patient group advocating for more awareness of B6 toxicity: understandingb6toxicity.com

Conclusion

Electrolytes have helped me (read more), but as with anything, some caution is warranted.