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Is It Normal To Have Salty Taste And Stomach Upset During Alcohol Detox?

Posted on Sat, 25 Jan 2014

Question: hi - my husdand, 55 years old, is on day 5 of alcohol detox - last night he complained of a salty taste and said his stomache felt upset. He has thrown up a couple of times. He had a good day yesterday - eating some, drinking water and gatorade. Is this part of the detox? Thank you.

Answered by Dr. Preeti Parakh (49 minutes later)

Brief Answer: A common complaint. Need not worry. Detailed Answer: Hi, Welcome to Healthcare Magic! Please do not worry. Many people have gastric upset during withdrawal from alcohol. Usually there is acidity and reflux of acid into the food pipe as well, some of which regurgitates into the mouth and causes altered taste. I personally prefer to prescribe all my patients of alcohol withdrawal an antacid or an acid production lowering agent like ranitidine or pantoprazole. You can check whether he has been prescribed any such medicines or not. If not, you can ask his doctor to add one. Over the counter antacids will also help. He should also avoid taking fried, oily or spicy foods for the next few days. I also feel that too much of Gatorade will not be good for him. Hope this helps you. Please feel free to ask if you need any clarifications. Best wishes. Dr Preeti Parakh MD Psychiatry

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Preeti Parakh (43 minutes later)

Thank you. I feel better now. So he needs to stick with water. He's sleeping now - it made for a bad night. He was also sweating earlier. This is scary for me as I haven't gone thru alcohol detox before. It seems each day brings something different. Thank you again for the relief that this is just a part of detox.

Answered by Dr. Preeti Parakh (15 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Keep his morale high. Detailed Answer: Hi, Sleep disturbance, anxiety and restlessness are common in alcohol withdrawal and he will be better in a few more days. The flavouring and high sugar content of Gatorade may aggravate his nausea. So I think he should avoid taking too much of it. Please do not worry and keep his morale high. It is only a question of a few days and then the worst will be over. Best wishes. Dr Preeti Parakh MD Psychiatry

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Preeti Parakh (3 minutes later)

Thank you!

Answered by Dr. Preeti Parakh (4 minutes later)

Brief Answer: You are welcome! Detailed Answer: Hi, You are welcome! If you need me in future, you can contact me on this site at WWW.WWWW.WW Best wishes. Dr Preeti Parakh MD Psychiatry

Note: In case of any other concern or query related to prevention, evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, or the recovery of persons with the any type of addiction or substance use, follow up with our Addiction Medicine Specialist. Click here to book a consultation now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar