# MDMA and overhydration deaths **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 5, 2002, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mdma-and-overhydration-deaths/130918 "2002-10-05T01:34:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Daowajan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@Daowajan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daowajan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mdma-and-overhydration-deaths/130918/1 "2002-10-05T01:34:02Z")
This is one of those things that came up at the dinner table, but for the life of me I can’t remember _how._ Anyway, a guy was trying to describe this to me. According to him, people high on Ecstasy consume dangerous amounts of water and sometimes die from overhydration. He wasn’t too sure about the mechanics of it, but said that the cells reach some sort of saturation density and basically shut down. I asked him “So what do they die of?” and he said… “I think everything just kind of stops working.” So 1. Exactly how much water would someone have to consume for it to be deadly? 2. What happens on the cellular level once someone hits the deadly point? 3. What does the person eventually die of? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mdma-and-overhydration-deaths/130918/2 "2002-10-05T02:36:51Z")
Unka Cecil himself sez: > [@](#): > > Is it possible to drink too much water? Several comedians found it necessary to comment: Sure, you could drown! But the fact is, in extreme circumstances too much water can kill you, even if all you do is drink it. Kelly Barrett, a 43-year-old pediatric dentist from Littleton, Colorado, died of a condition known as hyponatremia after drinking too much water during the 1998 Chicago marathon. Hyponatremia, AKA water intoxication, occurs when the body’s salt and water levels get dangerously out of balance, leading to swelling of the brain and leakage of fluid into the lungs. It can occur when athletes, hikers, etc., sweat heavily, losing both salt and water, but replace only water. Diagnostic signs: dizziness, disorientation, headaches, extreme fatigue, death. Prevention: salty snacks and sports drinks. So pass the taco chips and Gatorade, bubba, and let’s get healthy. [http://www.straightdope.com/columns/020208.html](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/020208.html) But this is **NOT** the problem with ecstacy. Dehydration is far more likely, and far more deadly. Frankly, while not impossible, it’s very difficult to voluntarily consume so much water that you die of it. ---
**Author:** ![scotth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@scotth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotth)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mdma-and-overhydration-deaths/130918/3 "2002-10-05T02:45:41Z")
It does happen. Some of the people are so frightened by the dehydration stories that they deliberately consume very large amounts of water to prevent it. They then die by water overdose. On to the specifics: 1. It depends. 2. The big problem is that sodium and potassium levels get too low in the bloodstream due to dilution. This causes cells to overfill themselves by osmosis. This is especially dangerous with nerve cells and can lead to dizziness, vertigo, convulsions, coma, and or death. 3. A return to one, it still depends, but with 2 out the way, you can see that it depends on the size of the person, what their normal salt intake is like, how long since they last ate, how salty was their last meal, etc. 4. Well, if you want to know the name of what they die of, it is generally called acute water intoxication. If you want the process, I am pretty sure that it is from their nervous system shutting down. I suspect that it is probably similar to meningitis. Hopefully QtM will swing though with some more details soon. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mdma-and-overhydration-deaths/130918/4 "2002-10-05T02:49:08Z")
Well, I’m beyond trying to summarize a bunch of stuff I don’t really know, but a google search on hyperhydration, MDMA and fatality will get you lots to look at. Apparently there are relatively few deaths directly attributable to MDMA and, if anything, dehydration is a bigger problem then hyperhydration. As is often the case, the lore appears to have it backwards. ---
**Author:** ![scotth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@scotth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotth)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mdma-and-overhydration-deaths/130918/5 "2002-10-05T02:51:02Z")
Damn… QtM, you strike too fast. My last sentence looks pretty smart now. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mdma-and-overhydration-deaths/130918/6 "2002-10-05T02:55:27Z")
And I’m late to the game. ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Scene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Bob\_Scene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Scene)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mdma-and-overhydration-deaths/130918/7 "2002-10-05T03:12:31Z")
Don’t worry about hyperhydration. Lots of jurisdictions are forcing people who host raves to not provide water and “cool-down” rooms for their customers. This guarantees that lots of kids will die from **de** hydration, but it should eliminate the tiny percentage that might die from **hyper** hydration. The War on Drugs marches on.