# Was I poisoned? By fluoride?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-i-poisoned-by-fluoride/208224>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 18, 2003, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-i-poisoned-by-fluoride/208224 "2003-10-18T19:11:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-i-poisoned-by-fluoride/208224/1 "2003-10-18T19:11:42Z")

</div>

I use Prevident toothpaste (1.1% sodium fluoride) every night after I brush my teeth, and got a little zealous with it last week. I coated about a teaspoon of it on my teeth each night before | put my grinding guard on. A few days in, and I got random, stabbing stomach pains, especially in the very early morning. I had no idea what it could be from, then I realized that I couldn’t smell the toothpaste without feeling ill, so I stopped using it. Now I’m fine. (catches breath) So, is this why this stuff’s only available through prescription in the US? Would I have had to have eaten a whole tube of it to get fluoride posoning? (I googled it, but a lot of stuff out there is by mildly nutso anti-fluoride zealots)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-i-poisoned-by-fluoride/208224/2 "2003-10-18T19:53:29Z")

</div>

Yep, sounds like [fluoride poisoning](http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic181.htm). As little as 2 grams can be lethal, according to the article. I wouldn’t do that anymore.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-i-poisoned-by-fluoride/208224/3 "2003-10-18T20:15:34Z")

</div>

On the tubes of the regular stuff it says if you ingest more than a toothbrushful you should get help. That may be a bit of an exaggeration for an adult, but flouride poisioning is possible. Once as a kid I ate some toothpaste and got quite nauseous.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-i-poisoned-by-fluoride/208224/4 "2003-10-18T21:55:06Z")

</div>

\<IANAD\>Switch to Baking Powder for a week or so.\</IANAD\>

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-i-poisoned-by-fluoride/208224/5 "2003-10-18T22:23:42Z")

</div>

Huh. Well. That explains the muscle spasms. But seriously, don’t go telling Mensa.