Review: Liquid IV for Water Absorption Issues

For those of us with short bowel or other water absorption issues, I heard of another ORS option, Liquid IV. It's available at some CVS stores (US) and it's also available from Amazon.

I've been trying the Drip Drop product just before I go to bed. So far, it's reduced my water input by 500ml a night. I haven't tried it during the day, so I don't know how well it works when food is involved.

I'm going to use the same test for Liquid IV and see how it works.

I got the berry flavored Drip Drop. It takes two packets to make a 500ml bottle. The taste isn't that bad, but I wouldn't drink it for the taste.

I got the lemon-lime flavored Liquid IV. It takes only one packet to make a 500 ml bottle. I'll provide a review of the taste after I've tried it a few times.

BTW from previous posts, I tried Diet Dr. Pepper (man cannot live by water alone) and it actually tastes pretty close to the regular, and there's hardly an aftertaste.

Dave

Dave, my hat's off to you. I could not stand the taste of Drip Drop Lemon. I even tried masking it with tomato juice, which worked the best as opposed to adding water or Crystal Light. My doctor told me to Google the Oley Foundation, and I found an ORS drink that actually tastes good and is very easy to make.

Hello, can you tell me what an ord drink is?

RE the liquid IV and the Drip Drop products... can anyone tell me what the sodium content is on these items?

O.R.S.  =  Oral rehydration solution

I use both Drip Drop and Liquid IV, and enjoy both products. Both are manufactured in several different flavors, and all are fairly tolerable. However, I consider Liquid IV to be superior because it has less sugar per a 16 ounce serving (11 grams versus Drip Drop's 14 grams) and it doesn't have sucralose as an ingredient (like Drip Drop does). Both products can also be ordered online.

Hi guys,

I've used Drip Drop a few years ago, as well as all the other ORS formulations, but for the amount of ORS I drink I've found that making my own is the only way to go. I also make my own when I eat out, as once you know the ratio it's simple. I get lots of strange looks from folks when they see me adding a few salt packets to my soda cup. The best thing to happen recently is the introduction of those countertop Coke product dispensers at the fast food places. With those you have almost unlimited flavors to choose from and it also has unflavored seltzer that's necessary to knock down the sweetness of most Coke products. I use a lot of seltzer in my ORS, so I'm looking into a SodaStream type of carbon dioxide supplier instead of humping 2-liter bottles of seltzer home from the supermarket every week.

Year before last I worked with Enterade on their ORS, but that works on a different principle of absorption than the osmolarity theory of the ORS you're talking about. The Enterade is stupid expensive (as it's marketed to cancer patients and sold as "medical food")......and it tastes absolutely horrible.

With all the experimenting I've done with ORS I've found that with SBS folks timing is almost more important than osmolarity. I've spoken to a number of SBS "experts" about this, but they either don't believe me or don't care......take your pick. I was working on the assumption that there's a "cyclic" nature to absorption, and I haven't abandoned that idea yet, but now I'm experimenting (and having a lot of success with) the idea of hydrating when my intestines are mostly empty. You can try this yourself easy enough. Make sure to stop eating by midnight. Then don't eat or drink anything until 3:30am, at which time you start sipping on a quart/litre of your favorite ORS and finish it by 4:30am. If you have any output it will be any residual food that was in your bowels before you started drinking your ORS. You'll be amazed as you sit there past 4:30am and none of the ORS comes out......it all gets absorbed. I think it can do this because during the day your interior intestine real estate is covered with food particles, so there's no room for liquid to get to the semi-permeable wall membrane. Late in the AM the intestinal walls are uncovered and osmosis can take place.

I could certainly be wrong, but anecdotally.........since my ostomy in 2014 I couldn't get my weight over 180 lbs no matter what I tried, and it mostly bounced between 175 and 180. I started doing the 3:30am hydration a couple weeks ago (before that I started drinking earlier), and I weighed 191 lbs yesterday without any bouncing.....just a steady increase every day. I won't argue with success. The bottom line to all this is that there's still a lot they don't understand about how the bowels work, and there's not enough of us SBSers to justify the research resources......so we're on our own. Hang in there.......I'll figure this out eventually.

;O)

Bob

I have been using H2Ors sold on Amazon. Check it out...

Liquid IV is sodium 500mg per stick which makes 500ml of liquid.

DripDrop is 60 mEq/L (I read the definition of mEq and found it baffling)

Hope this helps,

Dave

Has anyone tried coconut water for hydration? I hear it is very good.

Just getting over a partial blockage which literally knocked the crap out of me. I have an ileostomy. Ended up in the hospital via ambulance Sunday evening and spent the night in the hospital. They flushed it out with IV fluids and lots of other stuff. Did X-rays, bloodwork, the whole nine yards. Since then, I have been pouring water through the bag constantly. I can't drink enough fluids to keep up. Feeling so weak and still a bit crampy, but much better than before. I have had ileo for 20 years. I have adhesions and scar tissue that causes problems. This is the third time it's happened to me. Has anyone else experienced this and has any tips on how to feel less weak?

Angela

Hi Angela,

Sorry to hear about your blockage, been there and it's no fun! The issue with coconut water for hydration is that although it does have sugar in it (and potassium).........it doesn't have enough sodium. So add a salt packet to your glass of coconut water and you'll be better off. But are you sure you're dehydrated? Is your urine a dark yellow color? Does the skin pull test indicate you're not fully hydrated? I used to feel pretty wiped out after a blockage, but not because I was dehydrated, but rather from the stress of being in severe pain for so long. Man, I sure don't miss those episodes. Best thing to eat if you feel weak is lean protein and take your vitamin and mineral supplements! If you really are dehydrated, whip up some ORS and sip a liter of it over the course of an hour. I hope you feel better ASAP!

Regards,

Bob

Hi Angela, your problems sound exactly like mine the past 5 years. Until last year, when my doctor and surgeon on call, when I went into the hospital, same as you. Long story short, I had a resection done and stoma moved from right to left side. I feel much better now after eating, no feeling bloated or cramping because the new stoma works so well, but I also have to drink more fluids.

Hi Ron....I am so glad to hear that you feel so much better now...my stoma was moved to the left side in 1999 after a failed reversal so I don't think that would work for me...I tried the coconut water today and it's not too bad..it's high in potassium and electrolytes. Feeling a bit more human today and have eaten a little food which has stayed down...thanks for replying to me..take care

Hi Bob, thanks so much for your reply....today I feel more human..it has been one hell of a last few days..the pain was excruciating..I'm grateful it cleared overnight instead of being in for 5 days which has happened 3 times prior to this...you are just so weak after ..it takes a lot out of you....felt like there was a brick pushing through stomach and even though I don't have a rectum, it felt like a rod up my butt...I felt the need to push and push it out. Those who don't have one have no idea what we go through..I tried the coconut water today, it's not too bad and was able to keep a bit of soft food down..tomorrow will be a better day. It's scary living alone because you have to know when the time is right to call for help..I faint when it gets bad. The EMT guys were awesome and had me hooked up to IV and ran 50gm of gravol through before they even left for the hospital...bless them!

Take care Bob, you are a great source of info to us all.

Ange

Hi Ange,

You read my mind when you described how those incidents went. I live alone and I would always get to full-blown blockage at some ungodly time in the early am, and making a decision about what course of action to take was really hard to do when you can't think straight because of the excruciating pain you're experiencing. Lots of dumb ideas go through your mind from tripling your highest prednisone dose, forcing yourself to puke, chugging some phospho-soda........to loading a deer slug in the old 12 gauge and putting that cold barrel right between your eyes. I've been told the pain of obstruction is worse than being in labor. Can't comment on that one (obviously), but can say it's worse than passing a large kidney stone for sure. And the worst part is you don't know if you'll pass something at some point and the pain will reduce a little bit, or if your intestines will burst and you'll die of sepsis before anyone finds you. You consider calling 911 but really don't want a screaming ambulance waking up the entire neighborhood. You consider driving yourself, but don't want to pass out from the pain and kill someone with your car. So you end up in a full-blown panic mode not knowing if it will ever stop......or continue to get even worse. You literally can't think logically, and that is very, very frightening. Yeah, I sure don't miss that and am really sorry you have to deal with that crap. I wouldn't wish that pain on anyone. But when you did start to pass something and the bloating got tolerable you'd be totally physically wiped out........like you went 5 rounds with Mike Tyson. I would always have to sleep after those episodes.

There were a few times that I obstructed while my girlfriend (at the time) was here with me. And to be honest, that's almost worse. It's comforting to have someone there with you if things get really ugly, but there's nothing they can do for you except watch you writhe and twist in pain for hours, moaning and yelling and asking God to make it stop. It's really torture for your loved ones to see you go through something like that and not be able to help you. Ok.......too many bad memories filling my head. I'm sure everyone reading gets the point. Obstructions suck. Ange, I feel for ya girl.......and hope you get that sorted out ASAP.

REGARDS,

Bob

Hey Bob, you are spot on describing blockage... and oh yeah, after giving birth twice, blockage pain is worse... sorry you have experienced this pain and hope and pray you and I will never have to go through it again... or anyone on this site.

Best wishes

Ange