An electrolyte imbalance means sodium, potassium, calcium, or magnesium sit too high or too low. Mild cases bring fatigue, cramping, or nausea. Severe cases bring confusion, an irregular heartbeat, or a seizure. Call 911 for confusion, a seizure, or if you cannot keep fluids down.
What is an electrolyte imbalance?
Electrolytes are minerals in blood that carry an electric charge: sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, and phosphate. Nerves, muscles, and the heart need them in a tight range. When one or more drift, the body shows it. The farther they drift, the worse it gets.
Common causes
- Vomiting or diarrhea that lasts more than a day
- Heavy sweating without replacing fluids, especially in heat or during long exercise
- Not drinking enough fluids over several days
- Kidney problems that affect how the body filters minerals
- Certain prescription medications (ask your pharmacist or clinician if yours can affect electrolytes; this page does not name specific drugs or doses)
Symptoms to watch for
Mild to moderate symptoms include:
- Fatigue or weakness
- Muscle cramps or twitching
- Nausea
- Headache
- Irregular heartbeat you can feel but that resolves quickly
Call 911 now
Call 911 if you or someone with you has:
- Confusion or sudden trouble thinking clearly
- A seizure
- An irregular or racing heartbeat that does not resolve
- Cannot keep any fluids down and is getting worse
- Severe weakness or cannot stand
Those signs can mean the heart or brain is involved. Do not wait it out. Do not look up a dose online.
When to test rather than wait it out
Mild fatigue or light cramping after a hot day, if you are otherwise stable, often settles with fluids and rest. If it lasts more than a day, keeps returning, or you have kidney disease, heart disease, an eating disorder, or you take medications that affect fluid balance, get a blood panel that checks electrolytes. Guessing is the wrong next step.
Text a clinician before it becomes an ER visit
If you are stable but unsure whether you need a same-day blood draw, a telehealth clinician can help you decide. TAP connects residents in member cities to a clinician by text. They can talk through next steps and order testing when it fits, without starting in urgent care for something a phone conversation can sort.
Start at taptelehealth.com/text-a-doctor. TAP currently serves residents of Algonquin, Illinois; Chesterfield, Cheraw, Pageland, McBee, Jefferson, Mount Croghan, Patrick, and Ruby, South Carolina; and Crandall, Henderson, Ferris, Mabank, Paradise, and Troup, Texas, plus Texas Health Benefits Pool members. Check the list on that page for your city.
What to do with this
Mild symptoms after a hot day or a stomach bug usually ease with fluids and rest. Confusion, a seizure, an irregular heartbeat, or an inability to keep fluids down are 911 symptoms.
