A 10-year-old in the US ended up in hospital after his family said he drank six bottles of water in one hour.
Ray Jordan’s parents told WIS-TV in Columbia it happened while they were visiting a family in the Columbia area at the weekend.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Boy hospitalised in South Carolina after drinking too much water.
Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >>
“He almost seemed like he was on drugs, drunk, even mentally handicapped at that point,” Jeff Jordan said.
Ray’s parents said he was running outside with his cousins and became exhausted from the heat.
“He had gone in and got himself some water,” Stacy Jordan said.
“What we didn’t realise was how much he got.”
Ray ended up drinking six bottles of water from 8.30pm to 9.30pm.
His parents said his first symptoms of water intoxication began about 10.30pm when he started throwing up.
They took him to Prisma Health Children’s Hospital in Columbia and doctors found the sodium levels in his blood to be extremely low.
From 4am to midday, doctors gave Ray sodium and potassium to regulate his blood.
“At 1.30pm he just woke up, he asked for food, he was like, ‘Where am I? What happened?’”
Ray is now in good health, and his parents are relieved he’s not experiencing any lingering symptoms.
The Jordans said this experience taught them how important it is to alternate between drinking water and sports drinks on a hot day because the electrolytes in sports drinks do not dilute your bloodstream the way water does.
They hope their story makes more people aware of the dangers of water intoxication, especially during the summer.
If you’d like to view this content, please adjust your .
To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide.