I am often very thirsty, and I often can't quench my thirst even when I drink a lot of water. Is it diabetes?

Question

I am often thirsty, but sometimes I can't quench my thirst, often after eating sweet or salty food. I can drink on average 4L/day. I don't have any other symptoms of diabetes except this one and the urge to urinate. I wonder if it is only possible that I am more sensitive to certain sweet or salty foods? And is the amount of water I drink related to my more frequent urination? I'm only 19 years old, and I'm generally fine.

Alexandre Chagnon · Accepted Answer

Hello, First of all, it is normal for thirst to increase as a result of eating very sweet and very salty foods. It also stands to reason that when you drink more, you urinate more! On the other hand, as you mention, there are health issues that can cause increased thirst, such as diabetes. Developing diabetes at your age is very rare, especially since you say you are healthy, but some hormone problems can also increase thirst. So I would advise you to go see your doctor so that he or she can see if there is a medical cause for your thirst. Catherine Deslandes pharmacy intern Supervised by Alexandre Chagnon pharmacist