Electrolyte drinks suggestions +recipes?

I want to start drinking these regularly to see if it will help with POTS. I am trying to find a healthier alternative to Gatorade. I tried unflavored Pedialite but it tastes kind of gross to me, I have trouble getting it down, and the ones I got come in plastic bottles, which I try to avoid drinking out of normally.

Are there other store-bought options people have tried, especially ones that may come in glass containers? I read on a thread here once about one from Whole Foods that someone liked, but I can't remember the name of the drink.

What homemade recipes do people use to make their own?

Thank you!

Start here for recipes. As far as I know, any supplement in powder form can be added to these drinks, and powder form is often a much cheaper way to get them. Though do check that if you're going to add boiling water, the specific ingredients you're using won't be demolished by it. I use it as a way to get in the D-ribose and acetyl l-carnitine, for instance. Magnesium turns up cheaply in various powdered forms, calcium too though that can be a bit harder to dissolve I think, and Vitamin C is another easy one to add. I use low-sodium salt as the base, I know it's not the fanciest form of sodium around but you can only get low-sodium (i.e. sodium and potassium) salt in the UK, not the version which is potassium alone, so it's easiest for me, not to mention cheapest.

I put the mix in herbal tea, 1 tsp per dose. I tend to find that herbal teas with a bit of liquorice in them work well with the taste, though that's a personal thing and depends on whether you're happy having a bit of liquorice on a daily basis (it does have some activity as a herb, though I think not much at that dose and probably beneficial for those of us with low blood pressure).

One option is to get those tablets that you can put into your own water. Nuun is one brand, see http://shop.nuun.com/tri-berry for ingredients. These tablets are about $6.00 for a tube with 12 tablets. You use one tablet for each 16 oz of water. So, that works out to about $1 for each 16 oz drink which is less than most bottled drinks (if my memory serves me). And the tablets are handy to keep in your purse (just in case) or to take with you when travelling.

I don't buy them often but I do try to get them when they go on sale (sold at a nearby REI store). I should mention that these tablets are unsweetened (which is one reason I like them) so if you're looking for something with carbohydrates then you'll probably want another option. Although I guess you could add sweetener of some kind (honey, sugar) after the tablet dissolves in water.

Pickle juice is supposed to be a healthier alternative to sports drinks, and more effective at replacing electrolytes. Google "Pickle juice electrolytes," and you'll see what I mean.

Here's one example: http://healthpsych.psy.vanderbilt.edu/pickleJuice.htm

I almost posted this exact same question a couple of weeks ago. I tried several brands of powdered electrolyte drinks from whole foods, and liked trace minerals power pak best. Lightly sweetened, taste good, could have more sodium but you can always add that. Otherwise I thought the nutritional profile was good-no additives, like gatorade or gookinaid. You can buy a sample packet cheaply and check it out. (then I bought a couple of boxes from iherb)

I love the suggestion for the nuun tablets and will definitely try them too.

JAH

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. Will look into all these. I htink the homemade one from Calathea's link might work out best for me.

Do you all drink these all day long, or is there an optimum time to drink them? These drinks don't replace regular water, right? So you'd sip on these for a bit but also drink plain water too?

I found that making them up in water didn't work for me, I didn't like the taste, hence making them up in herbal tea. And salty herbal tea is better hot than cold, so I drink it all down before it's got cold, and I have around three of these a day depending on what's in my mix at the moment. After that, it's a matter of when I get around to making it and am in the mood for another cup of herbal tea. Just try making something up and see where it goes, I think you'll find a pattern that works for you. It's not as if you have to commit to a lifelong pattern as soon as you start. The beauty of this sort of thing is that you can keep adapting it as you go along. Pick up some low-sodium salt and start experimenting!

Yeah, I think with the homemade, I'll have room to experiment with flavor. With store-bought, I felt like I was wasting too much money because each one I bought I ended up finding gross and not able to drink more than a few sips and I got tired of buying things and wasting each one. Now that I've decided to try homemade, I don't have to worry about that element of it and can just try different variations.

If you don't have them already, you'll need measuring spoons. A standard teaspoon/tablespoon set is essential, and a cups set (with 1 cup = 250ml) is very useful as well. Occasionally, when making up one dose at a time instead of making batches, I've used mini measuring spoons which start at 1/8 teaspoon and go down from there, but that depends on what sort of stuff you're taking and what dosage you need. If you're one of these people who has micro dosages of everything, mini measuring spoons may well be useful. Mine say Pinch, Tad and Smidgen on them, I think, but basically they're just continuing to chop the quantity in half starting from 1/8 tsp.

Lectrolyte drink from Dr. Enlander has no sugar in it.

ElectroMix http://www.iherb.com/Alacer-ElectroMix-Lemon-Lime-30-Packets-4-2-oz-120-g/17246
which the exercise physiologist at Dr Klimas/Rey's office suggested, has no sugar (it has stevia) and is definitely not sweet. Mixed in 1L of water as suggested, it has a very mild lemon-lime flavor -- mostly tastes like mineral water. I mix it in 16oz of water 9because my bottle is that size) and it's still not a strong taste, although it's certainly noticeably flavored.

I've avoided electrolyte drinks for years because I couldn't stand the sweetness or taste. This stuff is great.

Often the mechanisms at play that cause hypovolumia in POTS and OI cannot be treated without pharm. intervention.

Thanks SOC. I have avoided some of the prepared products because they have magnesium. I can't tolerate oral magnesium supplements so I worried it may be the same from a drink as well.

Thanks Ramakentesh. I figure trying a drink can't hurt and then hopefully if I get evaluated then I can get meds too if needed.

If you're sensitive to some of the ingredients that often turn up in commercial drinks, then a home-made drink sounds like a good thing to start with. Some low-sodium salt is an easy and cheap thing to try.

That was my thought to Calathea, that way I can control the ingredients. Thank you!

I just started using the Electro mix by Alacer....

How many packs is everyone else using a day? Just one, or more?