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Hi, I’m A 30 Year Old Male, Generally Healthy, 180cm,
Question: Hi, I’m a 30 year old male, generally healthy, 180cm, 77kg, don’t drink, smoke or do drugs. I’m not taking any medication.
About 9 months ago I moved to a house in a small gated community that has only 4 houses (including mine). An artesian well feeds the water supply to these houses. Upon moving, all my neighbors said the water is potable, tested twice a year, and they’ve been drinking it for years. So I started drinking only tap water.
A few months ago, I started having physical symptoms like headaches, insomnia, hair loss, nausea, and also depression, anxiety, mood swings and extreme fatigue; things I never had before.
Then a few days ago, I left a glass of water on a plastic cup for two days, and the inside of the cup turned slightly blue. I realized there was a blueish color in almost every sink of the house, which led me to do some research and realize that this may be caused by corrosion of the copper pipes.
So I believe I’ve been drinking copper water for the last 9 months, which in turn gave me copper toxicity, which would explain my symptoms (from what I researched on the internet).
Another reason that makes me believe there’s copper in the water is that my cat died from inflammatory bowel disease a few months ago, and from what I read, copper can cause intestinal problems.
Tomorrow I’m taking a water sample from my house to a lab to confirm if the copper level is high. I also scheduled on my own (without a doctor requisition) a blood test to determine my copper level.
I don’t know what kind of doctor I should see about this. I was thinking an endocrinologist, or a nutritionist, but I’m really not sure.
I already switched to bottled water and stopped eating any copper rich food.
Assuming copper toxicity is confirmed (though I’m 90% sure It is), what should I do about it? What is the best/fastest way to detox? How long can it take? What specialist should I see? Is there anything else I should know?
About 9 months ago I moved to a house in a small gated community that has only 4 houses (including mine). An artesian well feeds the water supply to these houses. Upon moving, all my neighbors said the water is potable, tested twice a year, and they’ve been drinking it for years. So I started drinking only tap water.
A few months ago, I started having physical symptoms like headaches, insomnia, hair loss, nausea, and also depression, anxiety, mood swings and extreme fatigue; things I never had before.
Then a few days ago, I left a glass of water on a plastic cup for two days, and the inside of the cup turned slightly blue. I realized there was a blueish color in almost every sink of the house, which led me to do some research and realize that this may be caused by corrosion of the copper pipes.
So I believe I’ve been drinking copper water for the last 9 months, which in turn gave me copper toxicity, which would explain my symptoms (from what I researched on the internet).
Another reason that makes me believe there’s copper in the water is that my cat died from inflammatory bowel disease a few months ago, and from what I read, copper can cause intestinal problems.
Tomorrow I’m taking a water sample from my house to a lab to confirm if the copper level is high. I also scheduled on my own (without a doctor requisition) a blood test to determine my copper level.
I don’t know what kind of doctor I should see about this. I was thinking an endocrinologist, or a nutritionist, but I’m really not sure.
I already switched to bottled water and stopped eating any copper rich food.
Assuming copper toxicity is confirmed (though I’m 90% sure It is), what should I do about it? What is the best/fastest way to detox? How long can it take? What specialist should I see? Is there anything else I should know?
Brief Answer:
Consult a physician
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for the query.
You can consult a general physician first and he will refer to other specialist if required.
The normal range for copper levels in the blood is 70 to 140 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dL). Copper toxicity means you have more than 140 mcg/dL of copper in your blood.
Copper toxicity is usually diagnosed by measuring the levels of copper and copper metabolites (ceruloplasmin) in your bloodstream. A urine analysis is also required to look for the amount of the copper excreted through urine. An ophthalmologic examination is also required to look for copper deposits in the eye.
There are various drugs available to detox copper from the body and most widely used is pencilamine. In most cases it has got good results.
Wishing all the best.
Thanks
Consult a physician
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for the query.
You can consult a general physician first and he will refer to other specialist if required.
The normal range for copper levels in the blood is 70 to 140 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dL). Copper toxicity means you have more than 140 mcg/dL of copper in your blood.
Copper toxicity is usually diagnosed by measuring the levels of copper and copper metabolites (ceruloplasmin) in your bloodstream. A urine analysis is also required to look for the amount of the copper excreted through urine. An ophthalmologic examination is also required to look for copper deposits in the eye.
There are various drugs available to detox copper from the body and most widely used is pencilamine. In most cases it has got good results.
Wishing all the best.
Thanks
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vaishalee Punj
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