Polydipsia (extreme thirst) what are it's causes?Polydipsia is a medical symptom in which the patient drinks abnormally large amounts of fluids. The fluid is usually water, though some people may think of alcohol because of the etymologically related term dipsomaniac, meaning an alcoholic. 
It is almost always associated with dehydration due to polyuria (excessive urination) and usually ends up with you doing the pee pee dance, if the condition is prolonged beyond a few hours in those with functioning kidneys. It is often, and characteristically, found in diabetics, often as one of the initial symptoms, and in those who fail to take their anti-diabetic medications or whose dosages have become inadequate. It is also caused by other conditions featuring osmotic diuresis and by diabetes insipidus ("water diabetes"), and forms part of the differential diagnostic tree for them, as well. It is also a symptom of atropine or belladonna poisoning. Another cause can be due to medication (such as diuretics) or inadvertent consumption of caffeine. Psychogenic Polydipsia is often found in patients with mental illnesses like schizophrenia or in the developmentally disabled. One who drinks nothing but coffee or soda can be easily misdiagnosed by a doctor as this disorder, as they may be unaware they are consuming diuretics. This can be life threatening as serum sodium is diluted in the blood by the excess fluids and can cause seizures and/or cardiac arrest. There is also habit polydipsia, sometimes called habit drinking that can be found in the absence of a mental disorder. The excessive levels of fluid intake may result in a false diagnosis of diabetes insipidus, since the chronic ingestion of excessive water can produce diagnostic results that closely mimic those of mild diabetes insipidus. It can be controlled by a diabetic if they take their medications and control their sugar levels. Diagnosis It is a symptom, not a disease (cause). To diagnose its cause a fluid deprivation test is used, which may require a patient to abstain from water, and for blood and urine tests to be undertaken. Additional blood work may be required to test for the presence of diuretics, such as caffeine, or recreational drugs. Finally neurological testing may be required to determine if there has been damage to the hypothalamus. These tests are routinely used in diagnosing diabetes insipidus. Return to Top of Polydipsia
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