Seattle Man Hospitalized After ChatGPT Suggested Sodium Bromide for 3 Months

Q: What hidden lab illusion almost allowed a deadly, AI-recommended poison to go completely undetected in a Seattle hospital?

The hidden lab illusion was **pseudohyperchloremia** — a false high chloride reading caused when **bromide is mistaken for chloride** by some lab analyzers. In the Seattle case, doctors initially saw what looked like **hyperchloremia**, which could have pointed them toward dehydration or excess salt intake. But the rest of the man’s blood chemistry did not fit that diagnosis. His **anion gap pattern was abnormal**, suggesting an unmeasured negatively charged substance was present rather than true chloride excess. That mismatch led clinicians to recognize **pseudohyperchloremia**, a known testing artifact in which bromide interferes with chloride assays. After salicylate poisoning was ruled out, doctors tested directly for bromide and found levels about **230 times normal**. That confirmed **bromism**, which can cause paranoia, confusion and hallucinations. The danger is that bromide poisoning can stay hidden because routine electrolyte tests may make the patient appear to have a chloride problem instead of a toxic exposure. In this case, the misleading chloride result nearly masked the real cause: **sodium bromide the patient said ChatGPT had suggested as a salt substitute**. The case is a reminder that when a chloride value looks high but the **bicarbonate and anion gap do not make physiologic sense**, clinicians should consider **assay interference and toxic exposures**, including bromide.

1 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · Aug 5

A 60-year-old Seattle man was treated for psychosis after doctors traced his paranoia and hallucinations to bromide poisoning linked to three months of sodium bromide use.
Blood tests first pointed to high chloride, but a charge imbalance led doctors to identify pseudohyperchloremia; his bromide level was about 230 times the normal range.
The man spent 3 weeks in hospital under monitoring and electrolyte replacement, received risperidone after trying to leave involuntarily, and was discharged stable with symptoms improved.
After recovering, he told doctors ChatGPT had recommended sodium bromide as a healthier substitute for table salt, and the chatbot reportedly repeated that advice without a safety warning when retested.
Doctors said the case shows how rare bromism can be missed in psychiatric evaluations even as bromide supplements remain easy to buy online, underscoring risks of relying on AI for medical advice.