The patient told doctors he had been looking for ways to reduce his intake of salt (sodium chloride). He had read about its harmful effects and found tips on lowering sodium consumption, but could not find any publications on reducing chloride intake.
Drawing on his college studies in dietetics, the man decided to conduct his own experiment to eliminate chlorides from his diet. For advice, he turned to an AI chatbot. According to the patient, the chatbot suggested replacing sodium chloride with sodium bromide—without warning him about the potential health risks of such a substitution.
Researchers were unable to access the patient’s chat history, but based on the timing of his poisoning symptoms, he had used either ChatGPT 3.5 or ChatGPT 4.0. In their own tests, doctors received the same sodium bromide recommendation when using ChatGPT 3.5—likely the version the patient had consulted.
After three months of using sodium bromide instead of table salt, the man developed bromism—a syndrome caused by chronic overexposure to bromide or bromine. This rare condition occurs when the toxin accumulates in the body, potentially triggering neuropsychiatric symptoms.
The patient went to the emergency room fearing his neighbor had poisoned him—paranoia being one of the signs of bromism. Other symptoms included hallucinations, insomnia, acne, poor coordination, and extreme thirst. Tests showed elevated bromide levels in his blood. After attempting to escape from the hospital, he was transferred to psychiatric care.
Once his mental state improved with antipsychotic treatment, he was able to tell doctors about the advice he had received from ChatGPT.
With prolonged exposure, bromide accumulates in the body and disrupts neuron function. In the 19th and 20th centuries, bromide was used in prescription and over-the-counter medicines, including sedatives and sleeping aids. However, in the 1970s and 1980s, regulators removed bromides from non-prescription drugs after discovering their toxic effects.
Commenting on the case, OpenAI representatives acknowledged the service’s limitations. ChatGPT’s terms of use state that it is not intended for diagnosing or treating medical conditions, and users should not rely on its responses as the sole source of medical information or as a substitute for professional advice.
