Causes of nausea
Feeling sick - nausea - or being sick is a miserable experience. We tend to think of feeling sick as being a gut problem, but there are lots of other reasons. You have a 'vomiting centre' in your brain and it's often here that the issue lies. In addition, your inner ears play an important role in balance, and an issue affecting the inner ear can often lead to vomiting or feeling sick in addition to dizziness. The other symptoms that go along with feeling or being sick often give clues to the cause.
Gut causes
- Stomach ulcers.
- Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) - the one-way valve between the bottom of the gullet and the top of the stomach is weakened, allowing food to travel backwards.
- Gallstone-related problems.
- Appendicitis.
- Blockage of the bowel - called bowel obstruction. This can be due to bowel cancer, hernia, scar tissue or narrowing of the bowel due to Crohn's disease or diverticulitis.
- Inflammation of the pancreas - called pancreatitis.
Ear problems
Viral labyrinthitis - The most frequent cause of this type of nausea is a virus infection. Often called viral labyrinthitis, it can be debilitating but lying completely still usually settles the symptoms and they tend to get better on their own over a few days or weeks. Your doctor can prescribe medicine to help the nausea if needed.
If you have vertigo and/or being sick accompanied by sudden deafness in one ear, you should always seek medical help quickly.
Meniere's disease - A condition called Meniere's disease leads to attacks of vertigo, hearing loss and noises in the ear (tinnitus) - nausea and vomiting can sometimes occur alongside this. Episodes last on average 2-4 hours and can come out of the blue or in clusters of several attacks in short succession. Speak to your doctor if you get this combination of symptoms -medication to treat or reduce the frequency of attacks may be recommended.
Travel sickness
How can I avoid travel sickness?
If you suffer from motion sickness, avoid heavy meals before travelling. Breathe in fresh air if you can, and sit in the front of the car, on deck in the middle of a boat or on an airplane seat over the wing. Don't try to read, watch a film or look at things inside the car. Instead, close your eyes and try to sleep or focus on the horizon. Avoid alcohol and spicy or fatty food, taking sips of water instead. Slow, steady breathing and ginger - ginger ale or in a biscuit - may help. Your pharmacist may be able to advise on medicine if it's very troublesome.
Migraines
Medicines
- Cancer treatments - such as chemotherapy.
- Antibiotics - especially erythromycin.
- Anti-inflammatory medicines - including ibuprofen, naproxen and aspirin.
- Strong opioid painkillers - such as strong codeine or morphine.
- Some vitamin and mineral supplements - such as iron.
- Some antidepressants.
Morning sickness
- Meningitis.
- Brain tumours.
- Head injuries.
- Hypercalcaemia - raised levels of calcium in your blood.
- Diabetes - especially if it leads to very high levels of blood glucose. For instance, diabetic ketoacidosis, which usually affects people with type 1 diabetes or those taking insulin for type 2 diabetes, can lead to severe tiredness, headache, rapid breathing, dry mouth, and even collapse and loss of consciousness as well as nausea and vomiting.
When should I worry about nausea and vomiting?
- Weight loss for no apparent reason.
- Severe tummy pain.
- Confusion or loss of consciousness.
- Blood or yellow bile in your vomit.
- Fever, headache or stiff neck, sensitivity to light or a rash that doesn't fade when you press a glass against it.
- Persistent or worsening vomiting that goes on for more than 48 hours.
- Bringing up blood or bile.
- Have severe tummy pain or unexplained weight loss or change in your bowel habit.
- Have a high fever or feel weak or confused.
With thanks to 'My Weekly' magazine where this article was originally published.