Nausea Forum - Chronic nausea after eating

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Q: Chronic nausea after eating

asked by: neonsky on September 15th, 2009

New User

A month ago I had just got over a 3 month period of chronic nausea after eating. Didnt matter what I ate it was the same, lasting from 30 mins to 3-4 hours after a meal, or sometime just all day. I would feel very hungry after this. Basically the longer i didnt eat the better i felt, though this way i started to lose weight. Also excessive burping, and sometimes shivering too. Bowels normal. Have lost about 5 pounds in total.
My GP tried me on Omeprazole (in case it was reflux, gastritis or an ulcer) - which didn't help. Then tried compazine (an anti nausea med) which didnt work either and just made me too sleepy. Also tried a low fat, no dairy, no caffeine diet and kept a symptom diary for three weeks - but it didnt make any difference.
I had full blood tests done, and fasting blood sugar too. All came back normal except for amylase which was slightly raised (about 240 i think) then was back to normal around the time i started to feel better.
After 3 months i started to feel better, though i had not made any other dietary changes - it just seemed to fade away. The doc said we should should leave well enough alone and not do any more tests to see what it was, they seemed happy to just not attempt a diagnosis and dismiss it as 'one of those' things! They said they wouldn't do a scan cos i have had no pain (or only mild discomfort in upper area) so it wasn't my gallbladder or anything.
Anyway, after a month of feeling ok the nausea is now back. Would you have any ideas what this could be?
I do suffer from anxiety, and wondered if this could be an anxiety symptom, though it doesn't feel like that - its too closely related to eating, and just doesn't fit my usual anxiety symptom patterns.
BTW im female, 35 years, from UK

Replies(4)

Wantonwonderer

replied on September 15th, 2009

New User

It is possible that your nausea is anxiety related. Anxiety medications such as Ativan are sometimes used to treat nausea. I was told by my GI that the same chemicals which cause anxiety in the brain cause can cause stomach discomfort. I too am suffering from mysterious chronic nausea which began at the beginning of June following a viral illness. My next step is to be evaluated for gastroparesis--or slow stomach emptying. You should consider looking into this cause as well.

neonsky

replied on September 16th, 2009

New User

Thanks. That's strange that yours also followed an illness. Mine started after a very bad bout of tonisilitus - had never had any problems before. I will look into gastroparesis. If it's anxiety though, do you think that would be so regular and only after food?

Wantonwonderer

replied on September 16th, 2009

New User

When my doctor suggested that anxiety could be playing a role in my nausea, I had a hard time believing it. In fact, I still am not convinced that this is the problem. I don't usually feel consciously anxious prior to an a episode (mine occur mostly at night, by the way), although the recurring nausea does seem to make me anxious. It's a vicious cycle.

I have also been evaluated for gallbladder problems via an ultrasound and a HIDA scan (these can both be ordered by your doctor at a hospital). Gallbladder disease can cause pain, discomfort, and nausea following meals. You may want to look into gallbladder problems as well. I was told my gallbladder is functioning at a "borderline normal" level (33%), though I have never had pain, which is the most typical gallbladder symptom.

On another subject, my GI doctor told me that sometimes the stomach is "shocked" following a viral illness and no longer functions properly. I guess that the system eventually normalizes in most cases. Post viral gastroparesis sometimes occurs, and there are medications which can "speed up" stomach emptying. One of these is Motilium, which is not available in the USA (where I am), but I believe it is available in the UK. There is a test for gastroparesis where you consume a small amount of radioactive food, and they time how long it takes your stomach to digest it. Young women are the most common group affected by gastroparesis.

In my case, I have so far achieved some limited success with Aciphex (another PPI like Nexium), though Nexium did not work well for me. Often one PPI from the group will work better for each person, if acid is playing a role. Good luck. If you want to talk to you can email me at cmh61 at humboldt dot edu.

neonsky

replied on October 6th, 2009

New User

Just an update. My nausea is a lot better, but i still get trouble with it for a few days a month, generally around my period. Any chance this could be hormonal?

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