Feel like throwing up-Causes & Effective Remedies
“I feel like throwing up” what are the reasons for me to feel like this? This is the question that comes to our mind when we feel very nauseous and are about to vomit. There are many different reasons for feeling like throwing up ranging from simple stress and anxiety to serious disorders like paralysis of the stomach.
We need to be aware of the various causes that make us feel like throwing up. This helps us to take appropriate measures to get rid of nausea and vomiting by treating the underlying problem and also by taking the requisite drugs and following suitable home remedies for throwing up.
Why do I feel like throwing up?
Have you ever had this question pop up in your mind “why do I feel like throwing up?”. If yes, just read on. We will explore all the causes of feeling like throwing up.
Digestive tract disorders:
There are many causes and diseases of the digestive tract which make us feel like throwing up. They include many inflammatory disorders of the digestive organs too.
Cholecystitis:
Cholecystitis is the inflammation of the gallbladder which is the organ attached below our liver on the right side of our abdomen. Cholecystitis produces many symptoms like pain in the upper right part of our abdomen just below our ribs.
This condition is caused by infection of the gallbladder. It also leads to feeling like throwing up or nauseous feeling.
Appendicitis:
It is the inflammation or swelling of the appendix. It leads to pain in the right lower part of the abdomen, anorexia or loss of appetite, and it also makes us feel like throwing up.
Gastroenteritis:
It is the inflammation of the intestines caused by viral infections mostly and sometimes bacterial infections. In this condition, the person suffers from diarrhea and it also makes him feel like throwing up. In fact, he vomits many times throughout the day.
Intestinal obstruction:
It is the condition in which the intestines, either small intestine or large intestine are obstructed due to various reasons. It produces many symptoms like colicky abdominal pain, no passage of stools and flatus which is called absolute constipation.
It also produces symptoms like feeling like throwing up and vomiting, which is more severe in small intestinal obstruction.
Intussusception:
It is a condition in which one part of the intestine telescopes or slides into another part of the intestine. It is generally seen in small kids. It leads to many symptoms like abdominal pain, red currant jelly-like stool, and the kids also feel like throwing up.
Pancreatitis:
It is the inflammation or swelling of the pancreas which is located on the left side of the abdomen just below your stomach. It produces many symptoms like severe pain just below the ribs, feeling like throwing up, improper digestion, clay-colored stools, etc.
Pancreatic cancer:
Pancreatic cancer is the cancer of the pancreas. It leads to many symptoms like weight loss, jaundice, yellowing of the white part of the eyes and skin, etc. A person having pancreatic cancer has white clay colored stools and he also feels like throwing up.
Liver cancer:
Liver cancer produces many symptoms like weight loss, loss of appetite or anorexia, pain in the upper part of the abdomen, jaundice, white clay-colored stools, etc. Liver cancer also makes a person feel like throwing up or nauseous. They vomit a lot.
Pyloric stenosis:
The pylorus is the part of the digestive tract that leads from the stomach to the duodenum or the small intestine. It can become stenosed in the infants and it occurs as a birth defect or congenital problem.
Pyloric stenosis makes the infant feel like throwing up. The infant has projectile vomiting with white milk colored vomits. The infant also loses weight and has many electrolyte disturbances in the body. It is a very deadly condition in the kids.
Gastroparesis:
It is the disorder of the nerves supplying the stomach. It leads to paralysis of the stomach. Stomach fails to empty the food into the small intestine after the intake of food. As the food is accumulated in the stomach without passing down, we develop a feeling of throwing up and tend to vomit the food.
Other Digestive disorders make us feel like throwing up:
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Peptic ulcers (Gastric and duodenal ulcers)
- Food poisoning
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD or Heartburn)
- Dyspepsia or Indigestion
Ear problems:
Many ear problems or disorders can make you feel like throwing up. They include Meniere’s disease and middle ear infection called otitis media.
Meniere’s disease:
Meniere’s disease is the condition in which the inner ear is affected. It produces many symptoms like aural fullness or fullness in the ear, ringing in the ears or tinnitus, dizziness or vertigo. It also makes us feel like throwing up due to the problem with the inner ear.
Otitis media:
It is the inflammation or swelling of the middle ear caused by bacterial and viral infections. It produces many symptoms like severe pain in the ear, difficulty hearing, and it also makes us feel like throwing up.
Vestibular neuritis:
It is the condition in which the vestibular nerve, a nerve supplying the inner ear is inflamed. It leads to disorder of balance, dizziness, vertigo, and you also feel like throwing up due to this condition.
Nervous system and brain disorders:
There are many disorders related to our nervous system and brain that can make us feel like throwing up. They can range from simple Migraine headaches to very lethal conditions like brain tumors and Meningitis. Let us explore some such conditions.
Migraine:
It is a condition in which the person affected suffers from severe stabbing one-sided a headache, vision problems or disturbances like seeing zigzag lines, blind spots in the visual field, feeling like throwing up or vomiting, and sometimes even numbness or weakness of the body.
Meningitis:
It is the condition in which there is inflammation or swelling of the meninges or the layers covering up our brain. It produces many symptoms like a headache, photophobia or intolerance to light, feeling like throwing up, the stiffness of neck or neck rigidity, etc.
Other brain problems that can make you feel like throwing up:
- Hydrocephalus (Increased intracranial pressure)
- Intracranial hematoma (Accumulation of blood in the brain)
- Trauma or Injury to the brain
- Brain tumors or cancers
- Concussion or head trauma
- Pseudotumor cerebri
Other problems that make us throw up:
There are many others problems which make us feel like throwing up. Let us explore them too.
Eating disorders:
Eating disorders can make you nauseous and produce feeling like throwing up. Examples of such eating disorders are Anorexia nervosa and Bulimia nervosa. In both the conditions, the affected person can restrict the intake of food or can eat in excessive amounts and then throw up or vomit the food.
They are called the restrictive type and the purging type respectively. Although, both anorexia nervosa and Bulimia nervosa can make you feel like throwing up, the difference between both of them is the body weight of the person. A person with Anorexia tends to be very lean and has low body weight. A person with Bulimia has a normal body weight.
Motion sickness:
It is the condition which makes you feel like throwing up when you travel or when there is motion or movement of the body. You might develop feeling like throwing up or vomiting when traveling in cars, buses, trains, airplanes, ships, etc.
Mental problems:
Many types of mental health problems can adversely affect our health. Stress, anxiety, and depression are some of the most common mental health problems which can make us feel like throwing up.
They also cause many other symptoms like constipation, peptic ulcers, gastritis, other health ailments pertaining to other bodily systems too. These mental disorders cause abnormality in the hormones of the body which leads to all these health problems.
Food allergies:
Many people are allergic to many different types of foods. They can include nuts like peanuts, seafood, fruits, milk or dairy products, etc.
When people are allergic to some kind of food and they consume such food, they can feel like throwing up, develop skin rashes all over the body like urticaria. Some people even develop life-threatening reactions like anaphylaxis due to food allergies.
Excess alcohol intake:
Many people tend to drink alcohol in excess amounts. When they binge alcohol and then suddenly withdraw from alcohol, they develop symptoms of the hangover. This includes feeling like throwing up, severe headache, etc.
Drugs:
Many different drugs that you take to get rid of various diseases can make you feel like throwing up. Some examples of such drugs include antibiotics used to treat infections, NSAIDS or Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs used as analgesics, aspirin, Narcotic analgesics, etc.
Even drugs used for general anesthesia while performing surgery and chemotherapy drugs used to treat various cancers can produce feeling like throwing up.
Pregnancy:
Women who have an early pregnancy or those who are in the first trimester or first 12 weeks of pregnancy can have a severe feeling of throwing up. They might need to take supplements or drugs to get rid of this severe nausea after the prescription of their Gynecologist.
How to not throw up-Remedies to get rid of feeling like throwing up:
There are many remedies that can alleviate your nausea and make you not to throw up. You can select some remedies from amongst the list and try to follow them.
Dietary modifications:
Dietary modifications play a vital role in preventing nauseous feeling. You need to avoid eating fatty, oily and spicy foods. Try to eat smaller, frequent meals. Don’t eat solid foods until 5 to 6 hours after you vomit or throw up last time.
You need to eat bland foods like crackers, and toast. If your body is able to tolerate these foods without throwing up, then you can try to eat foods like cereal, fruits, etc.
Drink plenty of fluids:
It is necessary for you to remain properly hydrated as you are vomiting and losing a lot of fluids and electrolytes from the body. If you don’t maintain adequate hydration, your blood pressure can fall drastically and adversely affect your heart, liver, brain and kidneys.
You need to drink cold water in small sips. You can try to drink Ginger ale, mint tea which helps you to reduce your feeling like throwing up. You can even chew a small piece of ginger.
Avoid strong smells:
Strong smells like perfumes, smoke, congested rooms can aggravate your nausea and make you vomit. So, avoid any strong smell that makes you feel like throwing up. Allow proper ventilation and flow of fresh air in the room that you stay.
Take rest:
Too much movement can increase your nauseous feeling. Try to take sufficient rest in a well ventilated room without any strong smells.
Relaxation techniques:
Stress and anxiety are also causes of making you feel like throwing up. Try to relax by following proper relaxation techniques. You can concentrate on your breathing, meditate to get some relief. You need to distract yourself into something which makes you forget your nausea.
Tips for motion sickness:
If you are suffering from motion sickness, always look forwards at the distant objects. Don’t look sideways from the windows. Try to open windows and breathe in fresh air. Don’t read while traveling which can aggravate your feeling like throwing up.
Avoid drinking alcohol and smoking while traveling. You can take over the counter drugs like Meclizine, Cinnarizine or Dimenhydrinate 30 minutes to 1 hour before you travel. You can even try Scopolamine patches to control your nausea.
You have seen all the different causes of feeling like throwing up. But, the majority of times, you feel like throwing up only due to minor problems like food poisoning, motion sickness, stress, anxiety, etc. You can get relief from nausea by following the above tips and some home remedies.
But, if you don’t find relief from feeling like throwing up or if you find any abnormal symptoms apart from nausea, you need to consult your physician for proper diagnosis and treatment of your condition.
