Along with other fibromyalgia symptoms, like widespread pain and severe fatigue, many fibromyalgia patients also suffer from nausea. Dizziness, sweating, and blurred vision often accompany this nausea, and, as a result, it can have a disastrous effect on your quality of life. If you suffer from fibromyalgia and are noticing symptoms of nausea, contact your health care provider. There are treatments available that can help to reduce both the frequency and intensity of your nausea and get you back to enjoying your life.
What is Nausea?
We’ve all experienced it �?that sick feeling right in the pit of your stomach �?the dreaded nausea! Nausea is defined as the urge to vomit. It is our body’s way of telling us that there is something wrong inside. Nausea can arise for a variety of reasons: anxiety, fear, fatigue, or stress. Sometimes nausea can cause vomiting, and sometimes it will pass without any further symptoms. Typically, nausea and vomiting is something that you don’t really have to worry about; sometimes our bodies just need to rid themselves of certain toxins. However, other times nausea can be so intense that it can make us afraid to go to work, attend class, or even leave the house. Persistent nausea needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
Between 40% and 70% of fibromyalgia sufferers report symptoms of both chronic nausea and vomiting. These symptoms can vary in intensity, with many only experiencing mild to moderate nausea. However, some fibromyalgia patients have to deal with constant nausea that can last for weeks, or even occur on a daily basis. Such intense nausea can really exacerbate the other symptoms of fibromyalgia and prevent sufferers from continuing on with their daily lifestyle. It is important for such severe nausea to be diagnosed by a health care professional, to prevent further complications and poor quality of life.
Symptoms that Accompany Nausea
Most of the time, nausea will also be accompanied by other symptoms such as:
dizziness
sweating
chills
feeling faint
difficulty breathing
heart palpitations
Causes of Nausea?
Nausea can be triggered by a variety of factors, ranging from migraine headaches, to airplane travel, to that meeting with the boss. Nausea is your body’s response to certain signals that it is receiving from the environment around you. Certain smells, sounds, and sights can trigger responses in your brain that tell your stomach and mouth to feel like vomiting. Sometimes motion can cause the equilibrium in your head to get out of whack, so your ears send signals to your brain to feel nauseated. A whole variety of different responses in your body can tell your brain that it’s feeling sick. This is just your body’s way of telling you to slow down, sit down, and stay healthy.
Sometimes, the reasons for nausea can be illness or medication. Nausea can also be the result of your body rejecting certain "toxins" in your body, like high levels of alcohol. Fibromyalgia sufferers may experience nausea for a variety of different reasons. In order to experience relief from this nausea, it is necessary to find a reason behind it.
Problems with Disequilibrium: Many fibromyalgia sufferers experience imbalances in their equilibriums. Your body balances itself by maintaining an appropriate equilibrium, which is found in the inner ear. If for some reason this equilibrium falls out of balance, it can cause you to feel dizzy, lightheaded, and nauseous.
Weak Eye Muscles: Fibromyalgia can cause the muscles that allow your eyes to move to become weak. As a result, you may feel nauseated whenever you try to look out of a car window, read a book, or participate in any other activity that requires you to follow something with you eyes.
Migraines: More than 50% of people with fibromyalgia suffer from chronic headaches and migraines. Migraines are severe headaches caused by constriction of the arteries and vessels in the head and neck. Migraines can last for days and are often accompanied by nausea and vomiting because of constriction of certain nerves in the back of the head.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common complaint amongst those with fibromyalgia. IBS causes your lower intestine to become extremely sensitive to muscle contractions. As a result, severe bouts with diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and constipation often occur. Sometimes, the nausea experienced with fibromyalgia can be the result of these symptoms.
Neurally Mediated Hypotension: Many of those with fibromyalgia suffer from neurally mediated hypotension. Neurally mediated hypotension occurs after suddenly standing up after lying down or sitting down for an extended period. As you get up, your blood pressure drops suddenly, causing extreme dizziness, sweating, heart palpitations, and nausea.
Treatments for Nausea
A wide variety of treatments are available to cure your nausea and prevent it from reoccurring. Talk with your health care provider before choosing a treatment option.
Antihistamines
Various over-the-counter medications are available to help provide nausea relief and prevent future stomach upset. Some of the most popular over-the-counter nausea medications are antihistamines. Antihistamines, including Avomine and Dramamine, work by blocking histamine receptors in the body. In particular, they block the "vomiting center" in the brain, stopping nausea and preventing vomiting. These antihistamines also help to restore the body’s equilibrium.
Emetrol
Emetrol is also available without prescription to help relieve nausea and upset stomach. It is available in liquid form only, and should be taken every 15 minutes until symptoms disappear.
Prescription Medications
A variety of prescription medications exist that can help to reduce nausea, stomach upset, and vomiting. Medications are usually matched to treat the cause of the nausea. Speak with your doctor for information on specific prescription anti-nauseants.
Diet Solutions
Often, simple changes to your diet can help you to significantly reduce your symptoms of nausea. If you are feeling nauseated or have been vomiting, it is important to keep as hydrated as possible. If you lose too much liquid your body can lose important electrolytes that it needs to function. Drink only clear liquids for the first 12 hours after vomiting. Avoid caffeinated beverages and all dairy products.
Certain foods that help nausea are also a good thing to try. Eating starchy foods, like crackers, helps to absorb excess stomach acids. Sucking on crystallized ginger can also help to reduce nausea. Avoid citrus fruits, juices, and other acidic foods, as this will increase your nausea. Gradually introduce solid foods after 12 hours, beginning with applesauce and working your way up to breads, cereals, and eventually, protein products.
Preventing Nausea
Nausea can be prevented by avoiding those things that you know will trigger an upset stomach.
Avoid alcohol, as this can cause drowsiness, balance problems, dizziness, and nausea.
If you have to drive a long distance, sit in the front seat facing forwards. Keep your eyes on a stable object faraway in the distance. This will reduce nausea and motion sickness.
Take anti-nausea medication before traveling in a car, airplane, or boat.
Avoid smells that trigger nausea (these may include certain foods, perfumes, or flowers).
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