Why nausea after eating and what to do?

Agree, it is not a very pleasant feeling when, having enjoyed tasty food, you subsequently experience an unpleasant feeling – when you feel nauseous after eating.

The condition is uncomfortable, the mood is spoiled, and you begin to worry about your health. To dispel doubts and get rid of the uncomfortable feeling, you need to find out the cause of such symptoms. A consultation with a qualified specialist will help with this.

Causes nausea after eating

To get rid of the consequences, it is necessary to eliminate the root cause of the pathological manifestation. So what could be the cause of nausea after eating and is it possible to eliminate it yourself at home? This question interests everyone who has encountered this problem at least once.

• The main and prevailing cause of nausea after eating are diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as gastritis or ulcerative diseases. Nausea is often accompanied by other pathological symptoms. This may be heartburn, manifestations of flatulence. Pancreatitis may also be expressed by similar symptoms. Side symptoms are usually accompanied by diarrheal manifestations and pain symptoms in the right hypochondrium.
• The cause of nausea after eating may also be an intestinal infection, which shows the first signs of symptoms after a few minutes of infection entering the human body with food. In addition to nausea, the body responds to rapidly developing intoxication caused by pathogenic flora with diarrhea and severe bouts of vomiting.
• Many medications prescribed by a doctor to treat a patient can also provoke such a pathology. Many medications have nausea as a side effect. In such a situation, if the symptoms are minor, you will just have to endure it a little. But if the nausea is quite intense, you need to inform your doctor. Most likely, he will re-prescribe another medication with the same spectrum of action or give recommendations and prescribe a drug that can muffle or completely remove the uncomfortable symptoms.
• Almost everyone knows that nausea is the first sign of a concussion. This symptom in this case does not directly depend on food intake, but its intensity increases significantly after eating. At the same time, the victim usually feels dizzy and has headaches.
• Constant nausea, which intensifies after eating, also accompanies such a dangerous pathology as meningitis. This disease is also recognized by very strong pains in the occipital region of the brain, light phobia appears, the patient's body temperature shows very high values.
• If you feel nauseous after eating, have heartburn and a feeling that you have swallowed a balloon, there is increased gas emission and pain symptoms that radiate to the right rib. Such factors may indicate diseases affecting the gallbladder.
• Fatty, high-calorie food can also provoke such a symptom. Overeating should also be avoided. An overloaded digestive tract can “rebel” against the increased load in this way.
• Changes in a woman's hormonal background during pregnancy can also cause a similar symptom, especially in the morning.
• Nausea after eating can be catalyzed by “harmful eating”: fatty and fried foods, eating large amounts of food (overeating).
• Increased physical activity and stress immediately after eating can lead to this manifestation.
• Disruptions in the functioning of the vestibular system.
• Consumption of low-quality food that has already expired.
• An emotional factor can also provoke pathological nausea: a stressful situation, a depressive state.
• Nausea after eating can be a consequence of the activity of worms and other parasitic infestations.
• Nausea is also observed in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Why do I feel nauseous after eating?

The reasons that can provoke this unpleasant symptom have already been discussed above. Each patient has their own reason, but everyone wants to know why they feel sick after eating? And the main question is how to get rid of this unpleasantness and preferably with the least losses. Nausea is discomfort that occurs in the throat and/or epigastric zone, which is located below the xiphoid process and is projected onto the anterior abdominal cavity at the level of the stomach. Nausea is a direct precursor to vomiting.

A person begins to feel discomfort after eating if the muscle tone of the stomach decreases in his body, and the rate of peristalsis processes in the intestine decreases. In parallel with this, there is an increase in long-term persistent excitation of the nerve centers and muscle tissue of the proximal parts of the small intestine and duodenum. In this regard, a return of part of the gastric contents and the internal capacity of the duodenum is observed.

During inhalation, the contractile activity of the muscles of the respiratory system and the pulmonary diaphragm increases; when a person exhales, the muscle tissues of the anterior wall of the abdominal area are activated.

Quite often, it can be observed that against the background of general nausea, increased salivation occurs, the glands responsible for sweat production begin to work more actively, the patient's skin gives off a whiteness. In some cases, rapid heartbeat is noted.

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Symptoms

The reasons that can cause nausea after eating have already been discussed above. But it is worth dwelling in more detail on the indicative factor, when nausea after eating, as symptoms of a disease. Mostly, this symptomatology accompanies almost all diseases associated with the gastrointestinal tract. But, sometimes, this problem can be solved not by a gastroenterologist. The cause of pathological changes can be failures in the endocrine system (in this situation, an endocrinologist consultation is necessary), neurological disorders (examination and recommendations of a neurologist), less often, but this pathology can also be a consequence of cardiac failures.

So what are the most common diseases accompanied by nausea after eating:

• With ulcerative lesions of the digestive system mucosa, as well as gastritis, this unpleasant sensation after eating only intensifies. Accompanied by a burning sensation in the upper abdominal cavity. A consultation with a gastroenterologist and a complete examination of the digestive organs are necessary.
• Diseases affecting the gallbladder. During and after eating, there is an increase in internal discomfort caused by nausea, a feeling of distension, and heartburn. An unpleasant metallic, bitter taste appears in the mouth. There is an increased release of gases from the body.
• Nausea after eating can be provoked by pancreatitis, the basis of which is an inflammatory process occurring in the pancreas. At the same time, dull, pressing pain symptoms appear, radiating under the right rib. The patient feels a bitter taste in the mouth, suffers from diarrhea. Weight loss may be observed against the background of the disease. A gastroenterologist takes control of the disease. He conducts an examination, prescribes a survey and prescribes adequate treatment.
• Nausea may be caused by appendicitis. The symptoms are not directly related to food intake, but may intensify after eating and provoke vomiting. The patient may also develop a fever. Pain symptoms are variable: at first, the patient feels it in the upper abdomen, then the pain begins to descend lower and is localized in the right side. An urgent examination by a surgeon and his surgical intervention are necessary. In this situation, there is no time to waste, as delay is fraught with peritonitis, which can lead to death.
• Poisoning of the body, the cause of which was, it would seem, a banal intestinal infection. In this situation, the first symptoms may appear already half an hour after eating "dangerous" food or it may happen after several hours, it all depends on the state of the patient's body and his level of immunity. Usually after eating food, the intensity of nausea increases and quickly turns into vomiting, profuse diarrhea is observed. The victim suffers from headaches and sharp pains in the navel area. Sometimes poisoning is accompanied by a sharp rise in temperature. Its indicators can reach 39 ^o C.

Nausea may also be a consequence of other pathological changes, but they are not directly related to food intake. This category includes:

• Disturbances occurring in the vestibular apparatus. It is enough to change the position of the body: suddenly get out of bed or turn around your axis - this is enough to cause a strong attack of nausea, reaching vomiting. Usually this is accompanied by a constant noise curtain in the ears, dizziness. Nystagmus can also be observed - when a person is unable to fix his gaze on a specific object, the gaze seems to slide.
• A severe headache (migraine) can also cause a deterioration in the general condition. In addition to nausea, photophobia appears.
• If nausea persists throughout the day, especially intensifying in the morning and after eating, swelling and redness of the skin on the face, loss of strength, dizziness and headache are observed, the catalyst for all the symptoms may be hypertension.
• Meningitis can also provoke nausea. When it is affected, very strong vomiting is differentiated, temperature indicators reach life-threatening indicators of 40 ^° C and higher. This is accompanied by severe pain in the back of the head, the patient has difficulty looking at the light. In such a situation, it is necessary to urgently call an ambulance. Delay can cost the patient his life.
• Nausea also occurs after a blow that causes a concussion.
• Similar accompanying symptoms also appear in case of heart failure, and can also be provoked by a heart attack. In this case, nausea can lead to gag reflexes. There is paleness of the skin, persistent pain symptoms "under the pit of the stomach", hiccups may appear. The patient feels stuffy, wants to take a deep breath, but this is problematic. Urgent medical care is needed.
• Deficiency of hormones in the thyroid gland provokes the development of hypothyroidism, which becomes a catalyst for minor nausea, general apathy, drowsiness. The patient can freeze in the summer heat. There is no desire to eat, but, nevertheless, weight begins to be lost. An examination and consultation with an endocrinologist is necessary.
• If there is no clear connection between nausea and food intake, while the temperature reaches 38 ^o C, or even 40 ^o C, dull or spasmodic pain is localized in the lumbar region, the patient is "shaken by chills", problems with urination may arise. Such manifestations can be catalyzed by an inflammatory process that has affected the patient's kidneys.

Nausea after eating during pregnancy

A wonderful time is carrying a baby, but it is often marred by uncomfortable symptoms. One of these "troubles" is when you feel sick after eating during pregnancy, this is most typical for the first trimester. An unpleasant symptom can bother a woman throughout the day, or it can bother only in the morning, and also be a reaction to a certain smell or product. The root cause of such changes is the restructuring of the woman's body to new operating conditions necessary to create ideal conditions in which a new life begins to grow and flourish.

Mostly in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, toxicosis does not bother a woman and she can enjoy her condition with pleasure. Toxicosis is individual, each woman has her own, but some reasons may be similar, and their elimination will reduce the risk of its occurrence.

• The cause of nausea after eating is often an improper diet and the amount of food consumed.
• Inflammatory processes occurring in the pelvic organs, including the genitals.
• Disorders in the endocrine system caused by any disease or hormonal changes during pregnancy.
• Severe emotional stress, depression, nervous overexcitement.
• Diseases of the ENT organs.
• Lack of sleep and physical and emotional exhaustion of the body.
• Abnormal enhancement of the sense of smell and touch during pregnancy.

Toxicosis is not considered a disease, and in minor manifestations it fits into the norm of the ongoing pregnancy. But you should not ignore this pathology either. Perhaps it will be enough to simply adjust your daily diet and eating regimen so that the unpleasant symptom disappears. After all, be that as it may, the poor health of the expectant mother (both physically and emotionally) can harm the normal development of the fetus. If the irritating cause is some external factor, it must be eliminated, if possible.

Very often, the expectant mother is overcome by nausea attacks on an empty stomach, and it is enough to eat a little, and the problem goes away. But if this symptom is accompanied by heartburn, intoxication causes vomiting, dizziness is felt, blood pressure jumps, the pregnant woman feels bad, up to loss of consciousness - it is necessary to urgently call a doctor. Only a specialist can correctly determine the cause and prescribe the necessary and acceptable treatment in this situation.

The causes of nausea cannot be treated with classical methods using medications during pregnancy. After all, such an approach can harm the child. Only after receiving a complete picture of the pathology, having convened, if necessary, a consultation, the attending physician will be able to give recommendations, prescribe therapeutic treatment or supportive therapy (if more radical methods are needed, they can be used only after obstetrics). Rarely enough, but there are cases when the consultation decides on a forced termination of pregnancy.

Nausea and burping after eating

Belching is an uncontrolled release of gases and elements of undigested food and gastric secretion from the esophagus into the oral cavity. Most often, this process occurs together with an unaesthetic soundtrack and an unpleasant odor. Gastric juice is hydrochloric acid, which irritates the mucous membrane of the esophagus, which subsequently provokes heartburn. If a person feels nauseous and belches after eating, there may be several reasons for such discomfort.

• This may be associated with various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. For example, such as:

• Achalasia of the cardia is a neuromuscular dysfunction of the esophagus caused by the absence of a reflex opening of the cardia during swallowing and accompanied by a disturbance of peristalsis and a decrease in the tone of the thoracic esophagus, that is, a disturbance in intestinal patency is observed.
• Gastritis.
• Acute pancreatitis.
• Pathology of the gallbladder.
• Problems with liver function.
• An inflammatory process occurring in the appendix.

But if the human digestive tract is in a normal state, then unpleasant symptoms can be caused by other external factors:

• If a person is emotional enough and talks or eats very quickly while eating, swallowing poorly chewed food, then some air gets into his esophagus and stomach along with portions of food. It “doesn’t want” to be inside and tries to get out. Exiting along the path of least resistance, the air takes food particles with it. Against this background, the individual gets belching and a feeling of nausea.
• The second reason for the unpleasant tandem in question may be the active load that was given to the body immediately after eating. The mechanism of action is similar to the previous point, only it provokes the release of the stomach contents, the pressure that the muscular system exerts on the stomach.
• Excessive addiction to food and overeating can also provoke similar symptoms.
• If you feel nauseous and burp after eating, it is quite possible that there were dishes on the table made of "heavy" products that cause increased gas production. This could be radish, peas, beans, carbonated drinks.
• Similar symptoms are caused by fatty foods, fried and spicy foods.
• Pathological changes can also be caused by products with an expired shelf life.
• Quite often such symptoms can be observed during pregnancy - the period of toxicosis, which mainly covers the first trimester. The uterus together with the fetus increases in size and begins to affect the dome of the diaphragm from below - this is more typical for the second and, mainly, the third trimester of pregnancy.

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The child feels nauseous after eating

Probably the worst thing for a mother is when her child suffers. The difficulty is that the little person is not always able to clearly explain what is bothering him. What could be the reasons why a child feels sick after eating? There are many reasons and they are different.

• This may be one of the diseases of the gastrointestinal tract or an organ involved in the digestive process (liver, pancreas, and so on).
• Nausea with accompanying symptoms can be caused by food poisoning.
• The child's body is still very vulnerable, so after he has eaten fatty or fried food, he may very well vomit.
• A child’s immature digestive system may react to foods of poor quality.
• A fall or a bruise can cause nausea. Trauma causes a concussion, which is what causes nausea, which can worsen after eating.
• The baby's body may react this way to taking some medications. In the instructions attached to many medications, this symptom is found as a side effect.
• If the whole family ate the same dishes, and nausea, accompanied by abdominal pain, befell only one. It is necessary to take this symptomatology seriously enough - its cause may be appendicitis. It is better to play it safe and consult a specialist than not to do this and reap the "dangerous" fruits in the form of complications, or even the death of the patient. After all, an untimely removed appendix provokes the development of peritonitis.
• Another cause of pathology in a small person can be a negative stressful situation: resentment towards someone, guilt towards mother, strong fright. The baby subconsciously tries to relieve these unpleasant sensations with nausea and vomiting. Here, the support of parents and loved ones, in combination with breathing exercises, will do.
• A healthy baby is very active and inquisitive. He is constantly on the move. Active games lead to the fact that the child's sweating increases, and he begins to lose moisture quite actively. The child's body becomes dehydrated very quickly, the baby begins to feel nauseous. To eliminate this problem, you need to give the little person some clean, still water to drink.
• Due to the deplorable situation with the environment, especially in megalopolises, the percentage of children born allergic increases every year. Therefore, nausea may be a response of the baby's body to one of the external irritants. In this case, it is necessary to identify the source of the allergy and eliminate it.
• Many mothers are touched when they see their baby gobbling up food. As a result, we see a fairly large percentage of children who have early-stage obesity, which entails multiple pathological changes in the child's body. It is overeating - large amounts of food consumed - that causes unpleasant symptoms. If the baby does not want to eat, do not force the entire portion into him.
• A baby may also feel sick in transport, especially if he has eaten before. The reason for this is the imperfection of the baby's vestibular system. If a child suffers from these symptoms, do not give him food before the planned trip and, preferably, choose a place in transport where the baby can look forward, in the direction of the vehicle.

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Diagnostics nausea after eating

To get rid of the problem, it must first be differentiated. Diagnosis of nausea after eating begins with an analysis of the situation, previous actions and food products that the victim ate shortly before the attack. It would not be superfluous to get advice from a specialist. After all, if the source of pathological manifestations is a disease, then it must be established and a course of treatment must be carried out, otherwise you will not get rid of nausea.

If you have problems with the gastrointestinal tract, the first thing you need to do is adjust your diet. A gastroenterologist can recommend an adequate diet. The patient will have to undergo some examinations:

• Collecting patient complaints.
• To get a complete picture, the doctor learns the patient's medical history.
• Palpation of the abdominal area is performed.
• Urine and stool analysis.
• Blood test.
• Ultrasound examination of the digestive organs.
• A gastroscopy will also be prescribed.
• If necessary, a test for antibodies to the Helicobacter pylori bacterium, which causes ulcerative disease, is performed.

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Treatment nausea after eating

There is no universal medicine that permanently relieves nausea, especially if the cause of the discomfort is one of the many diseases. Therefore, treatment of nausea after eating can only be started after a diagnosis has been made that provokes such symptoms. Only after this can a specialist draw up an effective treatment protocol suitable for relieving a specific disease.

The modern pharmacological market produces a number of drugs to relieve discomfort pathology, capable of solving the problem. For example, diphenhydramine or motilium. In one case, one drug will be more effective, in another - another.

Diphenhydramine is administered orally with a small amount of liquid. The dosage for adult patients and adolescents over 14 years of age is 50 g one to three times a day. The duration of the course of treatment ranges from 10 to 15 days. The maximum dosage should not exceed: 250 mg per day, 100 mg at a time.

It is not recommended to prescribe the drug if the patient is hypersensitive to the components of diphenhydramine, or if the patient has a history of closed-angle glaucoma, stenotic ulcerative pathology of the digestive organs, abnormal heart rhythms, or if the patient suffers from epileptic seizures and bronchial asthma.

Motilium is taken half an hour before meals, and if necessary, before bedtime. The adult dosage involves taking one tablet, which corresponds to 20 mg of the active substance, three to four times a day. If the therapeutic effectiveness is insignificant, the amount of the drug administered can be doubled (the exception is infants under one year of age). The maximum permissible amount that can be taken during the day is 2.4 mg per kilogram of the patient's weight, but the dosage should not exceed 80 mg. The drug is prescribed to patients whose weight exceeds 35 kg.

Motilium is contraindicated in the following cases:

• Prolactinoma is a prolactin-secreting neoplasm in the pituitary gland.
• Hypersensitivity to the components of the drug.
• Bleeding affecting the organs of the digestive tract.
• Concomitant administration with strong inhibitors of the CYP3A4 isoenzyme.
• Perforation of parts of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Mechanical intestinal obstruction.
• The patient's body weight is up to 35 kg.

Some diseases simply cannot be treated without surgical intervention. For example, appendicitis, some forms of gastrointestinal tract diseases. After surgery, the patient is usually prescribed antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs.

An antibiotic of the macrolide group (a semisynthetic derivative of erythromycin) - larithromycin - is prescribed to patients over 12 years of age at a dosage of 0.25 g twice a day. If medically necessary, the amount of the drug taken can be increased to 0.5 g twice a day. The duration of the course of administration varies from five days to two weeks. For patients with severe kidney disease, the dosage of the drug is reduced and is prescribed strictly individually.

Contraindications to the drug include increased intolerance to the components of the drug. The drug is also not recommended for children under 12 years of age; the doctor prescribes clarithromycin of a different release form.

It is worth noting that you should not self-medicate, because the reasons causing nausea after eating are different, therefore, the methods of removing them cannot be the same. In order not to harm your body, it is better to contact a highly qualified specialist who will determine the provoking cause and prescribe adequate treatment.

What to do if you feel nauseous after eating?

Nausea is an unpleasant sensation. When it starts to bother you, the first question that pops up in your mind is what to do if you feel sick after eating? If the unpleasant symptoms are not associated with pathological changes that have led to diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, endocrine, nervous or cardiac system, then the first thing you need to do is to determine the provoking source.

• If the vestibular system is to blame for the discomfort, you should not eat before going on a “trip” or to the city park to ride on a swing.
• You need to carefully read the recommendations for medications - nausea can be a side effect for many.
• During pregnancy, it is necessary to minimize irritating factors: stress, fatigue. Adjust your diet.
• It is important to be careful in your movements, minimizing falls and bruises that can lead to a concussion.
• If the cause of nausea after eating is food poisoning, it is necessary to call an ambulance without delay. Before its arrival, the patient needs to have his stomach washed: an enema, induce a gag reflex, and be given a lot of liquid to drink (plain clean still water will do, the drinks should not be sweet). Only after cleaning should the victim be given any adsorbent to drink. This can be activated carbon, sorbex, and other similar agents.

Depending on the severity of the poisoning, sorbex is taken one to three capsules. The drug will be most effective if administered one to one and a half hours before or after meals. If necessary, the dosage of the drug can be increased to two to four capsules administered three times a day for adult patients and, with the same frequency, but in the amount of one to two capsules for children from 7 to 14 years old. No more than eight units of the drug can be taken at a time. For younger children, the drug is prescribed only by the attending physician and in case of extreme necessity. The duration of treatment is from three days to two weeks.

Sorbex is contraindicated for use in cases of hypersensitivity to the components of the drug, as well as in cases of bleeding and ulcerative lesions of the gastrointestinal mucosa.

There is no panacea for nausea after eating, but there are folk medicine recipes that can bring relief under certain conditions.

• If you feel nauseous, you can sniff ammonia.
• Mix a quarter of a tablespoon of baking soda and the juice of half a lemon. Drink this mixture at the first sign of nausea.
• You can make a tincture from the peel of three or four tangerines and a quarter liter of vodka (250 g). Grind the peel, pour in the liquid and leave for a week. If discomfort occurs, take 20 drops four times throughout the day.
• At the first signs of nausea, you can put a tablet of validol under your tongue; a candy with a menthol or mint flavor will also work.
• You can quickly prepare a decoction based on one teaspoon of nettle leaves. Pour a glass of hot milk over it and boil for five minutes. Drink a third of the resulting liquid immediately, and drink the rest of the decoction at intervals of two to three hours, one tablespoon at a time, until the symptoms disappear completely.
• You can use mint tincture, which is easy to make at home or buy at a pharmacy. 15 drops are diluted with a small amount of water and drunk.
• Ginger tincture or ginger tea (without added sugar) will also work.

Prevention

But much also depends on the person himself. His lifestyle can significantly reduce the likelihood of an unpleasant symptom. Prevention of nausea after eating includes several simple rules:

• A person's diet must be balanced.
• Eliminate or minimize the consumption of harmful foods:
  • Fatty and fried foods.
  • Spicy dishes.
  • Carbonated drinks and energy drinks.
  • Fast food products.
  • Products containing preservatives, colorants and stabilizers.
  • Alcoholic beverages.
• Maintaining a healthy lifestyle that eliminates bad habits.
• Take prescribed medications very carefully and do not self-medicate.
• Don't overeat and watch your weight.
• Don't ignore walks in the fresh air.
• Ventilate your living and working areas regularly.
• Eat small portions at intervals of two to three hours.
• While eating, do not talk, do not fidget, and chew your food thoroughly.
• The last meal should be no later than two to three hours before you plan to go to bed.
• Do not ignore the rules of personal hygiene.
• Once a year, undergo a preventive examination by specialized specialists.
• If you have allergies to certain foods or external irritants, they should be removed or minimized if possible.
• If a person has a malfunction of the vestibular system, then he should not eat before traveling by car. Movements should be smooth, not allowing a sharp change in position.

Remember, timely diagnosis of the problem gives more opportunities to effectively eliminate the root cause and achieve complete recovery.

Our body has its own "language" with which it tries to convey to its owner that it is undergoing pathological changes. One of these signals is the symptom of nausea after eating. There are many provoking causes, but it is imperative to determine the one that is the catalyst in a particular case. This is the only way to get rid of the problem. Only a qualified doctor can figure this out. You should not diagnose yourself and prescribe therapy. Such an approach can be fraught with unpleasant side effects or serious complications. Therefore, be attentive to your health and the health of close relatives and friends, do not let the disease take its course if pathological symptoms begin to appear.

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