# Could nausea be due to slow digestion?



## CatUK (Dec 15, 2006)

I'm still trying to figure out why I feel so sick all the time. The Dr has done tests and found nothing.I was wondering if it could be because I have very slow bowels? I usually only go to the loo twice a week (seem to go every 3 or 4 days). I don't have any urge to go in between so don't think I have classic constipation where I want to go but I can't, I just don't have anything to go with until every 4 3 or 4 days. When I do go I don't have to strain so think it's pretty normal, I do feel like I have to go straight away when I get the urge though and my stomach really hurts and I feel like I'm going to be sick till I've been. I used to go loads more as a teenager but for the last 5 years or so have had really slow bowels. I'm thinking this could be why I feel sick all the time, is it possible it could be a build up of toxins because to be honest my poop is sitting there for so long?I've had Motilium 10 (domperidone) from my Dr which worked for about 3 days then stopped working. I've also had Lactulose also prescribed by my Dr which just gave me bad stomach cramps and made me feel sick. Currently on Metoclopramide for the nausea which is supposed to help speed up food transition but still not going to the toilet much more on this. Just wondering what I could do to help speed up my bowels and maybe help control the nausea. I'm currently taking probiotics everyday, have bought some physillium husks to try (have heard they help some people with IBS whereas others it can cause more gas but going to give them a go). I eat loads of green veg. Any advice or tips on what else I could try would be great, thanks.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I think people with gastroparesis can have nausea but that is a stomach issue, not a constipation issue.I think you can have nausea up top no matter what the stool frequency or consistency is, so I'm not sure any particular amount of constipation directly causes nausea. However I could see that anything that makes the constipation worse might also trigger whatever is setting off the nausea so they could track together even if not directly cause and effect.Just because the colon is slow doesn't mean the rest of digestion is slow. Everyone digests the food in a few hours then it goes to the colon for storage/water removal. So even with a 16 hour transit time (the fast end of normal range) you have 10+ hours in there that have nothing to with digestion. The long end of normal transit time is 72 hours.I don' t think there is any evidence that length of storage in the colon means at 73 hours your colon suddenly starts letting lots of toxins into the body when it doesn't from hour 6 to hour 72. If it is too leaky to hold in the toxins it would do that no matter what your transit time is. I know the toxin theory seems really logical but that doesn't seem to be what sets off the other symptoms in some direct fashion. You can have lots of pain and nausea without adding some toxin thing (no matter how much the colon cleaner sales people try to sell everything is from colon toxins theory of health).Speeding up food from stomach to intestine may not make your colon go faster. Have you had a transit study? or a pelvic floor study? You could try another osmotic that doesn't tend to increase gas like lactulose does. Like Magnesium Oxide or Miralax.


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## CatUK (Dec 15, 2006)

Thanks very much for the reply Kathleen. Guess I'm just trying to put an end to this constant nausea which seems to be ruling my life at the moment. The only thing that made me think of the sluggish bowel is the fact I always feel extra sick the day I need to go to the toilet. Like today I felt so sick and then went to the loo and still feel queasy and my lower stomach is now really achy (happens most times I go to the loo).I've not had a transit study but after reading up about them would love to try one. I will mention it to my Dr is she has the time (she seems to rush people in and out lately) when I go in 2 weeks (have to get some more anxiety tablets). Thanks for tha tip about that.I know my anixety is definately causing some of the nausea as is the lack of sleep but I'm not anxious all the time and at the moment my Dr says my nausea must be down to my anxiety. She just doesn't seem to want to think it could be anything other than that. It's hard when you have anxiety for your Dr to think your symptoms are down to anything but that. I've been with chronice fatigue, achy joints, nausea, abdominal pain etc and all the time if blood tests come back normal I get told it's my anxiety. Very annoying for it to be passed off as that all the time (on my 2nd Dr too as other one is on maternity leave and she's the same).Thanks again Kathleen for your help, I really appreciate it


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## RichardW (Nov 24, 2008)

Two of the causes my GP gave me for nausea were: delayed emptying of stomach and CNS (central nervous system). So in the first I think its caused by reflux and the like, and in the second its some nervous system problem where your brain is telling you to be sick even though there's no reason.I was told that Motilium (domperidone) is good for delayed emptying, metoclopramide is good for CNS.


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## IanRamsay (Nov 23, 2008)

HIDOMPERIDONE (Motillium) and METOCLOPRAMIDE are prokinetics, they only speed up tranist time through to stomach by speeding up contractions and tieghtening teh upper spincter and loosening teh lower sphincter. they both have a mild effect on te hintestines to an extent in terms of speeding up transit time BUT they dont have an effect on bowels. the food will get to the bowels quicker, but if teh bowels arnt emptying regularly the food waste will just join the rest of teh waste in the colon.as a test, you could try taking a stool softner for a few days and see if the nausea gets a bit better.Conversely, a slow bowel transit time has been shown to have an effect on the amount of time that teh stomach takes to empty its contents. so teh two may be linked. best tp talk to your doctor about it.cheersIan


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## momadam (Jan 22, 2009)

Have you considered that it might be a side effect of one of your meds? I started taking Celexa(antidepressent) 2 weeks ago and I have been nauseaus almost from the beginning. I have no appetite. The thought of food turns me off. I have to force myself to get any nutrition into my already weak and thinning body. So now I am weaning myself off of it to see if that was the cause. Some people just have low tolerance for certain drugs. I guess I am one of them. I also have the problem of C, or used to. Now that my gallbladder has been removed the whole ball game has changed. One day is never the same as another. Hope you can get this resolved soon. Keep us posted.Regards,Carolyn


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