Nausea and Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Sunday, February 1st, 2009 at 12:08 am

During a normal day, muscles located in the colon contract every few hours moving feces along the intestinal tract and resulting in a bowel movement. For those people that suffer with IBS, it is believed that those same muscles are exceptionally sensitive. An large list of things such as hormones, foods, medications or just plain old stress can cause symptoms associated with IBS and one of the most common and debilitating symptoms of IBS is constant and persistent nausea.

Scientists are not sure why people who have IBS have this unique colon muscle sensitivity. Stress isn’t believed to be a sole cause, but it can aggravate it. There are many documented cases where people suffer strong IBS symptoms during exceptionally stressful periods in their lives, like the death of a relative, but it is not believed that the stress alone causes IBS. Nausea flare ups during periods of exceptional stress are common for IBS sufferers.

The cause of nausea in IBS sufferers is difficult to pinpoint. Anytime the digestive system is not balanced, nausea is the most common result. A vast majority of IBS sufferers report that nausea is a primary symptom, but the most difficult aspect for doctors and patients alike is that one cure which works for one sufferer is likely not to work for another. It’s this lack of consistency in treating IBS that makes it one of the most challenging ailments to treat if you’re a doctor and one of the most frustrating to suffer from if you’re a patient.

Nausea and cramps can sometimes be relieved by a bowel movement, but some sufferers of IBS may not be able to have a movement. Many different types of drugs can be used to treat the nausea associated with IBS, but since there is no known cure, the drugs are used mainly to alleviate symptoms only.

Anticholinergics are drugs that affect the nerve cells or nerve fibers and are used to decrease muscle spasms in the small and large intestine and alleviate symptoms such as nausea, cramping pain or diarrhea.

Dicyclomine is a drug that is used to relax the muscles in the gut and bladder to help prevent spasms and ease movement of feces through the digestive tract. It also helps to reduce the amount of stomach acid that is produced to help treat nausea. But even this treatment has side effects of its own, which include dry mouth, nose and throat and a decreased ability to sweat, which can lead to heat stroke if the user is active while on the medication.

Many other drugs are used to help treat IBS and the nausea that accompanies it, but there are more simple solutions.

Changing your diet to include more or less of certain foods can help. Many IBS sufferers are sensitive to dietary fiber. For some, simply adding a bran muffin or avoiding insoluble fiber can help a lot. Also, over the counter anti-diarrhea’s such as Pepto Bismol or Milk of Magnesia can calm the digestive tract and rid an IBS sufferer of nausea. Before experimenting with dietary changes, please consult your doctor to ensure your body continues to get the correct level of nutrition.

By: Susan Reynolds -

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