Constipation is unpleasant, but it becomes intolerable when it results in additional symptoms like nausea.

The feeling of being sick to one’s stomach is called nausea. It could give you a bad taste in your mouth and make you want to throw up.

Constipation is characterized by infrequent bowel movements, usually fewer than three per week.

Constipation along with sickness can be particularly painful. Most people experience constipation at some point in their lives, and it’s frequently nothing significant.

Constipation can cause a variety of additional symptoms, such as stomach cramps and lower back pain, even when it is just temporary.

 

What can cause this feeling?

Constipation results from stools that pass through the digestive system slowly. Dry, stiff stools that are challenging to pass can result from a lack of water in your colon.

What’s the relationship between constipation and nausea?

Your entire gastrointestinal tract becomes out of balance when your colon isn’t functioning properly. The outcome is a sensation of unease or queasiness in your stomach caused by a buildup of feces in your intestinal tract.

Your body’s detoxification process involves your gut. A buildup of toxins in your body happens when food transits through your colon more slowly than usual. These poisons are what give people a nauseating feeling.

Constipation can also cause bloating and stomach distention, which happen the longer stools stay in your colon. This causes your colon’s germs to multiply, making you feel queasy. Depending on how bad your constipation is, you can also lose your appetite and start skipping meals. Some people experience nausea when they are hungry.

 

Other potential reasons

Constipation and nausea can occasionally be signs of a medical problem. Typical ailments include:

Dehydration

Lack of water in your body and intestines can result in dry, hard feces. Food and waste may be more difficult to pass through your intestinal tract if you are dehydrated.

Dehydration can cause sluggish bowel movements, which can cause nausea as well as other symptoms like bloating and gas.

Intestine blockage

When an obstruction in your colon inhibits the passage of stool, it results in bowel or intestinal obstruction. Abdominal pain, nausea, and abdominal swelling can also be signs of intestinal blockage. Various factors may be involved with this syndrome. Crohn’s disease-related intestinal inflammation as well as infections like diverticulitis can result in a blockage.

If you have a hernia or adhesions in your colon, you could possibly develop an obstruction. One such reason for blockages is colon or bowel cancer.

Rheumatoid bowel syndrome (IBS)

The large intestine is impacted by this condition. Numerous symptoms, such as nausea and constipation, might be brought on by it. Weak intestinal contractions brought on by IBS, a chronic illness, cause food or stools to back up in the colon.

Additionally, anomalies in the neurological system are thought to be a factor in IBS with constipation. Weak muscular contractions in the intestines are the result of poorly coordinated signals between the colon and the brain.

Check what type of medications you are on.

Constipation and nausea are gastrointestinal adverse effects that some drugs might produce. These include narcotic painkillers such as codeine and oxycodone, antihistamines, diuretics, antidepressants, blood pressure medication; and antihistamines and some supplements for iron.

As your body becomes used to a medicine or supplement, nausea and constipation may get better.

Consult a physician if medication-induced constipation gets worse or doesn’t get better. Your doctor might need to change your dosage or suggest using a stool softener along with the medication.

Inactive lifestyle

Chronic constipation doesn’t necessarily have a medical cause at the root of the issue. Lack of exercise can be the cause of the issue. Regular exercise helps produce proper muscle contractions in the intestines, which can help prevent persistent constipation, which can then cause nausea. This facilitates easy bowel transit for feces.

Additional signs

Although nausea and constipation often occur together, constipation can also result in other symptoms such as stomach bloating, flatulence, and pain. Struggling to pass faeces results in straining while having a bowel movement. You run the risk of developing hemorrhoids, which are enlarged veins in your anus if you strain too hard. Hemorrhoids can cause an itchy, painful, or bleeding anal area.

What treatments are available

Treatment might enhance your quality of life if chronic constipation causes nausea, hemorrhoids, and other gastrointestinal issues. Here are some options for you to consider.

Fiber-rich foods

Increasing your fiber intake might make your stools softer. As a result, straining may be reduced and bowel motions may occur more frequently.

As advised, take over-the-counter fiber supplements, or consume more fiber-rich foods. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are excellent sources. Between 21 and 38 grams of fiber per day are recommended for adults.

Laxatives

Intestinal contractions are induced and bowel movement is encouraged by stimulant laxatives. On the other side, osmotic laxatives permit fluid to pass through the colon, which also encourages bowel motion.

Poo softeners

Even though they are a sort of laxative, these operate slightly differently. Unlike laxatives, stool softeners moisten or soften dry, stiff stools. This makes going to the bathroom simpler.

Suppositories and enemas

These items help you get rid of rectal waste and ease constipation. They function by injecting fluid into the lower gut to aid in colon emptying, such as soapsuds, water, or saline. Although enemas and suppositories are efficient, they can also cause nausea and diarrhea. Additionally, if put incorrectly, there is a chance of internal injury or rectum perforation.

Medication

Several prescription drugs can treat constipation when over-the-counter remedies are ineffective. By attracting water to the intestines, these drugs function similarly to laxatives and stool softeners.

There are several options, such as prucalopride succinate (Resotran), linaclotide (Constella), lubiprostone (Amitiza), and more (Linzess) A few lifestyle adjustments can also be helpful:

• Increase your level of exercise. Regular exercise can help with constipation. Attempt to engage in physical activity most days of the week for at least 30 minutes.
• Maintain a food diary. You can use this to identify specific foods that cause constipation. If you have lactose intolerance, eating dairy products may cause constipation. You might also be sensitive to gluten. If so, constipation may be brought on by gluten-containing meals.
• Be sure to get enough fluids. Dehydration will be less likely as a result. Increase your intake of water, juices, caffeinated teas, and coffee.

 

When should I go to visit my doctor?

Consult a doctor if your quality of life is being affected by nausea or constipation. This includes ailments that make it difficult to go to work, school, or carry out daily tasks.

Consult a doctor if your constipation doesn’t go better after a few months as well. When you sense the urge to urinate but are unable to do so, you may have an underlying medical condition. This can be a sign of an obstruction in your intestines.

Additionally, it’s crucial to consult a doctor if you experience constipation along with excruciating pain, weight loss, or rectal bleeding.

In conclusion

Remember that different medical issues might produce both symptoms even though constipation can make you feel sick. Therefore, if your bowel action changes in any way and either doesn’t get better or gets worse, you should consult a doctor.