Nausea, dizziness, spaciness, headache

axle 222 said:

Hello hope all goes well with g.p......as I think I have shared with you before I too have a lot of gastric problems,without being a harbinger,when I had those symptoms mine was caused by gall stones.....I ended up having my gall bladder plus stones removed.... really hope it's not what you have but thought I'd mention it....wishing you well.

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Thank you that is something I should consider. A few days ago after I vomited I had pain in the gallbladder/liver area, but it wasn't severe, and in the past I've been told that pain there could be coming from the bowel. I'm at risk of gallstones, being female, over 40 and overweight. Currently my main symptoms are nausea and lightheadedness, the kind of seedy feeling I used to get with a hangover years ago. Could be anything. Really looking forward to seeing the doctor and I hope she can shed some light on it.

axle 222 said:

You are describing what I had, like you I thought of many things that it may be... the convincing symptom for me was the issue with foods.....as for pain gall stones are notorious for giving off degrees pain,so what you think is bowel/gut actually can be from there. Best of luck.....

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Many thanks... if it is gallstones then at least I would know what was wrong, and that would help a lot. I've had a lot of surgeries in my life so one more is no biggie, lol. I just really love my high fat foods on LCHF

When you say the issue with foods, do you mean feeling so bad after eating that you would rather not eat?

Natalie1974 said:

Hi @CatLadyNZ
I wonder if this could be down to stopping the Amisulpride. I was on Sertraline last year and on the odd occassion when I ran out...for whatever reason (I'll not have that particular moan up right now) I experienced exactly the symptoms that you're describing...nausea...dizziness...it was quite a strange sensation and quite hard to describe. Although you say you were only on a small dose and it's a completely different drug it may still be worth reducing slowly.

I've copied a little info from found online re Amisulpride withdrawal....

Acute withdrawal symptoms including nausea, vomiting and insomnia have very rarely been described after abrupt cessation of high doses of antipsychotic drugs. Recurrence of psychotic symptoms may also occur, and the emergence of involuntary movement disorders (such as akathisa, dystonia and dyskinesia) has been reported. Therefore, gradual withdrawal is advisable.

Hope you get to the bottom of it

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Thank you Natalie. I was on 50mg which is half a tablet, so the only way to reduce it slowly would be to halve it again for 25mg, and by then the piece of tablet would be hard to deal with. I thought about doing it that way, but my specialist seemed sure it wouldn't be necessary. I kind of wish I had done it now, but since it's been a week since stopping I'm not sure taking a little of it now would help.

And I'm scared to take it because I want my prolactin level to come down asap. I didn't/don't have any of the usual symptoms of high prolactin, but it can cause weight gain and other things I don't want. Further, if the prolactin level doesn't come down by much, then I may need an MRI to see if there is a prolactinoma, a benign tumour of the pituitary gland. If so, I get to add yet another medication into the mix to shrink it.

Must... try... not to worry. Lol.

catherinecherub said:

I was wondering if the medications you are taking for your G.I. problems may be part of the problem @CatLadyNZ.

PPI's are known to decrease B12 and magnesium levels for some.

http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/clinica...-with-acid-suppressing-drugs/20005335.article
http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/gps-urg...els-for-all-patients-on-ppis/13860200.article

Could it be that the medications you list are not working in harmony? Some have constipation as a side effect and some have constipation or diarrhoea as a side effect.
Ask for a review of these meds.

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Thanks, that's always a good idea. I get my B12 tested regularly and have had injections in the past. I think I'm due for a magnesium test.

I saw my GP today and we made progress on figuring out what's wrong.

She thinks the main problem is constipation/slow colonic transit, which she says can cause nausea, dizziness, spaciness, headaches, and lightheadedness/a seedy feeling. I feel so much better with this explanation because it's something I can do something about, and I don't think there's some disease process going on that is new and potentially difficult to manage. (But we are going to rule out some things just to be on the safe side).

She also said the high prolactin level may be a contributing factor to my symptoms. She is sending me for an ultrasound scan to check on my gallbladder, and blood tests for prolactin, electrolytes, magnesium and LFTs. My HbA1c, lipids, kidney function, iron, thyroid, B12 and folate levels were good/normal on the last blood test a few weeks ago.

I feel so well looked after - she is thorough, kind and empathetic.

We talked about what I need to do for my constipation and I will get on that. She suggested bran flakes for fibre and I just smiled and nodded, to save time, lol. I don't want to increase my carbs by eating those... but I am curious about whether the benefit for my bowels might be worth it... I will think about it some more.

An increase in green leafy veges and water is in my immediate future!

Thanks again for all your support and ideas, they helped solve the puzzle and cheered me up as well.