Long Covid nausea? What helps?

Posted by mh19 @mh19, Apr 28 10:41pm

Hi all,

For the past three months I’ve experienced 24/7 nausea and intermittent vomiting. Zero appetite and eating has been next to impossible. I’ve lost so much weight too. However I’ve noticed that during the ovulation phase of my cycle my nausea is a lot less severe or gone completely. My pcp thinks it might be brain gut issues, and I was put on tricyclic antidepressants but that didn’t do much. Has anyone had a similar experience to this and did it go away? What treatments worked for you?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19 Support Group.

Profile picture for debmarshop @debmarshop

I have many many LC symptoms since April 2022 but nausea and vomiting is one I have had SUCCESS dealing with. At my Drs instruction, I take a probiotic supplement every morning. It took a few weeks to settle out and be effective but now I rarely vomit and nausea is infrequent, mild or gone. I was doubtful but this was a simple fix for a big problem. Good luck all

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Thanks so much for your input and reply. Simple and wort a try.

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Try using "Emetrol" Rapid Nausea relief 4 oz bottle over the counter. Clears up my Nausea fast. This is a long shot might help might not. Just thought it worth a mention.
Regards,
Scott

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It's my understanding that the COVID virus may cause damage to the autonomic nervous system including the vagus nerve which controls gastric motility.
I have been diagnosed with delayed gastric emptying aka gastroparesis which causes persistent nausea. I have been prescribed Reglan which promotes gastric motility and Zofran aka ondensatron which is a common anti-nausea drug that helps somewhat.

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Profile picture for zorro12345 @zorro12345

Try using "Emetrol" Rapid Nausea relief 4 oz bottle over the counter. Clears up my Nausea fast. This is a long shot might help might not. Just thought it worth a mention.
Regards,
Scott

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Thanks Zorro. Have tried it. Does work more often than not. So it can help. Seems to depend on what I've eaten.

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Profile picture for doug8576 @doug8576

It's my understanding that the COVID virus may cause damage to the autonomic nervous system including the vagus nerve which controls gastric motility.
I have been diagnosed with delayed gastric emptying aka gastroparesis which causes persistent nausea. I have been prescribed Reglan which promotes gastric motility and Zofran aka ondensatron which is a common anti-nausea drug that helps somewhat.

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I had a gastric emptying test and it was normal

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Hi everyone, I’m a 21 year old male and have been dealing with chronic nausea and lower abdominal discomfort since 2021, after I had COVID-19. Before that, I was completely healthy.

This all began with severe nausea and abdominal pain a few months after the infection, I ended up in the ER and was given fentanyl and morphine to manage the pain. That acute pain eventually passed, but what remained is this constant, daily nausea and queasiness that has never gone away.

I used to rely on Zofran and Tylenol daily just to function. Things improved when I was prescribed amitriptyline 30mg, which made a significant difference. Without it, I’m much worse. But even with the medication, the nausea is still a daily struggle that affects my ability to eat, focus, and live normally. I still wake up in the mornings with what I'd describe as stomach discomfort/pain/burning? or hunger, its hard to explain. It's very positional, laying on my side seems to make my nausea worse so I usually sit up when I sleep, and in cars the nausea is the worst.

I’ve been apart of:
My province’s long COVID clinic, andA gastroenterologist, who believed COVID damaged my brain-gut connection, possibly through vagus nerve dysfunction or autonomic disruption.

At first I tried to live with it. But as I’ve started working more and trying to be social again, it’s become debilitating. I just want to feel like myself again.

Tests I’ve Had:
MR Enterography (2022):
Mild bowel wall thickening and mucosal hyperenhancement in a 7 cm segment of the terminal ileum. Mild fat stranding and borderline ileocolic lymph nodes. Impression: “Could reflect Crohn’s disease; confirm endoscopically.”

CT Abdomen & Pelvis with Contrast (Oct 2021):
Mild right lower quadrant lymph node enlargement. No clear bowel inflammation. Follow-up MR enterography recommended.

Abdominal X-ray (2021):
Non-obstructive gas pattern, no diagnostic findings.

Gastric Emptying Study (2022):
Normal — rules out gastroparesis.

Bloodwork (2022):
Rheumatoid Factor < 11, CRP and immunoglobulins normal.

Full autoimmune panel:
CRP, ESR, ANA, ENA, ANCA, RF, IgG/IgA/IgM subclasses, all normal.

Nutritional & organ function labs:
Normal iron, ferritin, vitamin levels, liver enzymes, creatinine, CK, cortisol, BNP, etc.

Pulmonary function test & 6-minute walk (2022):
Part of long COVID clinic workup, no issues

My Questions:
Could the terminal ileum inflammation from 2 years ago still be relevant today?
Is it possible this is still post-COVID vagus nerve dysfunction or autonomic GI damage, even with normal motility tests?
Has anyone experienced Crohn’s-like inflammation without classic Crohn’s symptoms like diarrhea or blood?

This has been going on for years, and it’s really taken a toll. I just want to fix this and get my life back.

REPLY
Profile picture for longcovidnausea @longcovidnausea

Hi everyone, I’m a 21 year old male and have been dealing with chronic nausea and lower abdominal discomfort since 2021, after I had COVID-19. Before that, I was completely healthy.

This all began with severe nausea and abdominal pain a few months after the infection, I ended up in the ER and was given fentanyl and morphine to manage the pain. That acute pain eventually passed, but what remained is this constant, daily nausea and queasiness that has never gone away.

I used to rely on Zofran and Tylenol daily just to function. Things improved when I was prescribed amitriptyline 30mg, which made a significant difference. Without it, I’m much worse. But even with the medication, the nausea is still a daily struggle that affects my ability to eat, focus, and live normally. I still wake up in the mornings with what I'd describe as stomach discomfort/pain/burning? or hunger, its hard to explain. It's very positional, laying on my side seems to make my nausea worse so I usually sit up when I sleep, and in cars the nausea is the worst.

I’ve been apart of:
My province’s long COVID clinic, andA gastroenterologist, who believed COVID damaged my brain-gut connection, possibly through vagus nerve dysfunction or autonomic disruption.

At first I tried to live with it. But as I’ve started working more and trying to be social again, it’s become debilitating. I just want to feel like myself again.

Tests I’ve Had:
MR Enterography (2022):
Mild bowel wall thickening and mucosal hyperenhancement in a 7 cm segment of the terminal ileum. Mild fat stranding and borderline ileocolic lymph nodes. Impression: “Could reflect Crohn’s disease; confirm endoscopically.”

CT Abdomen & Pelvis with Contrast (Oct 2021):
Mild right lower quadrant lymph node enlargement. No clear bowel inflammation. Follow-up MR enterography recommended.

Abdominal X-ray (2021):
Non-obstructive gas pattern, no diagnostic findings.

Gastric Emptying Study (2022):
Normal — rules out gastroparesis.

Bloodwork (2022):
Rheumatoid Factor < 11, CRP and immunoglobulins normal.

Full autoimmune panel:
CRP, ESR, ANA, ENA, ANCA, RF, IgG/IgA/IgM subclasses, all normal.

Nutritional & organ function labs:
Normal iron, ferritin, vitamin levels, liver enzymes, creatinine, CK, cortisol, BNP, etc.

Pulmonary function test & 6-minute walk (2022):
Part of long COVID clinic workup, no issues

My Questions:
Could the terminal ileum inflammation from 2 years ago still be relevant today?
Is it possible this is still post-COVID vagus nerve dysfunction or autonomic GI damage, even with normal motility tests?
Has anyone experienced Crohn’s-like inflammation without classic Crohn’s symptoms like diarrhea or blood?

This has been going on for years, and it’s really taken a toll. I just want to fix this and get my life back.

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Hi @longcovidnausea, you'll notice that I moved your question about chronic nausea and long COVID to this existing discussion:
- Long Covid nausea? What helps? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/long-covid-nausea/

Using the group search, you will find many discussions related to nausea and GI issues. For example:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/post-covid-recovery-covid-19/?search=nausea&index=discussions

REPLY
Profile picture for longcovidnausea @longcovidnausea

Hi everyone, I’m a 21 year old male and have been dealing with chronic nausea and lower abdominal discomfort since 2021, after I had COVID-19. Before that, I was completely healthy.

This all began with severe nausea and abdominal pain a few months after the infection, I ended up in the ER and was given fentanyl and morphine to manage the pain. That acute pain eventually passed, but what remained is this constant, daily nausea and queasiness that has never gone away.

I used to rely on Zofran and Tylenol daily just to function. Things improved when I was prescribed amitriptyline 30mg, which made a significant difference. Without it, I’m much worse. But even with the medication, the nausea is still a daily struggle that affects my ability to eat, focus, and live normally. I still wake up in the mornings with what I'd describe as stomach discomfort/pain/burning? or hunger, its hard to explain. It's very positional, laying on my side seems to make my nausea worse so I usually sit up when I sleep, and in cars the nausea is the worst.

I’ve been apart of:
My province’s long COVID clinic, andA gastroenterologist, who believed COVID damaged my brain-gut connection, possibly through vagus nerve dysfunction or autonomic disruption.

At first I tried to live with it. But as I’ve started working more and trying to be social again, it’s become debilitating. I just want to feel like myself again.

Tests I’ve Had:
MR Enterography (2022):
Mild bowel wall thickening and mucosal hyperenhancement in a 7 cm segment of the terminal ileum. Mild fat stranding and borderline ileocolic lymph nodes. Impression: “Could reflect Crohn’s disease; confirm endoscopically.”

CT Abdomen & Pelvis with Contrast (Oct 2021):
Mild right lower quadrant lymph node enlargement. No clear bowel inflammation. Follow-up MR enterography recommended.

Abdominal X-ray (2021):
Non-obstructive gas pattern, no diagnostic findings.

Gastric Emptying Study (2022):
Normal — rules out gastroparesis.

Bloodwork (2022):
Rheumatoid Factor < 11, CRP and immunoglobulins normal.

Full autoimmune panel:
CRP, ESR, ANA, ENA, ANCA, RF, IgG/IgA/IgM subclasses, all normal.

Nutritional & organ function labs:
Normal iron, ferritin, vitamin levels, liver enzymes, creatinine, CK, cortisol, BNP, etc.

Pulmonary function test & 6-minute walk (2022):
Part of long COVID clinic workup, no issues

My Questions:
Could the terminal ileum inflammation from 2 years ago still be relevant today?
Is it possible this is still post-COVID vagus nerve dysfunction or autonomic GI damage, even with normal motility tests?
Has anyone experienced Crohn’s-like inflammation without classic Crohn’s symptoms like diarrhea or blood?

This has been going on for years, and it’s really taken a toll. I just want to fix this and get my life back.

Jump to this post

Maybe ask your doctor for an rx for Carafate.It can allow healing to be safe.It does work.You have to give it some time though...be patient xox.

REPLY
Profile picture for krystalm @krystalm

Same. Randomly I get instantly sick to my stomach, randomly vomiting sometimes after eating but, it comes and goes. I have noticers when this happens, I get instant pressure in my head and sinuses at the same time 99% of the time when I start feeling sick going on what seems like forever now

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My nausea is also related to my sinuses sometimes it lasts 5 to7 days my Dr gave me a prescription for nausea that helps

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