Nausea, headache, weakness. Why do headaches with nausea occur?

There are symptoms that make every doctor wary. Especially if they appear in combination with each other and bother a person regularly. Headache in combination with nausea, weakness and dizziness it can be dangerous.

Headache is a common symptom, both in older and younger people. Correct positioning The diagnosis in this case depends on two components: the location and nature of the pain.

Depending on the nature of the pain, there are:

• shingles - when the head hurts around the circumference, it seems to be squeezing;
• temporal – concentrated in the temples, and can both press and pulsate;
• above the eye - unpleasant sensations are concentrated in the eye area, as if it is being squeezed out from the inside, while the eyebrow arch may pulsate;
• occipital - occurs, as a rule, with an increase in blood pressure, the back of the head becomes heavy, often accompanied by nausea;
• frontal - most often occurs with colds, is severe, dull in nature.

Sometimes a headache occurs spontaneously and also goes away on its own. This may be due to the work of blood vessels or increased intracranial pressure. But the nature of the pain can also be chronic. A striking example– migraine, the manifestation of which is paroxysmal, severe, sharp, stifling pain in one or both halves of the head.

If a patient simultaneously experiences symptoms such as headache and nausea, this should alert the doctor. The first thing to rule out is head injury and concussion. Otherwise, there is a risk of developing cerebral edema.

If injury is excluded, and the patient complains of pain in the back of the head and nausea, and sometimes even vomiting, it is necessary to measure the pressure. These symptoms are sometimes accompanied by floaters and dots before the eyes, and the headache becomes girdling.

If the pressure drops, the pain is concentrated in the forehead. Nausea is a rare companion, but weakness and dizziness are quite possible.

If damaged vestibular apparatus There is also a combination of dizziness and nausea.

A state of weakness often accompanies infectious and inflammatory processes. In case of headache and weakness, it is important to exclude such dangerous infections like meningitis and encephalitis. They are usually accompanied high temperature and chills.

Bronchitis, sinusitis, and laryngitis can also cause weakness and headache due to constant coughing.

If you are worried about weakness and high temperature in combination with excessive sweating, you need to exclude (or confirm) tuberculosis. You will need to be tested for bacterial and viral infections, as they can also cause a similar combination of symptoms.

If you feel sick, feel dizzy, or experience weakness and abdominal pain, the reasons for this may be food poisoning or rotavirus infection.

Nausea is also a symptom vegetative-vascular dystonia. Manifestations of this pathology are constant drowsiness, lethargy, dizziness, feeling that there is not enough air.

The cause of lethargy, apathy, drowsiness, weakness and headaches can also be a banal vitamin deficiency, namely a lack of vitamin B12 in the body. It is accompanied by symptoms such as:

• numbness in the arms and legs;
• dry skin;
• dry hair, brittle nails, dull skin;
• dehydration.

The cause of dizziness is often an insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain due to increased intracranial pressure, changes in blood pressure in a short period of time, and other disorders of the blood vessels of the brain. Sometimes the combination of dizziness and pain in the head is accompanied by loss of balance, a temporary decrease in visual acuity, and fainting. In such a case, you must immediately consult a doctor, as a thorough examination is required. The cause of a regular combination of such symptoms can even be a brain tumor or hematoma, so it needs to be identified as soon as possible in order to begin treatment.

Doctors and diagnostics

If two or more symptoms occur, you should consult a physician. After collecting anamnesis and passing mandatory tests(as well as conducting a number of diagnostic studies), he refers the patient for consultation with a neurologist, traumatologist, neurosurgeon or ophthalmologist.

To make a correct diagnosis, the doctor first collects anamnesis, for which he talks with the patient. After this, studies are prescribed:

• general and biochemical tests blood;
• CT or MRI of the head, neck vessels (for example, in case of suspected osteochondrosis cervical region);
• fundus examination;
• Doppler ultrasound;
• X-ray of the skull and cervical spine;
• spinal puncture in case of suspected meningitis.

After the results of the prescribed studies are received, a final diagnosis is made and a set of treatment measures is prescribed.

Treatment

Under no circumstances should you self-medicate or drink painkillers uncontrollably. You should not drown out the pain in your head with analgin, and the nausea - activated carbon. It is much more useful to see a doctor who will diagnose correct diagnosis and prescribe the drugs that are most effective for treatment.

Treatment for the symptoms described depends on the disease. If a brain tumor is diagnosed, it will most likely be treated surgically. Other diseases are treated with medication.

Pathologies such as migraine cannot be cured. You can only stop the attacks. People suffering from this disease have learned to recognize the approach of an attack. In this case, you need to take painkillers on time and ensure complete peace and quiet. In this way, the development of an attack can often be prevented.

Vascular pathologies are treated with tablets, injections, and droppers. Depending on the condition, the patient may be recommended to undergo a course of 10-15 droppers every six months.

Diseases such as bronchitis and sinusitis are treated with antibiotics. Accordingly, after eliminating the cause of the pain, the remaining symptoms also disappear.

For poisoning and rotavirus infection have their own treatment regimens. Nausea, weakness and dizziness disappear as soon as the intoxication is stopped and the balance of electrolytes in the body is restored.

Prevention

Pathologies such as a brain tumor or hematoma in the brain cannot be foreseen, so no preventive measures cannot be accepted for them. And for the prevention of colds, vascular, viral diseases The following is recommended:

• hardening;
• physical activity, playing sports two to three times a week;
• long-term hiking on fresh air at least three times a week;
• proper nutrition;
• sufficient consumption of clean water;
• maintaining personal hygiene;
• use vitamin complexes in consultation with the doctor.

Bibliography

• Morozova, Olga Alexandrovna Headache. Issues of diagnosis, therapy, prevention [Text]: a reference guide for doctors general practice/ O. A. Morozova; Ministry of Health Chuvash Republic, . - Cheboksary: ​​GAU DPO "IUV", 2016
• Aleshina, Natalia Alekseevna Headache: treatment and prevention with traditional and unconventional methods/ N. A. Aleshina. - M: RIPOL classic, 2009. - 253 p. ISBN 978-5-386-01248-9
• Classification of headaches, cranial neuralgia and facial pain and diagnostic criteria for the main types of headaches: [Trans. from English] / Classification com. on headache Int. headache islands; [Scient. ed. and ed. preface A. A. Shutov]. - Perm: ALGOS-press, 1997. - 92 p. ISBN 5-88493-017-8
• Uzhegov, Genrikh Nikolaevich Headache: main causes of pain: diagnosis concomitant diseases: methods of prevention and elimination of headaches / Uzhegov G. N. - M: AST: Stalker, 2005. - 158 p. ISBN 5-17-021078-1
• Osipova V.V. Primary headaches: clinical picture, diagnosis, therapy [Text]: information mail(for neurologists, therapists, general practitioners) / Osipova V.V. [et al.]; Russian Institute for the Study of Headache (ROIGB), Ministry of Health of the Rostov Region, State Budgetary Institution RO "Regional Consultative and Diagnostic Center", Region. Center for diagnosis and treatment of headaches. - Rostov-on-Don: Antey, 2011. - 46 pp. ISBN 978-5-91365-157-0
• Zhulev N. M. Cephalgia. Headache: (diagnosis and treatment): textbook. allowance / N. M. Zhulev [etc.]. - St. Petersburg. : Publishing house. house SPbMAPO, 2005. - 135 p. ISBN 5-98037-048-X

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A condition in which there is a slight headache and at the same time nausea does not always indicate the presence of pathological process. The cause of the manifestations may be pregnancy, severe emotional stress or fatigue. With severe symptoms and their combination with a number of additional signs It’s better not to risk it and consult a doctor. Headache and nausea together may indicate the development of serious systemic diseases and medical emergencies.

Symptoms

In adults, headaches with nausea can occur due to dozens of diseases. To make a primary diagnosis, you should carefully assess your condition and note even the slightest changes in it. In cases where the clinical picture persists for 12 hours and no medications or agents are used traditional medicine do not alleviate the condition, you need to call ambulance.

To understand why an adult has a headache and nausea or vomiting, you need to pay attention to the following points:

• at what time of day and in response to what stimuli the condition arose;
• what is the nature of the headache, how often does it occur and how long does it last;
• whether there is an increase in symptoms and whether they are accompanied by the appearance of weakness;
• headache and nausea appear simultaneously or one symptom occurs against the background of the other;
• does vomiting occur after nausea and does it bring relief;
• localization of headache: in the temples, in the frontal or occipital part, throughout the skull, transient, one-sided;
• Do medications or traditional medicine relieve headaches and nausea;
• do you have a history hereditary pathologies or conditions that can provoke such a combination of symptoms (trauma, hypotension, hypertension, migraines and others);
• as important additional symptoms appear: hypersomnia, fever, high or low arterial pressure, violent reaction to sounds, smells, light, pain in the eyes.

Sometimes the state of feeling nauseous and having a headache becomes habitual for a person. It can occur in men and women who smoke or drink alcohol regularly. The listed symptoms combined with drowsiness characterize chronic fatigue. This does not mean that problems can be ignored. Refusal to diagnose and subsequently make changes to your lifestyle can lead to the development of serious disorders in the functioning of systems and organs.

If your child complains of headaches and nausea, you should not waste time trying to cope with the symptoms yourself. In cases where the baby is lethargic, apathetic and constantly wants to sleep, action must be taken immediately. This combination of symptoms often indicates inflammation of the meninges.

Why do you feel nauseous when you have a headache?

A condition in which there is a severe headache and nausea at the same time requires immediate diagnosis. Most often the reason feeling unwell adults experience overwork, prolonged psycho-emotional stress, decreased functionality of blood vessels or the effect of external irritants on the body. It is important to understand that headaches and nausea will completely go away only after the cause of the sensations is eliminated. Taking medications chosen at random can only bring temporary relief.

Migraine

In this case, headache and nausea occur systematically. Clinical picture each time the same with possible minor deviations. Women most often suffer from migraines childbearing age. Often the disease is inherited. The sensations are strong, paroxysmal, concentrated on one side cranium. Against the background of pain, nausea occurs, which at its peak can turn into vomiting. After this, slight relief occurs, and the patient is even able to sleep a little.

The duration of the attack ranges from 3-4 hours to 3 days. It usually occurs against a background of fatigue, stress, prolonged mental stress, smoking, being in stuffy room. Its development is facilitated by triggers (irritants) that are individual for each person.

You can learn more about migraine with aura from this.

Meningitis

Inflammation of the meninges caused by activity meningococcal infection, most often found in children. The pathology is difficult and progresses rapidly, so you need to act quickly.

In addition to severe headache and vomiting, there are a number of other signs that allow you to suspect the diagnosis before testing.

Meningococcal infection is the cause of inflammation of the meninges

Meningitis has a characteristic clinical picture:

• inability to bend the neck - the patient takes a forced position lying on his side with his head thrown back and legs pulled up to his stomach;
• a bursting headache, pressing heavily on the eyes and forehead, accompanied by attacks of nausea;
• profuse vomiting is possible, which does not bring relief;
• A specific rash appears on the body.

Often the patient has a fever. If the symptoms are not responded to in time, he may lose consciousness. At purulent meningitis even in unconscious patients hold their heads.

Low pressure

Typically, hypotension (blood pressure below 100/60) causes mild headaches. They can be pulsating, dull, aching, pressing or paroxysmal. Most often occur after nap, in the heat, in the stuffiness, against the background of mental or physical fatigue. Those. at such moments when the pressure drops below usual levels. Against the background of pain, the patient experiences nausea, a desire to yawn, and dizziness. He may faint.

Cervical osteochondrosis

Occurs due to wear and tear intervertebral discs in the cervical spine, which leads to compression of blood vessels and nerve endings. It is characterized by pain in the back of the head and neck, which is accompanied by mild nausea. As the situation worsens, the patient loses the ability to move his neck freely. When you turn your head, it occurs sharp pain, radiating to different parts of the skull and arm. Tinnitus and dizziness appear, nausea intensifies.

Arterial hypertension

Causes pathological condition may be different, but the manifestations will always be approximately identical. The body of a person who has consistently high or fluctuating blood pressure reacts violently to changes in weather, stress and overwork. They cause narrowing and spasm of blood vessels, which provoke attacks of headaches combined with nausea and redness of the face. The clinical picture may be supplemented by increased heartbeat and swelling of the lower extremities.

If hypertension is suspected, it is extremely important to quickly find out exactly why the headache and nausea occur. If the provoking factor is not eliminated and therapy is not started in a timely manner, there is a high risk of developing a stroke or hypertensive crisis. This emergency conditions, requiring emergency care and capable of leading to death or disability of a person.

Chronic fatigue syndrome

This diagnosis is given to people who have felt moral and physical fatigue for at least six months, which does not go away even after a long rest. The basis of the pathology is a disruption of connections between the centers of the vegetative nervous system. Most often this occurs against the background of infectious diseases of a viral nature. Patients complain of fatigue, weakness, fatigue, decreased concentration, and sleep disturbances. At the same time, they note muscle pain, there is a lot of pressure on their head, and at the peak of pain, dizziness and nausea appear.

Making a correct diagnosis in this case is very difficult. Pathology can be accompanied by the most various disorders and masquerade as organic or systemic diseases. Many patients are unsuccessfully treated for somatic diseases for months and years and depressive states until traces of virus activity are detected.

Tension headache

This nuisance is typical for office employees who, due to the nature of the workplace, are in a physiological state hour after hour. incorrect posture. Constant pressure the muscles of the back of the head leads to their rigidity, disruption metabolic processes in tissues. The phenomenon is aggravated by active mental activity, chronic fatigue, sleep disturbances, and stress. The sensations are characterized as persistent, aching, and increasing towards the end of the day. The pathology may be accompanied by an increase in blood pressure.

Brain tumor

Headache and nausea can occur due to the appearance and growth of tumors in the brain. Tumors are pressing on meninges, provoking a characteristic clinical picture. Malignant formations can provoke the appearance of such symptoms, regardless of size. This occurs due to toxic effects cancer cells to healthy colonies. Typically, the symptoms of pathologies are not limited to these manifestations. Malfunctions in the functioning of organs and systems, mental problems, and changes in the emotional background are possible.

Poisoning

In this case, nausea is usually accompanied by vomiting. Headache occurs against the background of intoxication of the body and is localized in the temples or back of the head. The picture is complemented by aching joints, muscle soreness and increased body temperature.

Encephalitis

Inflammatory damage to the brain can occur in different scenarios, but in all cases headache attacks occur. Most often they are accompanied by nausea and vomiting, which does not bring relief. The sensations can be sharp or dull, shooting or aching, pulsating or bursting. Patients become extremely excitable. They react violently to light, sounds, smells and even light touches. As the disease progresses, signs of mental disorders and disruptions in the functioning of the autonomic nervous system appear.

Pregnancy

In some cases, headache occurs under the influence physiological processes in organism. Listing its causes in women, Special attention worth paying attention to hormonal changes against the background of pregnancy. On early stages it is accompanied by nausea and vomiting, especially in morning time. The woman's body still perceives the fetus as foreign body, and tries to tear him away. By 12 weeks biological processes return to normal and the symptoms disappear.

Stroke

A severe headache accompanied by nausea and confusion is one of the warning signs acute disorder cerebral circulation(ONMK). The clinical picture is very specific and allows one to immediately suspect the diagnosis. The pain is localized on one side and is extremely intense. The person experiences slow reaction, paralysis of the muscles of half the face, and impaired coordination and speech. Loss of consciousness may occur in the background sharp increase blood pressure.

What to do if you have a headache and nausea

If headaches and nausea occur from time to time, you should visit a physician. He will hold initial examination and will direct you to to a specialized specialist. The doctor will collect anamnesis, prescribe tests and diagnostic studies, make a diagnosis and select treatment.

Informative methods for diagnosing headaches:

• general tests to help rule out diseases internal organs, exposure to infection or inflammation on the body;
• X-ray of the spine - cervical spine;
• MRI or CT scan of the brain.

If you suddenly have a sharp headache, it is better not to delay getting medical care and call an ambulance. Before her arrival, you need to measure your blood pressure and temperature. If you have hypertension, you should take medicine to lower your blood pressure. For hypotension, strong black tea with lemon and sugar can help.

The principles of treatment for headaches with nausea depend on the causes of the symptom:

• massage and exercise therapy are effective for vascular problems, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine;
• surgical therapy – may be necessary if tumors are detected in the brain, but there is no result conservative treatment a number of pathologies;
• medications - their action is aimed at restoring the functionality of blood vessels, removing cholesterol deposits, combating infectious pathogens. For a number of diseases, you simply have to wait out attacks with the help of analgesics or NSAIDs. Sometimes good effect give antidepressants;
• traditional medicine - designed to reduce the severity of discomfort. A decoction of elderberries, St. John's wort or oregano can relieve a combination of symptoms. Mint tea relieves headaches and nausea, but it is not recommended to take it for more than one week.

In most cases, to treat headaches and nausea, it is enough to adjust your daily routine, give up smoking and alcohol, and introduce sports into your schedule or at least simple gymnastics at the workplace. Do not overuse medications unless advised by your doctor. Such experiments can become a source of abusive pain, which is extremely difficult to get rid of.

Drawing conclusions

Strokes are the cause of almost 70% of all deaths in the world. Seven out of ten people die due to blocked arteries in the brain. And the very first and main sign of vascular blockage is a headache!

Blockage of blood vessels results in illness under everything famous name"hypertension", here are just some of its symptoms:

• Headache
• Increased heart rate
• Black dots before the eyes (floaters)
• Apathy, irritability, drowsiness
• Blurred vision
• Sweating
• Chronic fatigue
• Facial swelling
• Numbness and chills in fingers
• Pressure surges

Attention! If you notice at least 2 symptoms, this is serious reason think about it!

The only remedy that gave significant results...

A headache can be a result of fatigue or mental stress, and nausea can be a sign of poor quality food or emotional distress.

But nausea and headache together may be signs of serious illness.

Causes of the condition

Neurological diseases

Similar symptoms occur with head contusions, traumatic brain injury or concussion. Nausea and headaches also occur with stress, fatigue and emotional excitement.

Migraine

Most common cause These symptoms are migraines - headache attacks that can last for several hours in a row and are accompanied by vomiting and glare and black spots in the eyes. Migraines may also be accompanied by chills, shortness of breath, a gray or white complexion, and sensitivity to bright light and smells.

A brain tumor

Daily sharp pain in the head and nausea, vomiting in the morning are signs malignant tumor brain Over time, the tumor grows and causes even new symptoms: auditory and visual hallucinations, weakness, pain in the ear cavity, short-term loss of memory and spatial orientation. If these signs appear, you should consult a doctor immediately.

Meningitis

Meningitis is accompanied by headache, nausea and fever, and at first it looks like common cold. But within 24 hours, the patient’s condition worsens significantly and weakness occurs throughout the body, pain when moving or turning the head, and chills. Define accurate diagnosis This is not possible at home, so you should immediately contact a specialist.

Food poisoning

Poor quality and unhealthy foods can cause food poisoning, which is usually accompanied by headache, nausea or vomiting, abdominal pain, fever and weakness of the whole body. Symptoms occur from one hour to a day after eating unhealthy food.

High pressure

High blood pressure is called a slow killer - it haunts a person for several years until a crisis overtakes him. In addition to headache and nausea, the disease is accompanied by weakness, rapid heartbeat, panic attack and difficulty breathing.

Hypertension often goes away without visible symptoms, so even healthy person You should check your blood pressure periodically.

Intracranial pressure

A throbbing headache that gets worse in the evening is a symptom high blood pressure inside the skull. Along with pain comes nausea, swelling around the eyes, deterioration of vision, memory, mental activity. The cause of intracranial pressure may be pathology or a relapse from a bruise, concussion, or a previous cold or flu. In older people, this pressure leads to dementia and deterioration of brain activity.

Encephalitis

Inflammation of the brain tissue of the head causes severe pain, nausea, vomiting, hallucinations, trembling of the whole body, and elevated body temperature.

With encephalitis, the patient needs immediate hospitalization, otherwise the person may fall into a coma.

Other Possible Causes

• pregnancy;
• hangover;
• cervical osteochondrosis;
• side effects when taking medications;
• anorexia;
• allergic reflex to a particular product;
• hormonal battle;
• metabolic disease;
• eye diseases, blurred vision;
• colds, flu, ARVI;
• nervous exhaustion;
• chronic fatigue;
• consequences of past illnesses.

And this is not a complete list of the causes of headaches and nausea. Such symptoms can be caused, for example, by cooling the body or, conversely, heat stroke, increased blood sugar and much more.

Do you know why your ears become blocked when you feel dizzy? The causes and methods of combating the disease are described in our article.

The page describes the reasons frequent dizziness among women.

Treatment

Since the causes of nausea and headaches are varied, methods of getting rid of symptoms vary from taking medications to inpatient treatment V medical institution. When the first symptoms appear, you need to consult a specialist and get tested: MRI, blood, blood pressure, urine.

Not for long The following medications will help relieve pain: Analgin, Aspirin, No-shpa, Spazmalgon. These pills will slightly dull the symptoms, but will not be able to affect the cause of the disease, and the pain will return with new strength. Therefore, you should not delay visiting a specialist and self-medicate.

If you are sure that your headache and nausea are caused by emotional experiences and stress, you can use folk remedies- decoctions from natural herbs: St. John's wort, chamomile and others.

To learn how to prepare a decoction of St. John's wort, watch the following video.