16 year old son constant nausea and indigestion

[Fredbunny]

My son started taking a new batch of antibiotics for acne and within a few hours he started to feel really sick. Over a few days he felt worse and eventually spent 24 hours actually being sick (he had already stopped taking the tablets by then) nearly three weeks later he still has nearly constant indigestion and nausea. He is taking a proton pump inhibitor which has helped a little but hasn't stopped the nausea. Does anyone have any suggestions? He has hardly been out of the house for 3 weeks and travelling in the car makes him feel really sick.

[Rubyred43]

Hi Fredbunny, check his eyes and skin to see if they've got a yellow tinge. I say this because my son had antibiotics for his acne and I noticed that he seemed to have a yellow tint to his skin. After numerous blood tests he was found to have Gilbert's Disease or Syndrome, which although harmless does seem to make him feel very nauseous occasionally. He too was prescribed a proton pump inhibitor before the cause was found. We are told that the antibiotics didn't cause the Gilbert's but it certainly brought it to light.

[makati]

We have been through something similar. My daughter ended up with a lot of stomach problems after 2 courses of antibiotics for impetigo. She missed a year of school in the end as the antibiotics had damaged her stomach lining. She suffered from a lot of indigestion and stomach pain. Specific probiotics and a very simple diet seems to help and it faded away eventually. She also has Gilbert's Syndrome, as do I.

[Fredbunny]

Can I ask makati how you got her diagnosed as having damage to her stomach lining and how you know what probiotics to try? I still suspect that this is what has happened to my son but the doctors are not helping much. The proton pump inhibitor hasn't helped so he is off those but absolutely no better....the indigestion we can keep under control with a simple diet, small meals etc but it is the nausea that is causing the most problems. They have now prescribed stemetil tablets but he hasn't started taking them yet as he is a bit concerned about possible side effects. We really are becoming very stressed about it all...we just want him back to normal.

[Fredbunny]

So here we are 5 weeks down the road and still no nearer to knowing what is going on. All his blood tests came back normal, thank goodness, and the indigestion is mostly under control but still there. The real issue is still the nausea, especially in the car, where he feels really nauseous, it feels as though his stomach is moving around. He has been taking stemetil for 4 days and it seems to help a little but doesn't explain what has caused it all. The GP is particularly un helpful so do not know which way to turn next.

[fluffyellowbird]

Have you thought about probiotics to get the gut flora rebalanced?
Go to kinesiologist for consultation
Hospitals also do fecal transplants for the same reason sometimes?
Ask gp. Get second opinion.

[Carrie5608]

Could it be coincidental to the antibiotics?
Possibly vertigo or chronic migraine?
VSL are quite potent probiotica.