What causes a person to develop stomach cramps, vertigo, vomiting, and diarrhea after eating spicy food?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 25-year-old female. I was completely fine until an incident happened eight hours after I ate a spice (Piri-Piri) that I eat often. I am mentioning the symptoms in the chronological order they occurred. I had cramps similar to menstrual cramps, cold sweats, blackout for about ten minutes, vertigo, severe vomiting (no blood), and diarrhea (mashed potatoes consistency). I did not take any medications or supplements and have no allergies. Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

It seems like you picked up a very bad stomach bug and possibly severe food allergy. If you have severe dehydration, it is better to get your serum electrolytes test done if you need normal saline intravenously. You should make sure you are adequately hydrated. So keep drinking water. You should drink around 16 to 21 cups of water to ensure you can replenish the amount of water you lose through vomiting and diarrhea. I would suggest -

1) Tablet Loperamide to control diarrhea; one tablet can be taken as and when required.

2) Tablet Ondansetron 8 mg. Take two tablets stat to control your vomiting immediately.

3) Tablet Flagyl (Metronidazole) 400 mg thrice daily for five days.

4) Probiotic supplements like curd.

5) Make sure you have bland food for the next few days and let your stomach recover.

6) Tablet Pan 40 (Pantoprazole) one tablet in the morning before breakfast for five days.

Consult your specialist doctor, discuss with them, and take medications with their consent. Please avoid alcohol while taking Metronidazole. If your symptoms do not subside after two days, it is better to see a local physician. The medicines I suggested will resolve your symptoms in 24 to 48 hours. I hope this helps.

Thank you.