Fainting and bloating

Is it normal to feel faint with IBS and have severe bloating all the time?

IBS and Feinting

Feeling feint can occur with IBS. The feeling of light headedness is not an uncommon symptom. Bloating and feeling feint is also common and its really very difficult to treat.

It is important to make sure there is no other reason for feeling feint such as anaemia that can occur in other undiagnosed bowel conditions. Addisons disease can cause similar symptoms too so its worth seeing your doctor to get this checked.

A lot of IBS sufferers with IBS-C get these symptoms. These usually occur when on the toilet straining. This causes something called a vasovagal reaction where the vagus nerve is activated resulting in a slowing of the heart and lowering of the blood pressure with the resulting feeling of faintness. The only way to deal with this is to reduce straining by using stool softeners, drinking plenty of fluids and maintaining a high fibre diet if this doesn't upset your IBS too much.