Gastroparesis: Causes, Medications, and How to Manage Nausea and Delayed Stomach Emptying

When your stomach doesn’t empty properly, food sits there too long—that’s gastroparesis, a condition where the stomach muscles don’t work right, slowing or stopping food from moving into the small intestine. Also known as delayed gastric emptying, it’s not just indigestion—it’s a real disruption in how your body processes food. People with diabetes, especially type 1, are most at risk because high blood sugar damages the vagus nerve that controls stomach contractions. But it can also happen after surgery, viral infections, or for no clear reason at all.

That slow emptying leads to real problems: nausea, vomiting undigested food, bloating, early fullness, and bad blood sugar swings. You might think it’s just a stomach bug, but if it lasts weeks or keeps coming back, it’s likely gastroparesis. And here’s the catch—many of the meds people take for other issues can make it worse. Opioids, painkillers like oxycodone or hydrocodone that relax gut muscles, and even some antidepressants, especially older tricyclics and some SSRIs that affect nerve signals, can slow digestion even more. That’s why managing gastroparesis isn’t just about diet—it’s about reviewing every pill you take.

There are drugs that help, but they’re not magic. Metoclopramide and erythromycin are the main prokinetic drugs, medications that force the stomach to contract and push food forward. But metoclopramide has serious side effects with long-term use, and erythromycin can lose its effect or cause diarrhea. That’s why many people end up managing symptoms instead: eating smaller meals, avoiding fat and fiber, staying upright after eating, and using anti-nausea meds like ondansetron. Some even need feeding tubes or stomach stimulators if things get bad enough.

What you’ll find in these articles isn’t just theory—it’s what people actually deal with. From how gastroparesis links to nausea from antidepressants like vortioxetine, to how to avoid dangerous drug interactions that make stomach emptying worse, these posts cut through the noise. You’ll see how to spot when a medication is making your symptoms worse, how to talk to your doctor about alternatives, and what simple changes can make a real difference in your daily life. No fluff. Just clear, practical info from real cases.