| kaplods |
12-11-2011 10:16 PM |
Iron, electrolytes, inner ear/sinus issues and low blood pressure have already been mentioned, but another common cause of light-headedness, dizziness and nausea is blood sugar issues (such as hypoglycemia, reactive hypoglycemia, diabetes, and insulin resistance), specifically low-blood sugar (or a rapid drop in blood sugar).
For decades, I thought low-carb diets (especially low-calorie, low-carb diets) were "dangerous," because whenever I tried them I would get so sick - dizzy and light headed - to the point that I would actually get close to passing out (and even DID pass out on a few occasions - and this was when I was in my teens and twenties. Now that I'm on metformin - a blood-sugar control medications, it's even worse).
It wasn't "induction flu" because it not only didn't get better after two weeks, it only got worse and worse. I never made it beyond 5 or 6 weeks, because I'd just get so sick of being sick (and the constant fear of passing out).
You could talk to your doctor about getting a glucose tolerance test to find out whether you've got blood sugar issue. Or you could buy a blood sugar testing kit (I think Walgreen's sells a disposable kit that includes the test strips and the monitor), but the tests can be a little difficult to interpret on your own. For example, I found (only by testing my blood sugar several times a day) that I would often get the dizzy, lightheaded feeling not only when my blood sugar actually fell into the too-low range, but also when it dropped suddenly (so if it went from very high to low-normal over a short period of time, it could also cause nausea and light-headedness).
Books on blood sugar issues gave me a lot of tips for managing my blood sugar issues, but some of them may not be convenient or compatible with IP.
For example, the best way I've found to prevent the symptoms are to keep my calories about 1200 per day and to spread out my calories throughout the day, and avoiding having carb-only meals (always combining carbs with at least equal amounts of protein).
If I actually get to the "uh oh, I think I'm going to pass out" stage, I need sugar (I keep nasty tasting hard candies or cough drops - not sugar free - in my purse or the glove compartment. I pick a flavor I HATE - like cinnamon or menthol - so that I'm not tempted to use them, except in blood sugar emergencies).
I don't get to the emergency "gonna faint" stage unless I've screwed up (skipped a meal, waited too long to eat, had a too-high-carb meal or snack ...)
At the just starting to get sick nausea/lightheadedness stage, I can usually get rid of the sick feeling just by eating - even protein (but protein takes longer to bring blood sugar back to normal, so the ickier I feel, the more likely I'll want at least a little bit of carbs in the snack or make sure that it has a little bit of carbs, protein, and healthy fat).
|