Why throwing up bile

Vomiting yellow bile can as result from a respiratory tract inflammation or infection such as the common cold or pneumonia. This occurs due to the large amount of mucus that forms during respiratory infections, which can gradually build up and lead to vomiting. Pyloric valve malfunction is common in the elderly. Since the pyloric valve regulates the release of bile, a malfunction in this sphincter muscle can lead to vomiting bile.

The combination of stomach acid and bile can also lead to heartburn. As my college friends understood back then, vomiting yellow bile after drinking is or rather, was common.

The body wants to remove the alcohol, but the alcohol remains in your system and irritates the stomach lining, so you vomit up bile instead. Vomiting bile after drinking alcohol may also be a sign that the body simply has a low tolerance toward alcohol.

As a result of this alcohol intolerance, the body attempts to remove the toxic substances and bile from the body. Also, vomiting bile in the morning is considered to be much worse than vomiting at night; this can result in a vomiting bile hangover.

You should then try to drink water after vomiting bile to avoid dehydration. However, if the vomiting is accompanied by other symptoms such as seizures, slow or irregular breathing, blue or pale skin , low body temperature, or an inability to wake up after passing out, then the person may be suffering from alcohol poisoning and will need immediate medical help.

Besides the vomiting, there are other symptoms and signs associated with bile reflux, and these symptoms are similar to acid reflux, and they include:. Vomiting bile, or vomiting in general, may also be a sign of a serious health condition, such as appendicitis. If you experience pain that suddenly worsens and spreads across the abdomen, this is a sign that your appendix may have burst, and you should seek medical attention immediately.

For example, after a concussion, you may increase the likelihood of developing epilepsy. Intense migraine headaches can also occur as a result from a brain injury, and a doctor should be contacted right away if severe vomiting is also noticed.

And sometimes, brain damage can be fatal. Vomiting bile and motion sickness are linked with pregnancy. Severe vomiting can lead to dehydration, which can be dangerous for both the mother and baby. Other causes of vomiting bile in adults include inflammation of the gallbladder, kidney stones, kidney infections, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and taking medications such as opioid painkillers and antibiotics.

In many cases, the best treatment for throwing up bile depends on the cause of the vomiting. Throwing up bile, a yellow or greenish liquid, can happen for many reasons. Some of the causes of a person throwing up bile may be serious and require urgent medical attention.

Someone who throws up bile should be aware of when to seek medical care and when vomiting bile can be relieved with home remedies. Throwing up bile may be a sign of a serious problem. Bile is the greenish-yellow liquid made by the liver and stored in the gallbladder.

It aids food digestion by mainly breaking down fats and turning them into fatty acids. Vomiting bile can occur whenever a person throws up, and their stomach is empty. This can happen when someone has stomach flu or food poisoning and has already thrown up all the food in their stomach.

It can also happen if a person has not eaten for many hours. While many cases of vomiting bile have a clear cause, vomiting due to an intestinal blockage or other condition may be more difficult to determine. Sometimes, determining the cause of throwing up bile is simple. For example, if a person has been drinking heavily and threw up bile afterward, the cause is likely to be excessive alcohol consumption. However, looking at other symptoms can help determine the cause of throwing up bile in cases where the reason is less obvious.

A doctor should be consulted to diagnose the cause of vomiting bile. Bile reflux is not the same as acid reflux , though their symptoms are similar. Bile reflux often occurs after surgery, such as a gastric bypass or gallbladder removal, or because of peptic ulcers. A person with symptoms of bile reflux should talk to a doctor. A doctor may be able to diagnose reflux based on a description of the symptoms alone.

But they can also order further testing to determine whether it is bile reflux or acid reflux. Proper diagnosis is crucial for treating bile reflux, as acid reflux treatments do not work for this condition.

Intestinal blockages are a common cause of someone throwing up bile, but it may not be obvious to them that an intestinal blockage is to blame. An intestinal blockage is serious and requires urgent medical attention to prevent complications, including sepsis , tissue death, and malnutrition. A person who is throwing up bile should visit a doctor if they experience any of the following symptoms:.

For adults, the two most common causes of bowel obstructions are colon cancer and adhesions or scar tissues that form in the intestines after abdominal or pelvic surgery. A doctor can diagnose an intestinal blockage or obstruction by a physical exam and additional tests. Tests used to diagnose the cause of vomiting bile include:. For children under 3 years of age, the most common cause of intestinal blockage is a serious condition known as intussusception.

Intussusception happens when one part of the intestine slides into an adjacent section, similarly to the retraction of a telescope. Bile reflux gastritis has been linked to stomach cancer. The combination of bile reflux and acid reflux also increases the risk of the following complications:.

This condition, which causes irritation and inflammation of the esophagus, is most often due to excess acid, but bile may be mixed with the acid. Bile is often suspected of contributing to GERD when people respond incompletely or not at all to powerful acid-suppressant medications.

Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Bile reflux Open pop-up dialog box Close. Bile reflux Bile is a digestive fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder.

Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Townsend CM Jr, et al. Elsevier; Accessed Jan. Brunicardi FC, et al. In: Schwartz's Principles of Surgery. McGraw-Hill; Rakel D, ed. Gastroesophageal reflux disease. In: Integrative Medicine. Hammer GD, et al. Gastrointestinal disease. McCabe ME, et al.