throwing up blood after drinking causes, symtoms, treatment
General

How To Handle Throwing Up Blood After Drinking?

Throwing up is the involuntary and forceful removal of the stomach’s content via the mouth or sometimes through the nose. Throwing up is also referred to as vomiting, emesis or puking. It is preceded by nausea, the feeling that one wants to puke. It can be brought about by a number of things most likely food poisoning or gastritis among other factors. This can also be a side effect of some medication.

What does Throwing Up Blood After Drinking Mean?

Throwing up generally is a sign of internal body ailment. Excessive consumption of alcohol and cigarettes is harmful to your boy and can cause vomiting. Throwing up blood after drinking too much alcohol may occur especially to new drinkers. It can be a sign that there is serious internal damage to the body or can just be because of a minor tear in the esophagus.

In severe cases, a patient reports throwing up blood clots after drinking. It is advised to stay calm and consult a qualified medical practitioner for further and more conclusive tests.

The medical term for throwing up blood is Hematemesis. It should be noted that not every occurrence of vomiting blood is life threatening. Some might be minor issues. This is why you should not try any local remedies or cure without the advice of a medical professional.

Causes of Throwing up Blood after Drinking

A number of factors can lead to the vomiting of blood. They include

  1. Constant degradation and eventual tear of the gastrointestinal tract: Mostly alcohol tends to have an acidic PH value. Constantly or overdrinking it can cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract, mouth, esophagus or small intestines. When the lining of these organs is depleted they may rupture, causing blood to appear in vomit.
  2. Liver Cirrhosis: This is a liver condition that causes the scared tissue covers the liver hindering its performance. It is brought about by excessive drinking. If you are throwing up blood after drinking, it may be a sign of advanced liver cirrhosis.
  3. Drugs and Medication: Anti-inflammatory drugs and some other medications like aspirin cause damage to the stomach and pancreas when taken with alcohol. This may cause one to puke blood.
  4. Gastritis: This is a condition where the stomach lining is irritated or inflamed. It can be caused by alcoholism, stress or chronic vomiting. This can also be a main cause of blood in your vomit.
  5. Ulcers: Ulcers are open sores that occur in the body. If the ulcers are in the stomach or gastrointestinal tract you are bound to vomit blood.

Apart from these major causes, other smaller factors might lead to the vomiting of blood

  • Chronic hepatitis
  • Peptic or Bleeding Ulcers
  • Radiation Poisoning
  • Stomach Cancer
  • Mallory-Weiss syndrome, which is bleeding from lacerations in the mucosa at the stomach and esophagus junction.

Signs of Throwing up Blood after Drinking

Some signs and symptoms may be observed when one is likely to throw up blood after drinking a lot. They are not guaranteed and may vary from patient to patient. They include;

How To Stop Throwing Up Blood After Drinking

Why am I throwing up blood after drinking?” you may be asking yourself. There are a few measures that can be taken to prevent and help in controlling this condition. They include

  • Quitting or reducing the amount of alcohol one takes. Alcohol is one of the major factors causing this problem. It should be either be left totally or be drunk in moderation.
  • Drink lots of clean water. Alcohol or vomiting causes a person to be dehydrated. Not all fluids are advised. Coffee, tea or cold beverages should not be used but only safe drinking water.
  • Rush to a qualified medical doctor. This might be a serious situation that requires immediate medical attention. It’s not advisable to use local remedies without the consent of a certified medical practitioner.

Once you visit your physician, he or she may ask you to take further test or scans to determine the severity of your condition. The physician can request a urine or blood test, x-rays, nuclear medicine scan or rectal exams. Answering some questions might also help. Questions might include

  • What medication you are currently on
  • What color the blood was
  • Amount of blood vomited

A medical practitioner will advise you on the best treatment and on how to prevent these conditions in future. He may ask you to stop taking alcohol or change your medication if it is the cause.

It is not common but sometimes you can vomit water. This happens to ladies who are pregnant the first time. Water may sometimes require electrolytes or glucose to get absorbed in the body. Unless it is polluted, there is no medical evidence of throwing up blood after drinking water. Avoid excessive consumption of alcohol and other drugs to avoid Hematemesis.

Medically Reviewed By
Dr. Kaushal M. Bhavsar (MBBS, MD)Assistant Professor in Pulmonary Medicine, GMERS Medical College, Ahmedabad