Can Gallstones Cause Fatigue or Dizziness? Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment

Can Gallstones Make You Tired and Dizzy?

Gallstones are solid deposits that form in your gallbladder, which is a small pear-shaped organ under your liver. Your gallbladder's main job is to store bile, which helps digest fats after you eat. Gallstones can range in size from as tiny as a grain of sand to as large as a golf ball. Some people with gallstones may experience symptoms like abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever or chills. But can gallstones also make you feel tired and dizzy?

What Causes Gallstones?

Before exploring the connection between gallstones and fatigue or dizziness, it helps to understand what causes gallstones in the first place. The main culprits include:

• High cholesterol - Most gallstones consist primarily of hardened cholesterol. A high-fat diet can contribute to increased cholesterol and gallstone formation.
• Bile imbalance - An excess of cholesterol or bilirubin (a waste product) in your bile can promote gallstone development.
• Infection - Bacterial infections within the gallbladder may also play a role in some cases.
• Medical conditions - Diseases like cirrhosis, Crohn's disease and diabetes can increase gallstone risk.
• Medications - Certain drugs may contribute by altering bile composition.
• Obesity & weight loss - Being overweight and losing weight rapidly seem to increase gallstone likelihood.
• Pregnancy - Hormonal changes and increased cholesterol production during pregnancy can trigger stones.
• Family history - Genetics may predispose some people to gallstone formation.
• Age & gender - Gallstones become more common as you age. Women have a higher risk than men.

Common Signs and Symptoms

Many people with gallstones do not have symptoms initially. But over time, some may develop problems like:

• Sudden, intense pain in the upper right abdomen that may radiate to the back or right shoulder
• Pain after eating fatty or greasy foods
• Nausea and vomiting
• Indigestion and bloating
• Fever
• Chest pain
• Yellowing of skin and eyes (jaundice)
• Clay-colored stools

Gallbladder attacks often occur after consuming a meal, especially one high in fat. Attacks can last from a few minutes up to several hours. Some people may experience mild, intermittent pain that comes and goes over time, while others have sudden acute attacks.

Can Gallstones Cause Fatigue and Dizziness?

Feeling abnormally tired and dizzy are not symptoms commonly associated with gallstones. Most symptoms relate to digestive distress and abdominal pain. However, there are a few potential mechanisms by which gallstones could contribute to fatigue or lightheadedness in some cases:

• Impaired digestion - If gallstones significantly impair the gallbladder's ability to release bile and digest fats properly, poor nutrient absorption may occur over time. This can potentially lead to vitamin/mineral deficiencies, anemia, weakness and fatigue in some instances.
• Jaundice - Gallstones are one potential cause of jaundice (yellowing skin and eyes). This occurs when excess bilirubin builds up in the blood due to a bile duct blockage. High bilirubin levels can sometimes cause symptoms like nausea, fatigue and dizziness.
• Chronic inflammation - Gallstones may promote chronic low-grade inflammation in the gallbladder and bile ducts. Some research indicates that inflammatory cytokines could potentially induce fatigue or dizziness symptoms in certain neurological conditions.
• Pain and nausea - Recurrent gallbladder attacks and nausea may make it difficult to sleep properly and contribute to exhaustion. Dehydration from vomiting could also play a role.
• Anxiety - Some people may develop anxiety over the uncertainty of when their next gallstone attack may occur. This stress could contribute to increased fatigue in some cases.

However, it's important to note that fatigue and dizziness alone are not indicative of an underlying gallbladder problem in most cases. Many other issues like thyroid disorders, sleep apnea, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome or migraine headaches could cause these non-specific symptoms. But if accompanied by other common gallstone symptoms like abdominal pain or jaundice, it may be worth investigating further.

Diagnosing Gallstones

If you have symptoms of gallstones, your doctor will start by reviewing your medical history and performing a physical exam. Tell them about any pain episodes, risk factors or related symptoms you've had. They will palpate your abdomen to check for tenderness where your gallbladder is located.

If gallstones are suspected, some common diagnostic tests may include:

• Blood tests - To assess liver function and look for signs of infection or jaundice.
• Ultrasound - This is usually the initial imaging test used to examine the gallbladder and look for stones.
• CT scan - A CT abdomen scan may sometimes be used to visualize the biliary system in more detail if needed.
• MRCP - An MRCP (magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography) can provide detailed bile duct images using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
• ERCP - During an ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) a scope is passed down the throat to inject contrast dye into the bile ducts for x-ray imaging.
• Cholescintigraphy - Also called a HIDA scan, this nuclear imaging test looks at gallbladder emptying function after injection of a radioactive tracer agent.

If testing confirms gallstones, your doctor will determine the best treatment approach based on factors like your symptoms, gallstone characteristics, and medical history.

Treatment Options for Gallstones

Some options your doctor may consider for treating gallstones include:

• Watchful waiting - If stones are not causing symptoms, your doctor may recommend just having periodic follow-up visits to monitor your condition.
• Medications - Drugs that help dissolve cholesterol gallstones are sometimes used, but this approach has limited effectiveness.
• Shock wave lithotripsy - A procedure that uses sound waves to break larger stones into smaller fragments that can pass through bile ducts. It does not work well for hard stones.
• Surgery - The most definitive treatment is surgical removal of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy). This is a common, low-risk laparoscopic procedure with a short recovery time.

If gallstones have caused serious complications like infection, perforation, pancreatitis or severe bile duct blockage, urgent hospital admission and treatment may be required.

Can Removing Gallstones Improve Fatigue?

For people whose gallstones were contributing to symptoms of fatigue or dizziness, having them removed may provide relief in some cases. Once the underlying problem is treated, fatigue caused by poor nutrient absorption, inflammation or recurrent pain episodes should improve.

But it's important to have realistic expectations. If you have another medical condition causing fatigue, gallbladder removal alone may not resolve those ongoing symptoms. Discuss your outlook fully with your doctor. Keep in mind that full recovery from a cholecystectomy takes four to six weeks for most patients.

Preventing Gallstones

While you can't completely prevent gallstones from forming, certain lifestyle measures may help reduce your risk:

• Maintain a healthy weight
• Limit fatty, sugary and processed foods
• Eat more fruits, vegetables and high-fiber foods
• Choose lean protein sources
• Reduce refined carbohydrates
• Limit alcohol intake
• Drink plenty of water
• Exercise most days of the week
• Take steps to lower high cholesterol
• Control diabetes and related conditions
• Avoid crash dieting and rapid weight loss

Some medications that improve bile composition may also be helpful for preventing recurrent gallstones in people at high risk. Talk to your hepatologist about whether this may be appropriate for your situation.

The Bottom Line

Feeling unusually tired or dizzy is not a typical symptom directly caused by gallstones. Most symptoms relate to pain, digestive issues and discomfort. However, in some cases, fatigue or lightheadedness could emerge if gallstones lead to impaired nutrient absorption, inflammation, jaundice or recurrent nausea.

Treating the underlying gallstone problem may help alleviate such symptoms once the condition is resolved. But other unrelated health issues could require additional management. Discuss any unexplained fatigue or dizziness with your doctor to determine the cause and optimal treatment options for your situation.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.