Unexplained constant hunger pangs

[mitch161]

For the past four months I have had constant recurring hunger pangs.  I wake up starving in the morning and eat 4-6 bowls of cereal or porridge.  I eat soup during the day, as well as lunch.  In the evening I start supper about 7:00 and eat continually until bedtime at 9:30 or 10:00.  For example, I am small and normally eat

[spade22]

Hi,

first off, I take it from your name you are male - if you were female, pregnancy could be a colprut.

Have you tried some strong OTC acid reducers, e.g., Zantac?  If you have the beginnings of an ulcer, that can cause nausea and could also cause stomach pains which, in some instances, are similar to hunger pangs.  

Are you dehydrated enough?  If you are not drinking enough water that can cause stomach pains.  Things like soda, coffee, tea, chocolate all contain caffeine which can cause dehydration.  If you consume large quantites of these beverages I would consider cutting them out of your diet.

Another thing is if you are feeling hungry, it may be your bodies way of telling you that you are missing something in your diet.  Do you eat well-balanced meals?  Do you take vitamin supplements?

Are you experiencing any other symptoms, such as diaheria (sp?), constipation?

[GravesLady]

Have you had your thyroid checked?

Hunger was my main thyroid symptom with weight loss.  However, not everyone loses weight or lose it at first.

I went years with periods of weight gain, then weight loss and back and forth, until I could stop losing weight, which is what brought me to the doctors and diagnosed with Hyperthyroid/Graves' disease.

Good Luck.

[Symptomsreal]

I have had the same problem and im female - ive been to pshyc doctors about it. My hunger come from feeling sick - i eat to releive that nashas feeling! It is strange im not sure if you have that feeling - but Im hungry all the time. I cant seem to let my stomach alone and its so bad to constantly fill your stomach - Sorry i dont have a cause either but your not alone!

[Di123]

You may have an ulcer or acid indigestion. It feels exactly like hunger pangs. I should know, I went through the same exact symptoms that you have. Try taking a Tagamet or similar acid reducer (Tums does not reduce acid, only neutralizes). If you start feeling less hungry in a few days, you'll know that is probably the problem. Avoid coffee, tea, and other foods with a lot of acid. Good Luck!

[Ivy485]

my hunger problems aren't during the day they're at night.  i go through my day fine eating my normal amount but then as soon as i go to sleep 4 hrs later i wake up w/ huge hunger pains. i have to constantly eat and then about 1/2 later use the bathroom, so basicly i spend my whole night eating and using the bathroom-but during the day it just stops

[staceydm]

I hope you read this and if you do write back and let me know what state your in.  I was going to say you have a pork tapeworm before I even read haw much pork you eat.  I would almost bet that is what it is.  It is hard to believe but those are the symptoms.  I just went through it myself.  I was losing  weight and eating constantly.  After finishing a meal I would be even more hungry.  I would wake up in the middle of the night starving and have to eat so I could sleep.   The medicine to kill it is very strong but it works the troble is getting a doctor to test for it.  If you can look up th article Critters, a new approach.  write back.  It could also be an endocrine problem like your hypothalmus which controls your appetite.  Look into both.

[ssp12]

I also have the similar problems.  I wake up in the middle of the night very hungry (my growling stomach actually wakes me).  I try drinking some water first & if that doesn't help, I eat something.

This started happening to me a few years ago after I had a 'weird' virus - I was very weak and dizzy for a few days & only felt like sleeping.  But whatever I ate did nothing - I was constantly hungry, especially at night time.  I've had the odd night where I've had to continually eat something every 2 hours because I can't sleep from the hunger.

Some days, whatever I normally eat & satisfies my appetite, just doesn't on these days.  I eat my lunch & I'm hungry within an hour again.  It is so annoying.  I too have had the routine tests including thyroid & insulin levels, but nothing is wrong.  Don't know what to do anymore.

[KezTrin]

I would try doing a course of Purify - from the life tree....it wont hurt you to try.  All your problems could lie with any one of many undetected parasites. they cause all sorts of different symptoms in different people. The following link is to the website which is very informative and you can buy the products there as well. Read the testamonils. It worked for me and my daughter! http://www.thelifetree.com/fishtapeworms.htm

[chell155]

I have something similar, but the symtoms are a little diff.this has happened to me twice within a month.  I'm not sure what it is.  I have sharp pains all of a sudden, in my upper stomach.  Then it causes my back to severly ache.  Kinda feel like throwing up but don't.  And on top of that I have a slight fever about 99.3.  I also have to pee about every hour or half an hour.  Both times it has lasted from 6 at night til 1 in the morning.  These pains feel like I'm absolutly starving, but i know I just ate.  The doctors took a blood sample and I'm waiting for the results.  I'm not sure if it is a weird virus or something more.  My doctor thinks it could possibly be an ulcer.  Its scary cuz I don't want that pain again.

[jdelvo]

I have similar symptoms: constant hunger pains, even right after I eat. I have had this for months now and had a weight gain due to eating too much. (I am now on a diet, still constantly hungry though eating nutritious, balanced meals.) I have been taking Prilosec for a week and it hasn't gotten better. I feel like I'm going nuts. I am a 47 year old female.

[pattymac]

I have Barretts esphagus which is caused by acid reflux.Acid reflux problems can cause you to feel hunger pains.Im not sure if this is whats going on with you but if you have heartburn or acid reflux problems it could be.Hope you find your answer soon. Thanks pattymac

[tmbt]

My problems are so very similar. In addition, I have been experiencing sores coming and going inside my mouth. I was diagnosed with a hietal hernia 14 years ago and the resulting acid reflux has been mostly controled through various evolving medications (propulsid, prilosec, protonix, nexium). Just today I visited my gastro dr AGAIN and his best suggestion was to elevate my bed higher and possibly see a "ear nose and throat" dr .... This is ALL driving me crazy.

[Lawgurl]

I am a 25 year old female.  I have been experiencing the intense hunger pains many of you are describing accompanied by nausea.  It started with one or two episodes a month and has increased to almost daily.  I'll eat and feel sick.  I feel fatigued all the time and I'm having trouble studying for school.  All I want to do is lay around the house or sleep b/c that's the only time I don't feel sick.  I just started seeing a gastrointerologist...he did a full blood workup, including a thyroid test and an abdominal ultrasound and everything came back normal.  He prescribed phenegran to take at night for nausea and it helps but I still have the "hunger and nausea" episodes during the day.  I take pepto which helps too but I feel like these are all temporary solutions.  I'm supposed to see him again in a couple of days.  What do I do?  

[Lawgurl]

For anyone who's going through the same thing or who may have symptoms and wanna know where to start,

Went to the GI for a follow-up this morning.  We're going to investigate the ulcer/ acid reflux route.  He started me on 40 mg zenegrid and i'm going in for an endoscopy on Tuesday.  I've taken one dose of the zenegrid so far, and I don't feel that intense hunger i usually feel around this time of the day.  Apparently he did the bloodwork and ultrasound to rule out kidneystones, gallstones and thyroid issues.

More to come later.  

Also, for those of you who may ask, I've ruled out pregnancy. :)

[Elana52]

My Mom who is 60, diagnosed with breast cancer that has spread to the bones has gone through 5 months of chemo. She is currently experiencing extereme bouts of hunger that can't be satisfied, no matter how much she eats. We have gone to the oncologist, who says he can't explain it and is not due to the chemo. She needs to eat every 2 hours and goes to the bathroom which makes her more hungry. I feel so desperate, no one can help.  she can't sleep because of the constant hunger.She also has Crohns disease, but the GI doctor can't explain it either.

[LLR101]

I've been struggling for 2 wks to understand whats wrong with me. I am constantly hungry all the time. It's so frustrating. I've never had this before and I'm really worried. I have never really eaten breakfast in the morning & in the past I could go without eating all day if I was busy, until dinner time when I got home, now I'm lucky if I can go 20mins when I wake up in the morning before I HAVE to eat. I thought that it was some kind of Acid Reflux but am not sure.

I consulted my GP who just said to try taking Gaviscon or other acid reducers which I have done but the hunger pangs never go away. I've constantly had to keep eating over the past couple of weeks to keep myself comfortable and have gained a fair amount of weight because of it.

I don't know what to do as I'm travelling for work over the next 2wks but this is driving me crazy.

Help anyone?? I don't really have any other symptoms other than the fact that I've also got no energy even though I'm eating healthy food all the time & I'm constantly tired as well.

Please advise anyone??

Thanks

[chubbs65]

     All of the same things have been happening to me , I am not so sure what to do , I have eaten until i couldn't eat any more. My stomach was so full but the feeling of hunger was still there. I tried to starve myself and that made it worse. I am out of ideas, I don't want to go to the docter just yet , he will think that i am a hypo. I guess i will just have to live with it and get used to feeling this way.

[krishnoid]

A couple things you could try; one thing that's very easy to try is to buy some 'Gu', which is a workout glucose gel. I've found it very helpful to curb normal hunger pangs for about a half hour, and have tried it on a coworker and it worked for her in a similar manner.  I looked this up on the net and believe it's that when your blood sugar drops, the glucose tells the brain to send signals to the stomach to stop tightening up and acting hungry.  Just a pea-sized amount works every time for me, and each pouch is about an ounce.  This is probably why eating dessert at the beginning of a meal will ruin it by making you less hungry for the rest of it.

The other thing would be to -- most importantly -- get a good recommendation , and then find an acupuncturist who specializes or has rave reviews for treating stomach disorders and/or obesity.  If the doctors can't figure out what's going on by looking in the stomach, the brain may be tricking the stomach into tightening up and acting hungry.  I'm guessing treating for obesity means telling the body to be less hungry and therefore eat less (but I could be wrong here, it could be to burn more fat) by not being so ready to eat all the time, and if acupuncture does that, then it would tell you, even if you're not obese, to also be less hungry.

One thing I noted was that on talking to three practicing neurologists, none of them had any discussion of acupuncture in their medical training, even though it produces real results -- corroborated by the fact that insurance companies, notorious for not paying for anything 'experimental', will now offer acupuncture coverage to interested companies at least in California.  So I'm not surprised that your doctors would be stumped by conditions that acupuncture could produce good results for; it's a big hole in their training.  Your own neurologist will probably confirm this.

[lej1516]

I'm a 15 year old female and im having the same problems as most of you. Its been about 2 weeks and i've gained 30lbs already from eating to try ti get rid of the hunger. I eat mostly chicken for lunch and at home, whatever i can find. My mom does not know what it could be and does not want to go to a doctor yet. She's having me take fiber pills in hopes it will help.

[Sally123123]

Get the thyriod, insulin levels, and kidneys tested.

[coxswain43]

OK, so Im a 18 year old college student and female athlete and have been having the same sort of problem as most of you- Im hungry all the time no matter how much I eat.il eat til Im full then still be hungry.Ive gained 13 pounds in the last 4 months and dont know what to do!sometimes I wake up at around 2 am and  have to eat or I cant sleep. I work out alot which has kept me from gaining more weight, but when i try to work out even more, im just hungrier.Ive been tested for thyroid problems, anemia, mono, leukemia, and blood sugar problems but nothing shows up as being wrong on the tests.I was anorexic for freshman through senior year of highschool but started eating alot healthier over the summer.Now I have almost no control over my eating.Its so upsetting - ive even tried diet pills- and they didnt do anything.I have anxiety, and recently started taking Celexa, which is really helping the anxiety but not the eating/apetite.Can anyone help?

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Thanks for writing to the forum!
You will be surprised to know that stomach ulcers and severe acidity can result in hunger pangs. Even GERD presents with similar symptoms. At times the hunger pangs due to acidity wakes up a person in the wee hours of night.
Omeprazole is a good drug to combat this. Along with it you can try over the counter antacids. However I would recommend you see a doctor and take medication under a doctor’s supervision. Avoid heavy meals and take frequent small meals. Avoid too much of caffeine, tea, fried food and drinks both alcoholic and non alcoholic fuzzy ones. Avoid heavy exercises within 4 hours of a heavy meal. Go to bed at least 2 hours after food. Drink plenty of water.

These tips should help you. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!

[dotster113]

I am 40 years old, and have had stomach problems for about 2 years now.  I am constantly hungry, nauseated, bloated, and I have put on so much weight it's ridiculous.  I have chronic body aches, malaise, headaches.  I was diagnosed with Gastroparesis about a year and a half ago.  I was treated with Motilium, which helped a little but not for long.  I take 2-4 Prevacid Solutabs during the day, doesn't help.  Unfortunately, most Dr's. check for the obvious stuff, and when they don't find something,  that's it.  They tell you, "Come back if it happens again."  What do you mean?  It hasn't stopped!!  I hope you all find some kind of relief, because this stuff is miserable!!!!

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Thanks for writing to the forum!
Gastroparesis with hunger pangs and malaise, gain in weight all point towards diabetes. Has your blood sugar been tested for fasting and 2 hours after a meal. Even if it has been and the result was normal, I would suggest you go for a glucose challenge and tolerance test. This detects an underlying diabetes too. Hypothyroidism too should be investigated for as this too can result in gastroparesis with hunger pangs and malaise, and gain in weight.
Hope this helps. Do let me know if there is any thing else and keep me posted. Take care!