# What causes the general ill feeling when you're in pain?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-the-general-ill-feeling-when-youre-in-pain/572868>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 28, 2011, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-the-general-ill-feeling-when-youre-in-pain/572868 "2011-02-28T01:42:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Diamonds02](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Diamonds02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diamonds02)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-the-general-ill-feeling-when-youre-in-pain/572868/1 "2011-02-28T01:42:54Z")

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What sort of biochemical processes are going on when you’re in pain?

Whenever I have menstrual cramps…I feel nauseous, fatigued, drowsy, and achey in other parts of my body. Sometimes I even feel like I have a fever.

I feel similar whenever I have toothaches.

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**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-the-general-ill-feeling-when-youre-in-pain/572868/2 "2011-02-28T12:02:52Z")

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There was a recent thread on why is nausea a common symptom of illness. The same idea applies in this case really, your nervous system has moved focus from one autonomic system to another, the sensation is general malaise.

[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=597163&highlight=nausea](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=597163&highlight=nausea)