Nausea and Vomiting: Causes, Warning Signs and What Helps

Nausea is feeling sick to your stomach, as if you are about to throw up; vomiting is throwing up. Both are common and usually not serious.

Common causes

• morning sickness in pregnancy;
• gastroenteritis (an intestinal infection) and other infections;
• migraines;
• motion sickness;
• food poisoning;
• medicines, including cancer chemotherapy;
• GERD (reflux) and ulcers;
• intestinal obstruction.

Contact a provider right away if

• you have reason to think the vomiting is from poisoning;
• you have been vomiting for more than 24 hours;
• there is blood in the vomit;
• you have severe abdominal pain;
• you have a severe headache and stiff neck;
• you have signs of dehydration, such as a dry mouth, urinating rarely, or dark urine.

Diagnosis

The provider will take a medical history, ask about symptoms, examine you and look for signs of dehydration. You may have blood and urine tests, and women may have a pregnancy test.

Treatment

Treatment depends on the cause: the underlying problem may be treated, and some medicines relieve nausea and vomiting. Severe vomiting may need intravenous (IV) fluids.

Helping yourself feel better

• Drink enough fluids to avoid dehydration; if liquids are hard to keep down, sip small amounts of clear liquids often.
• Eat bland foods, avoiding spicy, fatty or salty food.
• Eat smaller meals more often.
• Avoid strong smells, which can trigger nausea and vomiting.
• For morning sickness, eat crackers before getting out of bed.

Sources

• MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, "Nausea and Vomiting." https://medlineplus.gov/nauseaandvomiting.html
• Rewritten in hubnx's own words.