There's no denying it. There aren't many illnesses that make you feel worse than when you have some sort of stomach virus; you just want to know how to make it stop.
Before you start treating your vomiting , though, make sure you know what is causing it. The right way to treat vomiting very much depends on the cause. If your symptoms are caused by a simple stomach virus and you are looking for ways to get it under control, there are steps you can take. This article will take you through them so you can stop throwing up and get to feeling better quickly. When you are treating vomiting due to a stomach bug, or gastroenteritis , the first step is to let your stomach rest.
After you stop throwing up, don't try to eat or drink anything for 15 to 20 minutes so you can allow your stomach time to recover. Giving the muscles in your stomach time to rest will lower the chances that you will vomit once you start eating and drinking again. If you have not vomited again while you let your stomach rest, try to take small sips of liquid every five to 10 minutes.
The best fluids to try include:. Drinks such as sodas and milk should be avoided until you are able to begin eating your normal diet. If you are caring for a small child who is sick, be careful not to let them drink a lot of fluid all at once. It may be easier to keep an eye on those amounts by using a syringe or a spoon to give liquid, rather than a cup or baby bottle.
If vomiting begins again after you started fluids, go back to Step 1. If you or your child can keep down small sips of fluid, slowly drink more with each sip. If you or your child is able to handle clear liquids without throwing up, you may be ready to start eating. Don't do this too quickly, though. Be sure you are able to keep fluids down for eight to 12 hours before trying to eat. If you feel like you can eat something by then, start with bland, starchy foods. Foods that are heavy, fat, or acidic—think tomatoes or oranges—should be avoided until you are better.
You may have heard of the BRAT diet. BRAT stands for bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast, because these foods are good choices when you are sick. The BRAT guidelines can help you choose the right foods to stop throwing up.
The BRAT diet suggests bland foods that are easy to digest when you have a stomach bug. Bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast are not the only foods that you can eat, but they are good examples so you will know where to start. If you start throwing up again after you try these foods, go back to Step 1. If you are able to keep both clear liquids and bland foods BRAT diet down, you may be ready to move toward your normal diet. It will likely be a day or two after you have stopped throwing up before you fully return to it, though.
Once you decide you can eat again, take it slowly even if you feel better. If you start to feel sick after eating but do not vomit again, go back to the BRAT diet. If you do start throwing up again, go back to Step 1 and call your healthcare provider. So far, you've taken steps to treat your vomiting by drinking only clear liquids and then trying bland foods that won't upset your stomach.
If you're ready for your normal foods, great, but go slowly. If you're still throwing up, then over-the-counter drugs and a call to your doctor may be your next move. Sometimes, even when you do all the right things, the vomiting just won't stop. A review published in in The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine found that taking various forms of ginger for four days can lessen nausea during pregnancy. Ginger has also been shown to help with symptoms of motion sickness and to ease nausea and vomiting in people receiving chemotherapy treatment for cancer.
This may be because ginger helps reduce inflammation and can move food more quickly through your stomach , making it less likely to cause nausea. Experts say that a good way to take ginger is to get fresh ginger from the grocery store, remove the peel, and mix it in with warm water or decaffeinated tea.
You can also find ginger tea or ginger candies, which kids may tolerate better, in many grocery stores. Eating plain crackers, like saltine or soda crackers, are a good option for when you feel ready to eat something, as they are easy to digest and may help soak up excess acid in your stomach that can cause irritation.
Saltines also have very little smell — foods with strong smells can easily trigger nausea and make you start vomiting again. They also provide a small amount of salt, which can help replace the electrolyte salts you lose from vomiting.
In most cases, vomiting isn't dangerous and you can recover without any medical treatment. However, some symptoms can be a sign of a more serious medical condition. If you keep vomiting for longer than 24 hours, have severe stomach pain, or show symptoms of severe dehydration like having dark urine, contact your doctor or get medical help immediately.
World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. It is sometimes known as throwing up or being sick.
Vomiting is a reflex that helps the body get rid of substances that may be harmful. Most people will experience vomiting at some point.
This information concerns vomiting in adults and children over 12 years of age. See vomiting in children for information relating to children between 0 and 12 years. Vomiting is accompanied by forceful contractions of the abdominal muscles.
It is different from reflux or regurgitation which happen without any abdominal contractions. Vomiting can sometimes be forceful — projectile vomiting can send the stomach contents more than a metre away.
Ongoing vomiting can lead to dehydration , where your body has lost more fluid than it has taken in, and doesn't have enough water to function properly. Retching is similar to vomiting, because it involves forceful stomach contractions. However, with retching, you will not bring up anything from your stomach.
Vomiting can be a sudden isolated bout of vomiting acute that usually lasts less than 2 days or it can be part of a pattern of ongoing or recurring attacks chronic. The underlying causes of vomiting are usually categorised into acute or chronic vomiting causes. Some causes of sudden vomiting are serious, but one of the most common causes is viral gastroenteritis, which usually clears up without any specific treatment within 2 days.
The following conditions can cause acute vomiting. If vomiting because of a simple case of gastroenteritis, it can often be managed at home without needing to see a doctor. But some underlying causes of vomiting can be more serious. You should go to a hospital's emergency department or call triple zero for an ambulance if you:.
Seek immediate medical attention, either from your doctor or from the emergency department, if you are vomiting and:. Make an appointment to see your doctor if you have been vomiting and have unexplained weight loss. Ongoing or recurrent episodes of vomiting should be investigated by your doctor.
They will first want to assess you for dehydration. Then, depending on your symptoms and the results of a physical examination, your doctor may suggest tests, including:. Sometimes, when it is difficult to find a cause for recurrent vomiting, investigations such as an endoscopy or a CT scan may help with diagnosis.
Your doctor may suggest referring you to a gastroenterologist or neurologist. Use the Question Builder for general tips on what to ask your GP or specialist. Treatment for vomiting depends on the underlying cause.
Some causes of vomiting will need specific treatment, depending on how serious they are. Treatments include the following:.
Some causes of vomiting, such as appendicitis or bowel obstruction , will need emergency surgery. Antiemetics are medicines that help prevent and treat nausea and vomiting.
There are various types, depending on the underlying condition, and they work in different ways. Antiemetics are mostly prescription medicines. Antiemetics can be used to treat vomiting that results from various causes, including the following:. Ginger may help with nausea and vomiting due to several causes, including pregnancy, chemotherapy and motion sickness. Changes to your diet mayhelp to reduce symptoms while doctors determine the cause of your vomiting.
These include eating small meals, reducing fat content and avoiding spicy food or ingredients that cause you problems.
If vomiting has an infectious cause, such as gastroenteritis or food poisoning, it can often be managed at home, as long as you stay hydrated. Dehydration is one of the most serious complications of vomiting.
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