Vomiting Nausea

Get medical care without delay. If symptoms are life threatening go to the ER or call 9-1-1. Don’t call 9-1-1 or use the ER if symptoms do not threaten life. Ask your doctor ahead of time where you should go for a problem that needs prompt care, but not emergency care.

Question 2

With vomiting, do you have any of these problems?

• Sudden, severe pain in and around one eye, blurred vision, headache, and you see rainbow-colored halos around lights.

• Fainting or decreased level of consciousness.

• A head or abdominal injury happened a short time ago.

Question 3

Do you have signs of dehydration?

Question 4

Do you have symptoms of a kidney infection?

Question 5

Does very bad stomach pain last for more than 2 hours, interfere with daily activities, and keep hurting even after you vomit?

Question 6

With vomiting, do the whites of your eyes or does your skin look yellow?

You should be seen by your doctor for medical advice. Contact your doctor or health care provider to find out how soon you should be seen.

Question 7

With vomiting or nausea, do you have symptoms of a urinary tract infection?

You should be seen by your doctor for medical advice. Contact your doctor or health care provider to find out how soon you should be seen.

Question 8

With nausea or vomiting, do you have ear pain or a feeling of fullness in an ear?

Call your doctor or health care provider and state the problem. He or she can decide what you should do.

Question 9

In a baby or small child, has the vomiting lasted 2 to 6 hours? For others, has the vomiting lasted longer than 12 hours without getting better?

Call your doctor or health care provider and state the problem. He or she can decide what you should do.

Question 10

Are you taking medicines that don’t work if you vomit? High blood pressure pills are examples. Or, could you be pregnant?

Call your doctor or health care provider and state the problem. He or she can decide what you should do.

Use Self-Care / Prevention:

You can probably take care of the problem yourself if you answered NO to all the questions. Use the “Self-Care” measures that are listed. Call your doctor if you don’t feel better soon, though. You may have some other problem.

Self-Care / Prevention

For Vomiting

• Don’t smoke, drink alcohol, or take aspirin.

• Don’t eat solid foods. Don’t drink milk.

• Drink clear liquids at room temperature (not too hot or cold). Good examples are water; sport drinks, such as Gatorade; diluted fruit juices; ginger ale, etc. Take small sips. Drink only 1 to 2 ounces at a time. Stir carbonated beverages to get all the bubbles out before you sip them. Suck on ice chips if nothing else will stay down. {Note: For children, contact your child’s doctor about using over- the-counter (OTC) mixtures, such as Pedialyte.}

• Gradually return to a regular diet, but wait about 8 hours from the last time you vomited. Start with foods like dry toast, crackers, rice, and other foods that are easy to digest. Or, eat foods as tolerated. Avoid greasy or fatty foods.

For Nausea Without Vomiting

• Drink clear liquids. Eat small amounts of dry foods, such as soda crackers, if they help.

• Avoid things that irritate the stomach, such as alcohol and aspirin.

• For motion sickness, use an over-the-counter medicine, such as Dramamine. You could also try Sea-Bands, a wrist band product that uses acupressure on a certain point on the wrist to control motion sickness. Sporting goods stores and drugstores sell Sea-Bands.

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