HealthyLife® Students' Self-Care Guide	Table of Contents
Section I–Common Health Problems

Vomiting & Nausea

"My roommate was real sick. She was throwing up and was real embarrassed because we had a community bathroom. It was pretty gross. But I told her we all get sick."

Tala E., University of Michigan

Signs & Symptoms

	Vomiting is throwing up the stomach’s contents. Dry heaves may precede or follow vomiting.
	Nausea is when you feel like you’re going to vomit.

Causes

	Viruses in the intestines
	Some medications, such as certain antibiotics
	Eating too much or eating spoiled food
	Drinking too much (e.g., alcohol)
	Motion sickness
	Morning sickness in pregnant females

Medical conditions that cause vomiting include: Labyrinthitis (inflammation of an area in the ear that usually results from an upper respiratory infection); stomach ulcers; hepatitis; meningitis; and a concussion from a head injury. For example, after falling from a loft, dry heaves or vomiting could be a sign of a concussion.

{Note: Nausea and vomiting can be signs of having a date rape drug.}

Treatment

Treatment for nausea and/or vomiting depends on the cause.

Questions to Ask

Besides vomiting, do you have signs of meningitis?

After a recent case of the flu or chicken pox with sudden, repeated vomiting, are other signs of Reye’s Syndrome present?

Do dry heaves and/or vomiting occur after a recent head injury or do you vomit true, red blood?

With vomiting, are any signs of drug or alcohol poisoning present?

	Confusion; lethargy; slurred speech
	Impaired motor functioning
	Shallow breathing
	Clammy skin
	Weak, but rapid pulse
	Agitation, combativeness
	Seizure
	Unconsciousness

After repeated vomiting, do you have signs of dehydration?

With vomiting, do you have symptoms of an acute kidney infection?

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

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

Do you have stomach pain that lasts for more than 2 hours, interferes with your activities, and keeps hurting after you vomited?

Do you induce vomiting after overeating or to lose weight?

Are you vomiting medicine that is necessary for you to take (e.g., asthma medicines)?

Self-Care

For Vomiting:

	Don’t eat solid foods, drink milk or alcohol, smoke, or take aspirin.
	Drink clear liquids (water, sport drinks, flat cola and ginger ale, etc.). Take small sips. Drink 1 to 2 ounces at a time, but drink often. Suck on ice chips if nothing else will stay down.
	Gradually return to regular diet, but wait about 8 hours from the last time you vomited. Start with foods that are easy to digest, like crackers.

For Nausea Without Vomiting:

	Drink clear liquids. Eat small amounts of dry foods, such as soda crackers, (if tolerated).
	Avoid things that irritate the stomach, such as alcohol, aspirin, spicy, and fried foods.
	For motion sickness, use an over-the-counter antinausea medicine, such as Dramamine. Or use Sea-Bands, a wrist band product that uses acupressure on a certain point on the wrist.

March 05, 2004