HealthyLife® Self Care Guide Section I – Common Health Problems: Vomiting and 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? |
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After a recent case of the flu or chicken pox with sudden, repeated vomiting, are other signs of Reye’s Syndrome present? |
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Do dry heaves and/or vomiting occur after a recent head injury or do you vomit true, red blood? |
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With vomiting, are any signs of drug or alcohol poisoning present? |
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After repeated vomiting, do you have signs of dehydration? |
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With vomiting, do you have symptoms of an acute kidney infection? |
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With nausea or vomiting, do the whites of your eyes or does your skin look yellow? |
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With nausea or vomiting, do you have symptoms of a bladder infection? |
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Do you have stomach pain that lasts for more than 2 hours, interferes with your activities, and keeps hurting after you vomited? |
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Do you induce vomiting after overeating or to lose weight? |
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Are you vomiting medicine that is necessary for you to take (e.g., asthma medicines)? |
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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.
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Emergencies
In the event of an medical emergency, please call
9-911(on-campus) or
911 (off campus)
You can also contact Ramapo College Security at X 6666 (on-campus) or (201) 684-6666 (off campus). This will activate the Ramapo College Emergency Response System.
Health Services is NOT an Emergency Department and cannot provide the level of care that Emergency Department does.
Appointments
Please call
(201) 684-7536
(off campus) or X 7536 (on campus) to schedule your appointment.
All patients are seen on an appointment basis. Emergencies are seen immediately. Due to the limited number of appointments available, patients are asked to call and cancel an appointment if you are unable to keep it. Also, if you are 10 or more minutes late for an appointment, your appointment is canceled. You will be rescheduled for the next available appointment.
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