Nausea is when you feel sick to your stomach, as if you are going to throw up. Vomiting is when you throw up.
Nausea and vomiting can be symptoms of many different conditions, including
Nausea and vomiting are common. They are usually not serious. However, you should contact your health care provider immediately if you have
Your health care provider will take your medical history, ask about your symptoms and do a physical exam. The provider will look for signs of dehydration. You may have some tests, including blood and urine tests. Women may also have a pregnancy test.
Treatments for nausea and vomiting depend on the cause. You may get treatment for the underlying problem. There are some medicines that can treatment nausea and vomiting. For severe cases of vomiting, you may need extra fluids through an IV (intravenous).
There are things that you can do to feel better:
Nausea and vomiting are common signs and symptoms that can be caused by numerous conditions. Nausea and vomiting most often are due to viral gastroenteritis — often mistakenly called stomach flu — or the morning sickness of early pregnancy.
Many medications can cause nausea and vomiting, as can general anesthesia for surgery. Rarely, nausea and vomiting may indicate a serious or even life-threatening problem.
Seek prompt medical attention if nausea and vomiting are accompanied by other warning signs, such as:
Ask someone to drive you to urgent care or an emergency room if:
Make an appointment with your doctor if:
Take self-care measures while you wait for your appointment with your doctor:
Too much activity and not getting enough rest might make nausea worse.
Take small sips of cold, clear, carbonated or sour drinks, such as ginger ale, lemonade and water. Mint tea also may help. Oral rehydration solutions, such as Pedialyte, can aid in preventing dehydration.
Food and cooking smells, perfume, smoke, stuffy rooms, heat, humidity, flickering lights, and driving are among the possible triggers of nausea and vomiting.
Start with easily digested foods such as gelatin, crackers and toast. When you can keep these down, try cereal, rice, fruit, and salty or high-protein, high-carbohydrate foods. Avoid fatty or spicy foods. Wait to eat solid foods until about six hours after the last time you vomited.
If you're planning a trip, OTC motion sickness drugs, such as dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) or meclizine (Rugby Travel Sickness) may help calm your queasy stomach. For longer journeys, such as a cruise, ask your doctor about prescription motion sickness adhesive patches, such as scopolamine (Transderm Scop).
If your queasiness stems from pregnancy, try nibbling on some crackers before you get out of bed in the morning.
Upper GI endoscopy is a procedure in which a doctor uses an endoscope—a flexible tube with a camera—to see the lining of your upper GI tract.
Healthcare professionals may also call the procedure endoscopy, upper endoscopy, EGD or esophagogastroduodenoscopy.
Doctors use upper GI endoscopy to help diagnose and treat symptoms and conditions that affect the esophagus, stomach, and upper intestine or duodenum.
Upper GI endoscopy can help find the cause of unexplained symptoms, such as
Upper GI endoscopy can be used to identify many different diseases:
Upper GI endoscopy can check for damage after a person eats or drinks harmful chemicals.
During upper GI endoscopy, a doctor obtains biopsies by passing an instrument through the endoscope to obtain a small piece of tissue for testing. Biopsies are needed to diagnose conditions such as
Doctors also use upper GI endoscopy to
Doctors are also starting to use upper GI endoscopy to perform weight loss procedures for some people with obesity.
You should talk with your doctor about your medical history, including medical conditions and symptoms you have, allergies, and all prescribed and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and supplements you take, including
You can take most medicines as usual, but you may need to adjust or stop some medicines for a short time before your upper GI endoscopy. Your doctor will tell you about any necessary changes to your medicines before the procedure.
For safety reasons, you can't drive for 24 hours after the procedure, as the sedatives used during the procedure need time to wear off. You will need to make plans for getting a ride home after the procedure.
To see your upper GI tract clearly, your doctor will most likely ask you not to eat or drink up to 8 hours before the procedure.
A doctor performs an upper GI endoscopy in a hospital or an outpatient center. Before the procedure, you will likely get a sedative or a medicine to help you stay relaxed and comfortable during the procedure. The sedative will be given to you through an intravenous (IV) needle in your arm.
In some cases, the procedure can be done without getting a sedative. You may also be given a liquid medicine to gargle or a spray to numb your throat and help prevent you from gagging during the procedure. The health care staff will monitor your vital signs and keep you as comfortable as possible.
You'll be asked to lie on your side on an exam table. The doctor will carefully pass the endoscope down your esophagus and into your stomach and duodenum. A small camera mounted on the endoscope will send a video image to a monitor, allowing close examination of the lining of your upper GI tract. The endoscope pumps air into your stomach and duodenum, making them easier to see.
During the upper GI endoscopy, the doctor may
The upper GI endoscopy most often takes between 15 and 30 minutes. The endoscope does not interfere with your breathing, and many people fall asleep during the procedure.
After an upper GI endoscopy, you can expect the following:
After the procedure, you—or a friend or family member who is with you if you're still groggy—will receive instructions on how to care for yourself when you are home. You should follow all instructions.
Some results from an upper GI endoscopy are available right away. Your doctor will share these results with you or, if you choose, with your friend or family member. A pathologist will examine the samples of tissue, cells, or fluid that were taken to help make a diagnosis. Biopsy results take a few days or longer to come back. The pathologist will send a report to your health care professional to discuss with you.
Upper GI endoscopy is considered a safe procedure. The risks of complications from an upper GI endoscopy are low, but may include
Bleeding caused by the procedure often is minor and stops without treatment. Serious complications such as perforation are uncommon. Your doctor may need to perform surgery to treat some complications. Your doctor can also treat an abnormal reaction to a sedative with medicines or IV fluids during or after the procedure.
If you have any of the following symptoms after an upper GI endoscopy, seek medical care right away:
Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines are medicines you can buy without a prescription from your doctor. Medicines for nausea are called antiemetics. They can help relieve nausea and vomiting. Several OTC medicines are used as antiemetics. These include:
Bismuth subsalicylate works by protecting the stomach lining.
Antihistamines appear to dull the inner ear's ability to sense motion. They block messages to the part of the brain that controls nausea and vomiting. This is why they work best if you take them before you start feeling motion sickness.
Before you take an OTC antiemetic medicine, read the directions on the drug facts label. This will tell you how much medicine to take and how often to take it. If you have any questions, call your family doctor or pharmacist. Keep a record of which OTC medicines you are using and when you take them. If you need to go to the doctor, take this list with you.
Follow these tips to make sure you are taking the right amount of medicine:
Store all medicines up and away, out of reach and sight of young children. Keep medicines in a cool, dry place. This will help prevent them from becoming less effective. Do not store medicines in bathrooms or bathroom cabinets. They are often hot and humid.
Healthy adults usually don't experience side effects from antiemetic medicines. Side effects can be a concern for older adults or people who have health problems.
The most common side effects of bismuth subsalicylate are:
These are short-term side effects.
Antihistamines may make you feel sleepy. This can affect your ability to drive or operate machines. It may be hard for you to think clearly. Alcohol can increase the drowsiness caused by antihistamines. Antihistamines may also cause your mouth and eyes to feel dry.
Some people are allergic to aspirin or other salicylate medicines. They should not take bismuth subsalicylate. Don't give bismuth subsalicylate to children 12 years of age or younger. Don't give it to children or teenagers who may have the flu or chickenpox. This increases their risk for Reye syndrome. This is a serious illness that can lead to death.
Before taking an antihistamine, talk to your doctor if you have any of the following problems:
Bismuth subsalicylate may affect how well some medicines work. It also may cause side effects if combined with other medicines. Ask your doctor before taking bismuth subsalicylate if you also take:
Ask your doctor before taking bismuth subsalicylate if you take pain relievers or cold medicines. These medicines may contain aspirin, which is a salicylate. You may get too much salicylate if you take more than 1 of these medicines at a time.
Talk to your doctor before taking an antihistamine if you take sleeping pills, sedatives, or muscle relaxants. Many OTC cold and allergy medicines contain antihistamines. If you use more than 1 of these medicines, you may get more antihistamine than you intend. Some prescription medicines have side effects similar to the side effects of antihistamines. These could include dry mouth and drowsiness. Talk with your doctor before taking these medicines at the same time.
An upset stomach or diarrhea can leave you feeling miserable. If left untreated, it can lead to exhaustion and dehydration, too, so it's important to make sure your body stays nourished — but it can be hard to determine what to eat after throwing up or having diarrhea. A special diet known as the BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast) is an effective way to treat both.
The BRAT diet is a bland food diet recommended for adults and children. The benefits of using the BRAT diet to treat upset stomach and diarrhea include:
Bland foods don't irritate your stomach. After you have diarrhea or vomiting, follow the BRAT diet to help your body ease back into normal eating. This diet also may help ease the nausea and vomiting some women experience during pregnancy.
You can add other bland foods to the BRAT diet. For example, you can try saltine crackers, plain potatoes, or clear soup broths. Don't start eating dairy products, sugary, or fatty foods right away. These foods may trigger nausea or lead to more diarrhea.